- Four thrilling matches brought the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina Group Stage to an official close in Quito.
- Three teams secured their places in the next round on the final matchday: Deportivo Cali, Olimpia and Libertad.
The CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina 2026 Group Stage concluded with an action-packed matchday that determined the remaining Quarter-finalists. The action began in Group D, where Deportivo Cali defeated Universidad de Chile 3-2 and Libertad drew 2-2 with Nacional to secure their places in the next round. Attention then turned to Group C, where Cruzeiro had already qualified. Olimpia joined the Brazilian side in the last eight despite a 3-0 defeat to ‘Las Cabulosas’.
The Quarter-final line-up is now complete. The first round of the Knockout Stage in the quest for ‘The Glory is Theirs’ will begin on Saturday, 24 October, with two matches.
Defending champions Corinthians will face Independiente del Valle, while Palmeiras will take on Independiente Santa Fe. In the bottom half of the draw, Cruzeiro and Libertad will compete for a place in the Semi-finals, with Deportivo Cali and Olimpia completing the Quarter-final fixtures.
Universidad de Chile vs. Deportivo Cali
Deportivo Cali made a blistering start. The Colombian side took an early lead through María Morales in the sixth minute, before goals from Ingrid Guerra and Morales again, completing her brace, put them three goals ahead shortly after the half-hour mark.
The ‘Azucareras’ looked set to take that comfortable lead into the break. However, Nicolás Bravo’s side responded, with a Daniela Zamora penalty and a goal from Fátima Acosta bringing them within one goal of drawing level.
In the second half, ‘Las Leonas’ conceded possession to the Colombian side but continued to find a way forward, registering more shots than Deportivo Cali without translating those efforts into genuine danger. Backed by a solid defensive display from Angie Salazar, who led the team in clearances (6), total tackles (7) and duels won (11), the Colombian side protected their lead, completed their fifth unbeaten Group Stage campaign in the competition and advanced to face Olimpia in the Quarter-finals.
The match in numbers:
- Deportivo Cali scored three goals in the opening 35 minutes, recording more shots on target than Universidad de Chile (4 to 1) despite having less possession (37% to 63%). From the third goal onwards, the Colombians had more possession (53% to 47%) but were outshot 13 to 7.
- Deportivo Cali completed their fifth unbeaten CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina Group Stage campaign in as many appearances. Across 15 matches, they have recorded 13 wins and two draws.
- Deportivo Cali scored twice in the opening 20 minutes of a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match for the first time since their 10-1 victory over Always Ready in 2022.
- Ingrid Guerra has scored seven of Deportivo Cali’s 34 goals in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina across the last five editions, excluding own goals, accounting for 20% of the Colombian side’s total.
- Universidad de Chile’s Daniela Zamora scored in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina again after an 11-match scoring drought. Her previous goal in the competition came in a 6-2 victory over Libertad Limpeño in 2022.
- Angie Salazar led Deportivo Cali in clearances (6), total tackles (7), interceptions (4), duels won (11), aerial duels won (3) and touches (56) in this match.
Libertad vs. Nacional
Libertad and Nacional served up a thrilling conclusion to Group D. Marialba Zambrano shone in the first half, providing two assists as Liz Peña and Naomí de León put the Paraguayan side in control.
The roles were reversed after the break. Nacional, the Uruguayan club with the most CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina appearances (8), fought back to draw level through Sinoxolo Cesane, who became the first African player to score in the continent’s most prestigious club competition, and Agostina Marcora.
Libertad withstood the Uruguayan side’s pressure, and the 2-2 draw was enough to send Ramón Gómez’s team through. The Paraguayan side will face Cruzeiro in the Quarter-finals.
The match in numbers:
- Nacional became the first team to avoid defeat after falling two goals behind in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match since Ñañas did so against Defensor Sporting in 2022, across the last five editions. On that occasion, the Ecuadorian side won 4-3 after trailing 2-0 and 3-1.
- Libertad scored four first-half goals across their last two CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina matches, also finding the net against Universidad de Chile. They had not scored in the opening 45 minutes of any of their previous eight matches in the competition.
- Nacional’s Sinoxolo Cesane is the first African player to score in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina. The ‘Bolso’ forward is from South Africa.
- This is the first time Nacional have scored more than once in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match since their 2-1 Quarter-final victory over Deportivo Cali in 2021.
- Libertad’s Marialba Zambrano is the third Venezuelan to provide two assists in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match across the last five editions. She joins Ysaura Viso, who achieved the feat twice — with Colo-Colo in 2023 and Santa Fe in 2025 — and Dayana Rodríguez, who did so for Corinthians last year.
Olimpia vs. Cruzeiro
Cruzeiro completed their Group Stage campaign with a perfect record. They secured their third consecutive victory on the final matchday, beating Olimpia 3-0. Gisseli opened the scoring for ‘Las Cabulosas’ in the first half, before Marília Furiel and Rafa Levis added goals after the break.
The last Brazilian club to win all three first-round matches had been Internacional in 2023. Jonas Urias’s side finished top of the group and will face Libertad in the Quarter-finals.
Olimpia, who also progressed despite the defeat, will take on Deportivo Cali.
The match in numbers:
- Brazilian teams extended their winning streak against Paraguayan opponents to 13 matches, keeping clean sheets in ten of those victories, including Cruzeiro’s 3-0 win over Olimpia in this match.
- Cruzeiro won all three of their matches in this CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina Group Stage. The last Brazilian team to achieve a perfect record at this stage in their debut campaign were Internacional in 2023.
- Cruzeiro did not allow Olimpia a single shot on target in this match. The last team to achieve that in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina game were another Brazilian side in their debut campaign: São Paulo, also against Olimpia, in 2025.
- Marília Furiel, who scored Cruzeiro’s second goal in this match, became the club’s first player to score in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina after coming on as a substitute.
- Cruzeiro are the first team in this edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina to win a match without winning a corner, while Olimpia had four. The previous team to achieve this were São Paulo, also against ‘El Decano’, in 2025.
Liga de Quito vs. Bolívar
Liga de Quito signed off in front of their home fans at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado with a convincing victory over Bolívar. The ‘Guerreras’ made a devastating start, scoring three goals in fifteen minutes as a Milagro Barahona brace and a strike from Tamara Angulo put the hosts in control.
Barahona, the Ecuador international forward, struck again to complete her hat-trick. Cecil Aldana and Carnia Caicedo also got on the scoresheet, the latter in the second half, to seal a 6-0 win over the Bolivian side.
Even Cruzeiro’s victory over Olimpia was not enough to send José Londoño’s team through. They finished with three points, one behind the Paraguayan side, and were eliminated from the competition.
The match in numbers:
- LDU Quito allow their opponents the fewest passes per defensive action (6.1) of any team in this edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina.
- LDU Quito recorded 3.55 expected goals (xG) against Bolívar from 27 shots. This is the second-highest figure for an Ecuadorian club across the last five editions of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, behind Barcelona’s 3.6 against Caracas in 2023.
- This is the biggest victory by an Ecuadorian team in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, surpassing Dragonas IDV’s 5-0 win over Always Ready in 2025.
- LDU Quito’s Milagro Barahona is the fourth Ecuadorian player to score three or more goals in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match across the last five editions, joining Madelin Riera, Nayely Bolaños and Ámbar Torres. Only Brazil have had more different players achieve that feat during this period (6).
- Milagro Barahona is the first LDU Quito player to be directly involved in four goals in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina match across the last five editions, recording three goals and one assist against Bolívar. She is the 11th player to contribute directly to four or more goals in a match in the competition during that period.
