Copa Sudamericana 🏆

The Copa Sudamericana is the tournament where smaller clubs from South America participate for a chance to compete internationally. Each league on the continent allocates spots to the Copa Sudamericana Group Stage. There is also a qualifying round for those countries with lower-level leagues.

The Copa Sudamericana group stage is the first step towards winning the trophy. A draw will be held first, and each team will be placed in one of the eight groups, from Group A to Group H. Each group stage has a maximum of four teams, and the four teams will play each other twice, once at home and once away, to accumulate points. The team with the most points advances directly to the Round of 16. The second-place team will enter a playoff round where they will face one of the third-place finishers in the Copa Libertadores.

After the Group Stage and the Reclassification, the clubs face each other in the knockout rounds, where each club plays two matches, one away and one away, and the winner of that tie advances to the next round until the final, which is a single match in a neutral stadium, and the winner of that final takes the Copa Sudamericana and a direct spot in the Copa Libertadores next year.

This round of the Copa Sudamericana is unique, as the eight clubs that finished second in each group will face the eight clubs that were relegated from the Copa Libertadores. A draw will be held to determine the matchups; for example, a club that finished second in its Copa Sudamericana group will face a club that finished third in the Copa Libertadores.

Example: América de Cali 🇨🇴 finished second in Group C of the Copa Sudamericana, and with the draw, they faced Bahia 🇧🇷, who finished third in Group F of the Copa Libertadores. The two clubs will play each other in a two-legged tie to see who advances to the Round of 16.

Independiente Del Valle 🇪🇨: 2 South American titles. Boca Juniors 🇦🇷: 2 South American titles. Independiente 🇦🇷: 2 South American titles. Liga de Quito 🇪🇨: 2 South American titles. Atlético Paranaense 🇧🇷: 2 South American titles. Lanús 🇦🇷: 2 South American titles. Defensa y Justicia 🇦🇷: 1 Sudamericana. São Paulo 🇧🇷: 1 South American. Cienciano 🇵🇪: 1 Sudamericana. San Lorenzo 🇦🇷: 1 South American. Independiente de Santa Fe 🇨🇴: 1 Sudamericana. Chapecoense 🇧🇷: 1 Sudamericana. Racing Club 🇦🇷: 1 Sudamericana. River Plate 🇦🇷: 1 Sudamericana. Pachuca 🇲🇽: 1 Sudamericana. Arsenal de Sarandí 🇦🇷: 1 Sudamericana. University of Chile 🇨🇱: 1 Sudamericana. Internacional 🇧🇷: 1 Sudamericana.

2002: San Lorenzo 🇦🇷 2003: Cienciano 🇵🇪 2004: Boca Juniors 🇦🇷 2005: Boca Juniors 🇦🇷 2006: Pachuca 🇲🇽 2007: Arsenal de Sarandí 🇦🇷 2008: International 🇧🇷 2009: Liga de Quito 🇪🇨 2010: Independiente 🇦🇷 2011: University of Chile 🇨🇱 2012: São Paulo 🇧🇷 2013: Lanús 🇦🇷 2014: River Plate 🇦🇷 2015 Independiente de Santa Fe 🇨🇴 2016: Chapecoense 🇧🇷 2017: Independiente 🇦🇷 2018: Atlético Paranaense 🇧🇷 2019: Independiente Del Valle 🇪🇨 2020: Defense and Justice 🇦🇷 2021: Atlético Paranaense 🇧🇷 2022: Independiente Del Valle 🇪🇨 2023: Liga de Quito 🇪🇨 2024: Racing Club 🇦🇷 2025: Lanús 🇦🇷