- The draw held on March 19 at CONMEBOL’s headquarters produced a series of high-voltage matchups.
- The Group Stage action will get underway on April 7 and, as every year, the continent’s most captivating tournament is already being played long before the ball starts rolling.
All 32 teams now know their fate in a stage that presents a set of challenges which, in many cases, could easily belong to the competition’s decisive rounds. Every match will tell its own story, but some stand out even before kickoff: clashes that, due to their significance, current form, or symbolic weight, promise to capture the attention of the entire continent. The continental feast is set.
Flamengo - Estudiantes
The reigning CONMEBOL Libertadores champion will quickly reunite with one of its victims. It will be one of the most attractive matchups of the Group Stage, both for present form and for history: between them, they share eight continental titles. Although their last title came in 2009, El Pincha is always a demanding opponent, capable of producing any feat.
Estudiantes showcased their continental pedigree in the last edition. First, they advanced from the Group Stage as leaders after finishing ahead of defending champions Botafogo, Universidad de Chile, and Carabobo. In the Round of 16, they secured a momentous victory at Estadio General Pablo Rojas against Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño with a penalty from Santiago Ascacibar in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. After defending their advantage with a 0-0 draw in the return leg in La Plata, the side then managed by Eduardo Domínguez traveled to the Maracanã Stadium to face Flamengo in their first-ever CONMEBOL Libertadores meeting.
Flamengo got off to an emphatic start, with goals from Pedro and Guillermo Varela in the opening ten minutes, but Estudiantes recovered from the early blow and ended the night pulling one back in a 2-1 defeat in the final minute of play. One week later, in search of a feat, El León delivered a memorable night: Gastón Benedetti leveled the tie in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and capped a performance that was only missing the goal that would have sealed qualification. Penalties ultimately decided both teams’ fate in the tournament: Flamengo did not miss, capitalized on Agustín Rossi’s saves against Benedetti and Ascacibar, and continued on their path toward a fourth title in South America’s premier competition.
Wednesday, April 29, 21:30 – Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG) vs Flamengo (BRA) – Group A – Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata
Wednesday, May 20, 21:30 – Flamengo (BRA) vs Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG) – Group A – Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
Boca Juniors - Cruzeiro
The Xeneize side will reunite with the opponent it defeated to claim its first continental title: they overcame Cruzeiro, the reigning South American champions, in the 1967 edition in an unforgettable three-match final decided on penalties at Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, a city that will host the 2026 final. Hugo Gatti’s save from Vanderlei is part of the tournament’s rich history.
With a long history of encounters across various international competitions, two continental champions will begin their quest for the Gloria Eterna in a highly competitive Group D that also features Universidad Católica of Chile and Barcelona of Ecuador.
Boca will be chasing a long-awaited seventh crown, having fallen just short in the CONMEBOL Libertadores finals of 2012 against Corinthians and 2023 against Fluminense. La Raposa won its first title in 1966 against River Plate of Argentina, repeated the feat in 1997 against Sporting Cristal of Peru, and last reached the final in a defeat to Estudiantes de La Plata.
- Tuesday, April 28, 21:30 – Cruzeiro (BRA) vs Boca Juniors (ARG) – Group D – Mineirão Stadium, Belo Horizonte
- Tuesday, May 19, 21:30 – Boca Juniors (ARG) vs Cruzeiro (BRA) – Group D – La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
Peñarol - Corinthians
Another head-to-head clash between CONMEBOL Libertadores champions. Group E, which will also include Platense of Argentina and Santa Fe of Colombia, will feature two continental giants. El Manya is a five-time South American champion, although its last title came in the 1987 campaign. Corinthians reached the Gloria Eterna for the first—and so far only—time with their unforgettable victory over Boca Juniors in 2012.
Their most recent meeting came in the 2021 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Just like in this CONMEBOL Libertadores, they shared Group E in two matches with identical outcomes: Peñarol celebrated a 2-0 win in São Paulo and repeated the feat at the Campeón del Siglo with an emphatic 4-0. El Carbonero built several memorable nights in that tournament: they eliminated Nacional in the Round of 16 derby before defeating Peru’s Sporting Cristal in the quarterfinals and eventually falling in the semifinals to Brazil’s Athletico Paranaense.
