The ball is already rolling in what is the 61st edition of the Copa Libertadores de América. This year, seven Brazilian clubs are taking part: Flamengo, Internacional de Porto Alegre, Grêmio de Porto Alegre, Santos, Athletico Paranaense, Palmeiras and São Paulo. Alongside them, this year’s tournament also features some of the top title contenders and historic teams in the competition, such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Peñarol, Universidad Católica and América de Cali. All of them have their sights set on the grand final on the 21st of November 2021, which will be played at the Maracanã Stadium.
Copa Libertadores history and origins
The Copa Libertadores de América, officially recognised by FIFA as the CONMEBOL Libertadores, is South America’s premier continental club competition. It is the most important club tournament in South American football and also one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, second only to the UEFA Champions League. Its name pays tribute to the leading figures of the South American independence movements.
Over the course of its 60 previous editions, the competition has taken various forms. In fact, between 1998 and 2017, Mexican clubs also took part by invitation. In its early days, the tournament featured only the champions of their respective countries, which is why it was named the Copa de Campeones de América. This format remained in place until 1965, when national runners-up also began to take part. Currently, at least four clubs from each country compete in the Libertadores, although this figure can vary considerably by the time the group stage begins. It is precisely at this stage that the strength of the Argentine and Brazilian clubs becomes apparent, with each country fielding up to six representatives.
The tournament is currently played over three stages: a preliminary qualifying round, the group stage and, subsequently, the knockout rounds, played in a format similar to that of the Champions League. The final is now also played as a single match. The winner of that match is crowned South American champion and earns the right to compete in the following year’s Recopa Sudamericana, as well as taking part in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Copa Libertadores winners
Argentina’s Independiente is the club with the most titles in the competition’s history, with seven trophies in its trophy cabinet. By country, Argentina tops the list with 25 titles, followed by Brazil with 19 and Uruguay with 8. In total, the trophy has been won by 25 different clubs, although 15 of them have been crowned Libertadores champions on more than one occasion.
Interesting facts: 2020 Copa Libertadores
- Jorge Jesus’s Flamengo, the reigning champions, are obviously one of the hot favourites for the title. However, they will face stiff competition, as their main rivals include Marcelo Gallardo’s River Plate, a Boca Juniors side boasting the return of Carlitos Tévez, and a Palmeiras team managed this season by the experienced Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
- One of the great derbies in Brazilian football, the Rio Grande do Sul derby, will be contested for the first time in the Copa Libertadores. The draw has placed Internacional de Porto Alegre and Grêmio in the same group.
- Jorge Jesus is not the only European manager in charge of a Brazilian or South American football team. This season we also have Miguel Ángel Ramírez, manager of Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle, who, like Jorge Jesus, has already made history by winning the Copa Sudamericana with the Ecuadorian side. They are joined by another Portuguese manager, Jesualdo Ferreira.
