Libertadores

Libertadores da América: The Highest Podium in South American Football

Biggest Winners

Independiente (Argentina) – 7 titles (1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1984)
Boca Juniors (ARG) – 6 titles (1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007)
Peñarol (URU) – 5 titles (1960, 1961, 1966, 1982, 1987)
River Plate (ARG) – 4 titles (1986, 1996, 2015, 2018)
Estudiantes (ARG) – 4 titles (1968, 1969, 1970, 2009)
Flamengo (BRA) – 3 titles (1981, 2019, 2022)
São Paulo (BRA) – 3 titles (1992, 1993, 2005)
Palmeiras (BRA) – 3 titles (1999, 2020, 2021)

Competition Format

The format of the Libertadores has evolved over the years to become more competitive and attractive. Currently, the competition follows this model:

Preliminary phases: Three knockout phases before the group phase, with home and away matches.
Group phase: 32 teams divided into eight groups of four clubs. The top two teams in each group advance.
Round of 16: Home and away knockout matches.
Quarterfinals and semifinals: Follow the same knockout format.
Final: Since 2019, the final has been a single match, held on a neutral field chosen in advance by CONMEBOL.

Mexicans in the Libertadores

Mexican clubs participated in the Copa Libertadores between 1998 and 2016, invited by CONMEBOL. During this period, a few teams stood out:

Cruz Azul (2001) and Chivas Guadalajara (2010) reached the final, but were defeated by Boca Juniors and Internacional, respectively.
Tigres UANL (2015) was another Mexican finalist, losing to River Plate.
Mexican teams left the Libertadores in 2017 due to scheduling conflicts with the CONCACAF Champions League.

Brazilian Dominance in the Last 5 Years

In recent years, Brazilian clubs have dominated the Libertadores, winning every edition since 2019:

2019 – Flamengo (beat River Plate in the final)
2020 – Palmeiras (beat Santos in the final)
2021 – Palmeiras (beat Flamengo in extra time)
2022 – Flamengo (beat Athletico Paranaense in the final)
2023 – Fluminense (beat Boca Juniors in the final)
2024 - Botafogo (beat Atletico Mineiro in the final)

The Copa Libertadores de América is the most important club tournament in South America. Organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) since 1960, the competition has established itself over the years as the most prestigious on the continent and one of the most recognized in the world. In addition to glory and recognition, the champion is guaranteed a place in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.

The First Libertadores

The first edition of the Copa Libertadores was held in 1960, with seven clubs competing: Bahia (Brazil), Peñarol (Uruguay), San Lorenzo (Argentina), Jorge Wilstermann (Bolivia), Millonarios (Colombia), Olimpia (Paraguay) and Universidad de Chile (Chile).

The final was played between Peñarol and Olimpia, with the Uruguayans winning the title after winning the first leg 1-0 and winning the second leg 5-0. Thus, Peñarol became the first champion in the history of the Libertadores and began a victorious trajectory in the competition.

Since then, the tournament has grown in importance and has established itself as the main interclub competition in South America, attracting attention not only in the Americas, but from all over the world.

All the winners of the Conmebol Libertadores