- Platense, an absolute newcomer to the tournament, visit the Maracanã to face Fluminense in the match that opens the round on Tuesday.
- Flamengo, reigning champions and unbeaten in this edition, take on Independiente del Valle in Quito; Palmeiras and Liga de Quito replay the 2025 semifinal; Estudiantes and Corinthians meet for the first time in the competition's history.
The 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores enters its decisive stage with eight teams still standing and four ties that blend history, revenge and novelty. Flamengo, the reigning champions, arrive unbeaten after eight matches and defend the crown against an Independiente del Valle side on its best winning streak in the competition. Palmeiras and Liga de Quito meet again a year after a historic semifinal. Estudiantes and Corinthians, two champions of America, face each other for the first time ever. And Platense, playing the CONMEBOL Libertadores for the first time in their history, step onto the Maracanã to take on Fluminense.
The first legs will be played between Tuesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 10, with the particularity that four of the eight contenders are Brazilian and the other four come from Argentina and Ecuador. The return legs follow the next week, under a rule that never changes: if the aggregate is still level after 180 minutes, a place in the semifinals will be decided from the penalty spot.
Fluminense vs. Platense
Tuesday opens the round with an unmissable matchup: Fluminense, finalists in 2008 and champions in 2023, host a Platense side that is playing the first CONMEBOL Libertadores in its history and is already among the eight best in America.
The Rio 'Tricolor' reached the quarterfinals the hard way. After a 0-0 draw at the Maracanã against Independiente Rivadavia, the return leg in Mendoza was a night of resistance: Fluminense were reduced to ten men when Agustín Canobbio was sent off in the 57th minute, went ahead through Kevin Serna's goal in the 76th, and conceded Álex Arce's equalizer from the penalty spot in the seventh minute of stoppage time. In the shootout, with Fábio as the standout, Marcão's side won 5-4 and extended a campaign in which they finished second in their group behind the 'Lepra Mendocina' themselves.
Fluminense in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Platense, meanwhile, built their qualification on solidity and on penalties. The 'Calamar' came through a group shared with Corinthians, Peñarol and Santa Fe — beating the 'Timão' 2-0 in São Paulo — and knocked out Coquimbo Unido in a goalless return leg after the 1-1 first leg: 0-0 in Chile and 7-6 in the shootout, with goalkeeper Juan Pablo Cozzani as the hero and Franco Zapiola — with three goals — as their top scorer in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. Since August they have been coached by Martín Palermo, who faced Fluminense as a player in the 2008 semifinals wearing the Boca shirt and now meets them again from the dugout.
The tie comes with a veteran flavor: captain Thiago Silva, 41, started in Mendoza after delivering a locker-room speech recalling that 2008 final against LDU, and warned that this may be his last CONMEBOL Libertadores. On the other side, Platense rely on a formula that has already paid off in the knockout rounds: order, patience and efficiency in the decisive moments.
Platense in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro
Date and time: Tuesday, September 8 at 7:00 PM
Referee: Andrés Matonte (URU)
VAR: Andrés Cunha (URU)
The match in numbers:
- Fluminense are unbeaten at home in CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinals (3W 3D). However, they have won 100% of those matches played at the Maracanã with fans in attendance (3W, excluding the pandemic season).
- Platense are looking to become the third debutant team in the 21st century to reach the CONMEBOL Libertadores semifinals, after Cúcuta in 2007 and Cruz Azul in 2001.
- Martín Palermo (Platense) will coach in the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinals for the second time, after doing so as Arsenal de Sarandí manager in 2014. As a player, however, he contested the quarterfinals in four editions (2000, 2005, 2007 and 2008), advancing in three of them. He also faced Fluminense as a player in the 2008 semifinals.
- Fluminense average 3.3 build-up attacks per match in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, the highest figure in the competition. Platense, on the other hand, average 0.25 per match, the second-lowest among teams that took part in the group stage.
- Among the teams in the quarterfinals, Platense are the only one to have scored more than one goal following a high recovery (in the first 40 meters of the opponent's half) in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, with two.
Fluminense vs. Platense Kit
Palmeiras vs. Liga de Quito
A year later, here we go again. Palmeiras and Liga de Quito meet once more with fresh memories of the 2025 semifinal, when the 'Albos' won 3-0 in Quito and the 'Verdão' turned the tie around with a 4-0 in São Paulo. The history between them has one constant that fuels the hopes of both: in their two CONMEBOL Libertadores ties, the team that decided at home always won — and this time, the first leg is in Brazil.
