2026 Copa Sudamericana


The 2026 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana will be the 25th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The competition will begin on 3 March and is scheduled to end on 21 November 2026, with the final to be played at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia.
The winners of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana will earn the right to play against the winners of the 2026 Copa Libertadores in the 2027 Recopa Sudamericana. They will also automatically qualify for the 2027 Copa Libertadores group stage.
Argentine club Lanús are the titleholders, but since they qualified for the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage as Copa Sudamericana champions, they will only be able to defend their title if they place third in their Copa Libertadores group.

Teams

The following 44 teams from the 10 CONMEBOL associations qualified for the tournament:
  • Argentina and Brazil: 6 berths each
  • All other associations: 4 berths each
The entry stage is determined as follows:
  • Group stage: 12 teams
  • First stage: 32 teams
AssociationTeam Entry stageQualification method

River Plate Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Racing Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Deportivo Riestra Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

San Lorenzo Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Tigre Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table 5th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Barracas Central Group stage2025 Liga Profesional aggregate table 6th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

San Antonio Bulo Bulo [|First stage]2025 División Profesional best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Blooming First stage2025 División Profesional 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Independiente Petrolero First stage2025 División Profesional 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Guabirá First stage2025 División Profesional 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

São Paulo Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Grêmio Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Red Bull Bragantino Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Atlético Mineiro Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Santos Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 5th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Vasco da Gama Group stage2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 6th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Universidad de Chile First stage2025 Liga de Primera best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Audax Italiano First stage2025 Liga de Primera 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Palestino First stage2025 Liga de Primera 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Cobresal First stage2025 Liga de Primera 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Atlético Nacional First stage2025 Copa Colombia champions

América de Cali First stage2025 Primera A aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Atlético Bucaramanga First stage2025 Primera A aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Millonarios First stage2025 Primera A aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Orense First stage2025 Serie A best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Libertad First stage2025 Serie A 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Macará First stage2025 Serie A second hexagonal winners

Deportivo Cuenca First stage2025 Serie A second hexagonal runners-up

Sportivo Trinidense First stage2025 Copa de Primera aggregate table best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Nacional First stage2025 Copa de Primera aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Recoleta First stage2025 Copa de Primera aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Olimpia First stage2025 Copa de Primera aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Alianza Atlético First stage2025 Liga 1 aggregate table best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Melgar First stage2025 Liga 1 aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Deportivo Garcilaso First stage2025 Liga 1 aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Cienciano First stage2025 Liga 1 aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Defensor Sporting First stage2025 Liga AUF Uruguaya aggregate table best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Boston River First stage2025 Liga AUF Uruguaya aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Racing First stage2025 Liga AUF Uruguaya aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Montevideo City Torque First stage2025 Liga AUF Uruguaya aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Academia Puerto Cabello First stage2025 Clausura runners-up

Monagas First stage2025 Liga FUTVE aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Caracas First stage2025 Liga FUTVE aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

Metropolitanos First stage2025 Liga FUTVE aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2026 Copa Libertadores

A further 12 teams eliminated from the 2026 Copa Libertadores will be transferred to the Copa Sudamericana, entering the group stage and the knockout round play-offs.
Teams eliminated in third stageEntry stage
Group stage
Group stage
Group stage
Group stage
Third-placed teams in group stageEntry stage
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs
Knockout round play-offs

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows:

Group stage

The following 32 teams will be involved in the group stage :
  • River Plate
  • Atlético Mineiro
  • São Paulo
  • Racing
  • Grêmio
  • Santos
  • San Lorenzo
  • Red Bull Bragantino
  • Vasco da Gama
  • Tigre
  • Deportivo Riestra
  • Barracas Central
  • First stage winner Bolivia 1
  • First stage winner Bolivia 2
  • First stage winner Chile 1
  • First stage winner Chile 2
  • First stage winner Colombia 1
  • First stage winner Colombia 2
  • First stage winner Ecuador 1
  • First stage winner Ecuador 2
  • First stage winner Paraguay 1
  • First stage winner Paraguay 2
  • First stage winner Peru 1
  • First stage winner Peru 2
  • First stage winner Uruguay 1
  • First stage winner Uruguay 2
  • First stage winner Venezuela 1
  • First stage winner Venezuela 2
  • Copa Libertadores third stage loser G1
  • Copa Libertadores third stage loser G2
  • Copa Libertadores third stage loser G3
  • Copa Libertadores third stage loser G4