Timão, bolstered by the strength of its European signings, will return to the Group Stage after a 2025 campaign in which they were eliminated in Phase 3 by Barcelona of Ecuador. Peñarol comes off a semifinal run in 2024 and a Round of 16 appearance in 2025. With Diego Aguirre—club legend as a player and now as head coach—the Uruguayan side dreams of another great feat.
- Thursday, April 30, 21:00 – Corinthians (BRA) vs Peñarol (URU) – Group E – Neo Química Arena, São Paulo
- Thursday, May 21, 21:30 – Peñarol (URU) vs Corinthians (BRA) – Group E – Campeón del Siglo Stadium, Montevideo
Liga de Quito - Lanús
El Granate arrives at the CONMEBOL Libertadores after a dream 2025 season in which they claimed the second CONMEBOL Sudamericana title in their history by defeating Atlético Mineiro on penalties at Asunción’s Estadio Defensores del Chaco. And at the start of 2026, they reaffirmed their credentials with a victory over Flamengo in the CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana: the side managed by Mauricio Pellegrino completed a flawless series, showcasing the strength of their collective play, supported by the outstanding individual performances within the squad.
El Grana celebrated in the first leg at home with a goal from Rodrigo Castillo and secured the trophy after a historic win at the Maracanã Stadium: after falling 2-1 in regular time, Lanús competed through extra time and, in the 13th minute of the second half, José Canale rose above everyone to level the series. With Flamengo pushing for the title, Dylan Aquino scored the decisive 3-2 that crowned the Buenos Aires side.
Finalists in the 2017 edition—where they fell to Grêmio—Lanús secured their qualification for the CONMEBOL Libertadores thanks to winning the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Despite having lost Rodrigo Castillo in the latest transfer window, sold to Brazil’s Fluminense, Pellegrino’s side presents itself as one of the main contenders in South America’s premier competition.
A strong test of their ambitions will be Liga de Quito, who reached the semifinals of the 2025 edition after eliminating Botafogo in the Round of 16, São Paulo in the quarterfinals, and pushing Palmeiras to the brink in the semifinals after a 3-0 victory in Quito. LDU already knows the taste of Gloria Eterna: in the 2008 CONMEBOL Libertadores they strung together wins over Estudiantes, San Lorenzo, América of Mexico, and Fluminense to become the first Ecuadorian club to lift the trophy.
- Tuesday, April 28, 19:00 – Lanús (ARG) vs L.D.U. Quito (ECU) – Group G – Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, Lanús
- Wednesday, May 20, 19:30 – L.D.U. Quito (ECU) vs Lanús (ARG) – Group G – Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
Independiente del Valle - Rosario Central
Neither side has yet been crowned CONMEBOL Libertadores champion, but both possess the credentials to dream of making history in this 2026 edition. Independiente del Valle were runners-up in the 2016 CONMEBOL Libertadores after stunning two continental giants such as River Plate and Boca Juniors: since then, they have become a formidable presence on the international stage, especially in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, where they won the titles in 2019 and 2022, in addition to reaching the semifinals in 2025.
Rosario Central have reached the semifinals twice, first in the 1975 edition and then in 2001. Their most recent participation came in 2024, when they finished third in the Group Stage behind Atlético Mineiro and Peñarol. Now, however, El Canalla will approach the tournament after a 2025 season in which they topped the overall standings, with Ángel Di María as their leading figure.
Gonzalo Belloso, the club’s president, highlighted the quality of the squad, strengthened by the presence of Fideo: “We didn’t want a repeat of 2024, when we arrived undermanned. That’s why we committed to a more solid process with (Jorge) Almirón. Today we have a good team and we’re happy—we believe we can compete.”
Rosario Central and Independiente del Valle will share Group H, alongside Paraguay’s Libertad and Venezuela’s UCV FC.
- Thursday, April 9, 19:00 – Rosario Central (ARG) vs Independiente del Valle (ECU) – Group H – Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario
- Wednesday, May 27, 17:00 – Independiente del Valle (ECU) vs Rosario Central (ARG) – Group H – Estadio Banco Guayaquil, Quito
