2021 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages
The 2021 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages were played from 23 February to 15 April 2021. A total of 19 teams competed in the qualifying stages to decide four of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2021 Copa Libertadores.
The qualifying stages had been originally scheduled to be played from 16 February to 8 April 2021.
Draw
The draw for the qualifying stages was held on 5 February 2021, 12:00 PYST, at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.
Teams were seeded by their CONMEBOL Clubs ranking as of 1 February 2021, taking into account the following three factors:
- Performance in the last 10 years, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 2011–2020.
- Historical coefficient, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 1960–2010 and 2002-2010 respectively.
- Local tournament champion, with bonus points awarded to domestic league champions of the last 10 years
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
;Notes
For the second stage, the 16 teams were drawn into eight ties, with the teams from Pot 1 hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie, excluding the three winners of the first stage, which were seeded in Pot 2 and whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, and could be drawn into the same tie with another team from the same association.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
;Notes
For the third stage, the eight winners of the second stage were allocated without any draw into the following four ties, with the team in each tie with the higher CONMEBOL ranking hosting the second leg. As their identity was not known at the time of the draw, they could be drawn into the same tie with another team from the same association.
- Second stage winner C1 vs. Second stage winner C8
- Second stage winner C2 vs. Second stage winner C7
- Second stage winner C3 vs. Second stage winner C6
- Second stage winner C4 vs. Second stage winner C5
Format
In the qualifying stages, each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule will be used. If still tied, extra time will not be played, and a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner.
Bracket
The qualifying stages are structured as follows:
- First stage : The three winners of the first stage advance to the second stage to join the 13 teams which are given byes to the second stage.
- Second stage : The eight winners of the second stage advance to the third stage.
- Third stage : The four winners of the third stage advance to the group stage to join the 28 direct entrants. The four teams eliminated in the third stage enter the Copa Sudamericana group stage.
First stage
The first legs were played on 23 and 24 February, and the second legs were played on 2 and 3 March 2021.Match E1
----''Universidad Católica won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second stage.''
Match E2
----''Caracas won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the second stage.''
Match E3
----''Guaraní won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the second stage.''
Second stage
The first legs were played on 9–11 March, and the second legs were played on 16–18 March 2021.Match C1
----''Libertad won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C2
----''Grêmio won 8–2 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C3
----''Bolívar won 5–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C4
----''San Lorenzo won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C5
----''Santos won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C6
----''Junior won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C7
----''Independiente del Valle won 6–3 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Match C8
----''Atlético Nacional won 5–0 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage.''
Third stage
The first legs were played on 6–9 April, and the second legs were played on 13–15 April 2021.Match G1
----''Atlético Nacional won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.''
Match G2
----''Independiente del Valle won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.''
Match G3
----''Junior won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.''
Match G4
----''Santos won 5–3 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.''