Palmeiras arrive backed by a campaign without defeats in knockout ties and with the advantage of having settled their Round of 16 clash away from home. After a 1-1 draw at home against Cerro Porteño — with the team down to ten men for much of the second half — Abel Ferreira's side won 1-0 at La Nueva Olla with a 41st-minute goal from Gustavo Gómez and closed out the tie with know-how. José Manuel López, with three goals and four assists, and Jhon Arias, with three goals, are the attacking cards of a team that produced more expected goals than its opponent in each of its eight matches in the tournament.
Palmeiras in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Liga de Quito got past Mirassol, the revelation of the tournament, with a 1-1 draw in Brazil and a 0-0 at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado that was enough to advance on penalties. Gustavo Álvarez's side is built on the security of Gonzalo Valle, the goalkeeper with the most saves in the Copa since the start of the group stage, on the assists of Janner Corozo and on the emergence of Yerlin Quiñónez, scorer of two goals. And it also has a protagonist with a history of his own in this tie: Deyverson, who scored the title-winning goal for Palmeiras in the 2021 final, faces the club that made him a champion for the first time in the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
For Ecuador's 'Rey de Copas', the task is to repeat the 2025 script but finish it this time: get a result in São Paulo that allows them to decide at altitude in Quito, where they had strung together seven consecutive wins in the competition before the 0-0 with Mirassol. For Palmeiras, three-time champions of America, the mission is to repeat last year's feat.
Liga de Quito in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Nubank Parque, São Paulo
Date and time: Wednesday, September 9 at 7:00 PM
Referee: Jesús Valenzuela (VEN)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
The match in numbers:
- Palmeiras and Liga de Quito have met four times in the CONMEBOL Libertadores and the home team has won every time. The Verdão won 4-0 in the second leg of the 2025 semifinals, the biggest win by any team over the Albos in the knockout stages of CONMEBOL competitions.
- Palmeiras have advanced from each of their last five appearances in the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinals, remaining unbeaten in those 10 matches (5W 5D).
- Palmeiras generated more expected goals than their opponent in all eight of their matches in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores. They are the only side never to have had less xG than their opponent in this edition of the Copa among those that took part in the group stage (Alianza Lima and The Strongest did so in the preliminary stages).
- Deyverson (Liga de Quito) faces Palmeiras for the first time in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. He has five goals in the knockout stages of the competition, including three against Brazilian opponents: the title-winning goal for the Verdão against Flamengo in 2021 and the brace that sent Atlético Mineiro past Fluminense in the 2024 quarterfinals.
- Gonzalo Valle (Liga de Quito) is the goalkeeper with the most saves since the start of the group stage in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, with 31. His 2.5 goals prevented is also the third-highest figure in that span (3.4 for Alexis Martín Arias and 2.7 for Otávio).
Palmeiras vs. Liga de Quito Kit
Estudiantes vs. Corinthians
Two champions of America who have never crossed paths in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. That is the hallmark of the tie between Estudiantes, four-time winners of the tournament, and Corinthians, unbeaten champions in 2012. The only official precedent between them is recent and still hurts in La Plata: the quarterfinals of the 2023 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, when each side won 1-0 at home and the 'Timão' advanced on penalties at the Estadio UNO itself.
The 'Pincha' arrive with momentum. After the 1-1 first leg against Universidad Católica, they settled the tie in Santiago with an authoritative 3-0: Joaquín Correa opened the scoring toward the end of the first half and Guido Carrillo, captain and academy product, scored a brace that confirmed him as the club's all-time top scorer in the Copa. Alexander Medina's side also leans on Tiago Palacios, likewise with three goals in this edition, and on Fernando Muslera, who has played every minute in goal at the age of 40.
Estudiantes in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Corinthians sealed their qualification with character. After a 0-0 in Rosario, they hosted Central at the Neo Química Arena, went down to ten men ten minutes into the second half and found the decisive goal in the 80th minute through Breno Bidon. Fernando Diniz's side has scored the most set-piece goals in the competition, with six, a stat that speaks to Estudiantes' strength in that department: the 'Pincha' have conceded just one goal that way in the entire competition. Gustavo Henrique, a goalscoring center-back with three goals, and Rodrigo Garro, with four assists, are their standout names.
