- The 'Raposa' returned to the competition after a seven-year absence, finished second in a demanding Group D with 11 points and will face reigning champions Flamengo in the Round of 16, with the first leg at the Mineirão on August 12.
Two-time South American champions in 1976 and 1997, Cruzeiro will pursue a third crown led by the creativity of Matheus Pereira, the continental experience of Artur Jorge and the goalscoring threat of Kaio Jorge.
Cruzeiro have reclaimed their place among South America’s elite. In their first CONMEBOL Libertadores campaign since 2019, they navigated a highly competitive group featuring Universidad Católica, Boca Juniors and Barcelona, recording three wins, two draws and one defeat before sealing qualification on the final matchday with an emphatic 4-0 victory at the Mineirão.
Their campaign showed different sides of the team. Artur Jorge’s men knew how to grind out a narrow victory in Guayaquil, withstand periods of pressure in Santiago and at La Bombonera, and produce their best attacking football when there was no longer any margin for error. They finished the Group Stage with eight goals scored, three conceded and four clean sheets, numbers that reinforced a remarkable tradition: Cruzeiro have advanced every time they have competed in the Group Stage of the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
Matheus Pereira was the team’s creative leader and top scorer, recording four goals and one assist. Fagner was directly involved in three goals — two assists and the equaliser against Boca — while Kaio Jorge, the club’s leading scorer this season, compensated for his lack of goals in the competition with two assists. Qualification also featured the emergence of Néiser Villarreal, who scored the dramatic winner against Boca in Belo Horizonte.
Their reward is a high-profile all-Brazilian knockout tie. Reigning champions Flamengo finished top of Group A with 16 points, 14 goals scored and only two conceded. Cruzeiro will open the series at the Mineirão before travelling to the Maracanã one week later, where they will look to prove that their return to the Libertadores is about more than simply clearing the first hurdle.
Cruzeiro in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Results and Schedule
Group Stage — Group D
Matchday 1: Barcelona 0-1 Cruzeiro
Matheus Pereira, 7' 2H, assisted by Fagner.
Matchday 2: Cruzeiro 1-2 Universidad Católica
Matheus Pereira, penalty, 15' 2H / Justo Giani, 30' 1H, and Jimmy Martínez, 45+4' 2H.
Matchday 3: Cruzeiro 1-0 Boca Juniors
Néiser Villarreal, 38' 2H, assisted by Kaio Jorge.
Matchday 4: Universidad Católica 0-0 Cruzeiro
Matchday 5: Boca Juniors 1-1 Cruzeiro
Miguel Merentiel, 15' 1H, following a delivery from Leandro Paredes / Fagner, 9' 2H, assisted by Kaiki.
Matchday 6: Cruzeiro 4-0 Barcelona
Matheus Pereira, 4' 1H, from a Fagner cross; Christian, 6' 2H, assisted by Matheus Pereira; Luis Sinisterra, 10' 2H, assisted by Kaio Jorge; and Matheus Pereira, 26' 2H, following a pass from Lucas Villalba.
CONMEBOL Libertadores Round of 16
First Leg: Cruzeiro vs. Flamengo — Wednesday, August 12, 9:30 p.m., Mineirão, Belo Horizonte.
Second Leg: Flamengo vs. Cruzeiro — Wednesday, August 19, 9:30 p.m., Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro.
Cruzeiro Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Artur Jorge
Artur Jorge arrived in Belo Horizonte on March 22 to replace Tite, who had guided the team to the Campeonato Mineiro title but was dismissed after a difficult start to the Brasileirão. The Portuguese coach took charge just a few weeks before the start of the CONMEBOL Libertadores and has overseen the entirety of Cruzeiro’s continental campaign.
His debut in the competition came with a hard-fought victory over Barcelona in Guayaquil. That was followed by defeat against Universidad Católica, a win over Boca and two consecutive away draws. When qualification demanded a convincing response, his side delivered a 4-0 victory over Barcelona to secure second place in the group.
The coach already knows the road to Eternal Glory. In 2024, he led Botafogo to their first CONMEBOL Libertadores title and also won the Brasileirão before continuing his career with Al-Rayyan in Qatar. Cruzeiro initially signed him through 2027, but extended his contract until the end of 2030 after he had been in charge for just 23 days.
His approach combines pressing, intensity and a sustained attacking mindset, although the Group Stage also showed a team capable of adapting to different scenarios. Cruzeiro defended deep when circumstances required it, survived more than half an hour with ten men at La Bombonera and kept four clean sheets. Against Flamengo, they will need to bring together both versions of themselves: the resilience they showed away from home and the attacking aggression displayed in their final group match.
Full Cruzeiro Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores
*The final official squad list will be confirmed on Saturday, August 8.
Cruzeiro Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Fagner
Fagner was one of the key reasons behind Cruzeiro’s qualification. He was directly involved in three of the team’s eight goals and proved decisive both at the start and at the end of the Group Stage.
