Copa Libertadores de América

Lore & Background

The clashes for the Copa Aldao between the champions of Argentina and Uruguay kindled the idea of continental competition in the 1930s. In 1948, the South American Championship of Champions was played and organized by the Chilean club Colo-Colo. The tournament was won by Vasco da Gama of Brazil. The 1948 South American tournament began the "champions cup" model, resulting in the creation of the European Cup in 1955. In 1958, the basis and format of the competition were created by Peñarol's board leaders. On October 8, 1958, João Havelange announced the creation of Copa de Campeones de America. On March 5, 1959, the competition was ratified by the International Affairs Committee. In 1965, it was named in honor of the heroes of South American liberation.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Monumental de Núñez was thick with humidity and tension on that November night in 2005. The scoreline read 1-1 after ninety minutes, a stalemate that threatened to drag Corinthians into penalties against their arch-rivals. In the dying moments of extra time, the ball found Vampeta near the edge of the box. With a thunderous strike that seemed to echo across the continent, the ball smashed past the goalkeeper. The roar from the traveling Alvinegro fans was deafening, a release of decades of longing finally breaking free in a single, perfect moment.

Reader's Guide

The current tournament features 47 clubs competing over a six- to eight-month period. There are three stages: the first, the second and the knockout stage. The first stage involves 12 clubs in a series of two-legged knockout ties. The six survivors join 26 clubs in the second stage, in which they are divided into eight groups of four. The top two teams from each group enter the knockout stage, which consists of two-legged knockout ties to quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals. The winner qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.

Did You Know?

• Independiente of Argentina is the most successful club in the cup's history, having won the tournament seven times.
• Argentine and Brazilian clubs have accumulated the most victories with 25 wins each.
• Brazil has the largest number of winning teams, with 12 clubs winning the title.
• The cup has been won by 27 clubs; 15 of them have won it more than once, and seven clubs have won two years in a row.
• Brazilian clubs currently hold a record-breaking winning streak of seven Copa Libertadores in a row, starting in 2019.