The tie pits two ways of understanding the tournament against each other: La Plata's mystique, with the advantage of a stadium where Estudiantes have never lost a first leg in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, and São Paulo's solidity, playing a quarterfinal in this tournament against a foreign opponent for the first time. For Corinthians, it is the chance to confirm that the 2023 elimination was no fluke; for the 'Pincha', the chance to take their revenge.
Corinthians in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata
Date and time: Wednesday, September 9 at 9:30 PM
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
VAR: Antonio García (URU)
The match in numbers:
- Estudiantes and Corinthians have met in only one edition of a CONMEBOL competition: the Timão advanced on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Sudamericana. In that round, each team won its home match 1-0.
- Estudiantes have never lost a first leg at home in the CONMEBOL Libertadores: nine wins and three draws in 12 matches, including four wins and one draw against Brazilian opponents.
- This will be Corinthians' first CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinal match against a foreign opponent: their five previous appearances at this stage were all against Brazilian sides (Grêmio, Palmeiras, Atlético Mineiro, Vasco and Flamengo).
- Corinthians are the team with the most set-piece goals in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, with six, including the decisive goal against Rosario Central in the Round of 16. Estudiantes, on the other hand, have conceded just one goal that way in the competition, from a corner away to Independiente Medellín.
- Guido Carrillo, Estudiantes' all-time top scorer in the CONMEBOL Libertadores with 14 goals, is the player with the most aerial duels won since the start of the 2026 group stage (40 of 71).
Estudiantes vs. Corinthians Kit
Independiente del Valle vs. Flamengo
The reigning champions visit the 'giant-slayer'. Flamengo, unbeaten in this edition with six wins and two draws, take on an Independiente del Valle side on its best winning streak in CONMEBOL Libertadores history — and, on top of that, the team that has produced the most expected goals in the tournament. In other words, two of the most productive attacks in the competition go head to head.
The 'Rayo' closed out their tie against Deportes Tolima with a 3-1 win in Quito after a 1-0 in the first leg in Ibagué. Daykol Romero opened the scoring, Carlos González — the Copa's second-top scorer with seven goals — doubled the lead, Junior Hernández pulled one back and Matías Perelló sealed the 4-1 aggregate at the death. Joaquín Papa's side has won its last four matches in the competition and its last five at home, and carries a precedent nobody in Quito forgets: the 5-0 over Flamengo in the 2020 group stage, the biggest win in the club's history in the tournament.
Independiente del Valle in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Flamengo arrive with the same pedigree with which they won last year's edition. After a 1-1 draw in Belo Horizonte, Leonardo Jardim's 'Mengão' eliminated Cruzeiro at the Maracanã with goals from Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Samuel Lino, confirming an unbeaten campaign that leaves them, for the fifth time in their history, undefeated after the first eight matches of a Libertadores. Bruno Henrique, with four goals, is their top scorer, and a squad with two full teams allows the coach to manage the calendar without sacrificing threat.
The head-to-head record is as short as it is intense: six matches in CONMEBOL competitions, two Recopa finals with one title apiece, and one constant that sets the pulse of this tie: the home side has never lost. Independiente del Valle, runners-up in 2016 and two-time Sudamericana champions, are chasing the one major continental title they are missing and know their chance depends on making Quito count before the return leg in Rio. For Flamengo, the order is to survive the altitude and the Ecuadorian attack in order to decide things at home.
Flamengo in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito
Date and time: Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 PM
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
VAR: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
The match in numbers:
- Independiente del Valle and Flamengo have met six times in CONMEBOL competitions, and the home team has never lost (2W 1D for the Ecuadorians, 3W for the Brazilians). They met in two Recopa finals, with one title each. In addition, the Negriazul's biggest win in the Libertadores came precisely against Flamengo (5-0 in 2020), while the Rubro-Negro won the return match 4-0 in that same tournament.
- Flamengo are unbeaten in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores (6W 2D). It is the fifth time the Rubro-Negro have gone unbeaten through their first eight matches of a Copa edition, after 2022 (champions), 2021 (runners-up), 1991 (eliminated in the quarterfinals) and 1981 (champions).
- Independiente del Valle are currently on both their longest overall winning streak (4W) and their longest home winning streak (5W) in the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
- The two teams that have produced the most expected goals so far in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores meet: Independiente del Valle (16.1 xG) and Flamengo (15.2 xG).
- Carlos González (Independiente del Valle) is the second-top scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores with seven goals: six of them were headers, although the last one came from a left-footed shot against Tolima in the return leg of the Round of 16.
Independiente del Valle vs. Flamengo Kit