In Guayaquil, he delivered the cross that Matheus Pereira converted into Cruzeiro’s first goal of the competition. At La Bombonera, he appeared inside the box to make it 1-1 in a match the 'Raposa' finished with ten men. On the final matchday, again attacking from the right, he assisted Matheus Pereira for the early opener in the emphatic win over Barcelona.
At 37, the full-back is still pursuing the major continental title missing from his career. He featured in six editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores with Corinthians and reached the Quarter-finals in 2022, when his side were eliminated by Flamengo. Four years later, he will face the Rio de Janeiro club again, this time as one of Cruzeiro’s most influential players.
His contribution goes beyond crosses and assists. Fagner gives the team a reliable outlet in possession, the experience to read tight matches and an attacking presence in the opposition half. In a knockout tie likely to be decided by fine margins, his partnership with Matheus Pereira could once again become one of Cruzeiro’s main weapons.
Cruzeiro Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Matheus Pereira
Matheus Pereira was Cruzeiro’s leading scorer in the Group Stage with four goals. He netted the winner in the opening match against Barcelona, converted from the penalty spot against Universidad Católica and capped his campaign with a brace in the emphatic victory that secured qualification.
The final group match summed up his influence perfectly: two goals, an assist for Christian and a constant role in the build-up. His second strike, a volley from Lucas Villalba’s delivery, was one of the finest finishes of Cruzeiro’s campaign.
Three of his four goals opened the scoring. That ability to break the opposition’s first line of resistance is particularly valuable for a team that, aside from the two matches against Barcelona, sometimes struggled to turn attacking pressure into goals.
The 2026 edition is also the first CONMEBOL Libertadores campaign of his career. The midfielder needed just one match to get on the scoresheet and reached the Round of 16 as one of the competition’s leading scorers still in contention. Against Flamengo, he will once again be the player tasked with giving purpose and direction to Cruzeiro’s possession.
Cruzeiro Factor X in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Kaio Jorge
Kaio Jorge has yet to score in this edition of the Libertadores, but his influence was evident in two of the moments that proved decisive in Cruzeiro’s qualification. He assisted Néiser Villarreal for the winning goal against Boca and set up Luis Sinisterra during the 4-0 victory over Barcelona.
His lack of goals in the competition contrasts with his overall production: he enters the Round of 16 as Cruzeiro’s leading scorer this season, with 14 goals in 31 matches. He was also the top scorer in the Campeonato Mineiro and found the net in the final against Atlético Mineiro.
Developed at Santos and with experience at Juventus and Frosinone, the striker rebuilt his career in Belo Horizonte. In 2025, he had finished as the Brasileirão’s leading scorer, a campaign that established him as the team’s main attacking reference and allowed him to make the position his own despite fierce competition.
Against Flamengo, he will have the perfect opportunity to translate that efficiency onto the continental stage. His movement can occupy the centre-backs, open up spaces for Matheus Pereira and provide depth to a team that has added several attacking alternatives. If Kaio Jorge finds his first goal of the competition, Cruzeiro will add the one ingredient that was missing during the Group Stage.
Cruzeiro History in the CONMEBOL Libertadores
Cruzeiro are competing in the CONMEBOL Libertadores for the 18th time and are one of Brazil’s most decorated clubs in the competition. They lifted the trophy in 1976 and 1997, finished runners-up in 1977 and 2009, and have maintained a remarkable relationship with the tournament: they have never been eliminated in the Group Stage.
Their first triumph came in 1976, with a team featuring stars such as Dirceu Lopes, Nelinho, Jairzinho, Palhinha and Joãozinho. The final against River Plate required three matches: Cruzeiro won 4-1 at the Mineirão, lost 2-1 in Buenos Aires and then prevailed 3-2 in the deciding match in Santiago, Chile. Joãozinho scored the decisive goal from a free-kick to secure the club’s first continental crown.
Their second title arrived 21 years later. After a 0-0 draw against Sporting Cristal in Lima, Cruzeiro won the return leg 1-0 in front of a packed Mineirão thanks to Elivélton’s goal. Dida, Palhinha, Donizete and Marcelo Ramos were among the standout names in another squad that earned its place in the club’s history.
Between those two triumphs came the 1977 final defeat against Boca, decided on penalties at the Centenario in Montevideo. In 2009, Cruzeiro again came within one step of the title: they drew 0-0 with Estudiantes in La Plata before losing 2-1 in Belo Horizonte. Their most recent appearance had come in 2019, when River Plate eliminated them on penalties in the Round of 16.
Seven years later, Cruzeiro are back among the final 16. Artur Jorge already knows the path to the title, Matheus Pereira has found in the competition one of the best stages for his football this season, and Kaio Jorge arrives as the club’s leading scorer for the year. Standing in their way are reigning champions Flamengo, who produced the best campaign of the Group Stage — a challenge worthy of the 'Raposa’s' history and their ambition to conquer South America for a third time.
