Copa Libertadores

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Lore & Background

The Copa Libertadores has evolved significantly since its inception in 1960. Initially, only champions of South American leagues participated; runners-up joined in 1966. Mexican teams competed regularly from 2000 until 2016. The tournament expanded from 20 to 32 teams in 2000. Today, at least four clubs per country compete. The format has always included a group stage, though the number of teams per group has varied. Independiente of Argentina is the most successful club, having won the tournament seven times. Argentine and Brazilian clubs have accumulated 25 victories each, while Brazil has the largest number of winning clubs, with 12 different teams claiming the title. The cup has been won by 27 clubs; 15 have won it more than once, and seven have won two years in a row. The winner becomes eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the Recopa Sudamericana.

In Their Own Story

The tournament's roots trace back to the 1948 South American Championship of Champions, organized by Chilean club Colo-Colo and won by Vasco da Gama of Brazil. This competition is recognized by CONMEBOL as the direct precursor to the Copa Libertadores. In 1958, Peñarol's board leaders created the basis and format. On October 8, 1958, João Havelange announced the creation of the Copa de Campeones de America at a UEFA meeting, designed as a South American equivalent of the European Cup. The competition was ratified on March 5, 1959, at the 24th South American Congress in Buenos Aires. In 1965, it was renamed in honor of liberation heroes including Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, Pedro I, Bernardo O'Higgins, and José Gervasio Artigas.

Reader's Guide

The current tournament features 47 clubs competing over six to eight months across three stages. The first stage involves 12 clubs in two-legged knockout ties. Six survivors join 26 clubs in the group stage, divided into eight groups of four teams each. Teams play a double round-robin format, with each team playing home and away against every other team in their group. The top two from each group advance to the knockout stage, which consists of two-legged ties through quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. Between 1960 and 1987, previous winners entered only at the semifinal stage. Qualification varies by country: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela use Apertura and Clausura tournaments; Argentina, Brazil, and Chile use a European league format. Since 2011, the Copa Sudamericana winner automatically qualifies for the following Copa Libertadores.

Did You Know?

• The trophy was designed by goldsmith Alberto de Gasperi, an Italian-born immigrant to Peru, at Camusso Jewelry in Lima.
• Any club that wins three consecutive tournaments has the right to keep the trophy permanently.
• Estudiantes kept the trophy after their third consecutive win in 1970; Independiente did so after their third consecutive win in 1974.
• From 1960 to 1987, two-legged ties were decided on points, not goal difference, with a third match played at a neutral venue if teams were level.
• The 1948 South American Championship of Champions, won by Vasco da Gama, is recognized by CONMEBOL as the competition that would become the Copa Libertadores 12 years later.