- The reigning champions and four-time South American champions dominated Group A — 16 points from a possible 18, unbeaten and with just two goals conceded — and will face Cruzeiro in the Round of 16.
- Bruno Henrique, Flamengo’s leading scorer in the competition, and Leonardo Jardim, who coached their Round of 16 opponents in 2025, lead the defence of the crown.
Flamengo are defending their CONMEBOL Libertadores title, and they did so with the authority of champions in the Group Stage: 16 points from a possible 18 in Group A, unbeaten, with 14 goals scored and just two conceded — the best campaign of the entire phase. Leonardo Jardim’s 'Mengão', crowned champions in Lima in November 2025 after defeating Palmeiras, made one thing clear: the title is not surrendered easily — it has to be defended.
Their Group Stage campaign had a little bit of everything: a 4-1 win over Independiente Medellín at the Maracanã, with goals from Paquetá, Bruno Henrique, De Arrascaeta and Pedro; a narrow victory over Estudiantes de La Plata in Rio de Janeiro; and a perfect finish against Cusco FC, highlighted by Bruno Henrique’s brace, which took him to four goals and made him the team’s leading scorer in the competition.
The Round of 16 brings one of Brazilian football’s major clashes: Cruzeiro, with the first leg at the Mineirão and the return fixture at the Maracanã. There is also a personal storyline on the touchline: Jardim coached the 'Raposa' in 2025 before taking charge in Rio in March. “We know both the first and second legs will be intense. We will go there aiming to beat them, knowing that the tie will be decided at the Maracanã,” the Portuguese coach said ahead of the matchup. The road to a fifth title begins in Belo Horizonte.
Flamengo in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Results and Schedule
Group A - Matchday 1: Cusco FC 0-2 Flamengo (14' 2H Bruno Henrique, assist by Ayrton Lucas, and 45+2' 2H Giorgian de Arrascaeta)
Group A - Matchday 2: Flamengo 4-1 Independiente Medellín (15' 1H Lucas Paquetá, assist by Ayrton Lucas; 45' 1H Bruno Henrique, assist by De Arrascaeta; 4' 2H De Arrascaeta, assist by Bruno Henrique; and 45+6' 2H Pedro, assist by Luiz Araújo / 40' 1H Yeison González)
Group A - Matchday 3: Estudiantes 1-1 Flamengo (9' 2H Guido Carrillo / 32' 1H Luiz Araújo, assist by Bruno Henrique)
Group A - Matchday 4: Independiente Medellín 0-3 Flamengo (match suspended after five minutes due to incidents at the Atanasio Girardot and awarded to Flamengo by CONMEBOL)
Group A - Matchday 5: Flamengo 1-0 Estudiantes (20' 2H Pedro)
Group A - Matchday 6: Flamengo 3-0 Cusco FC (35' 2H Bruno Henrique, assist by Pedro; 39' 2H Bruno Henrique; and 45+1' 2H Lucas Paquetá, penalty)
Round of 16 - First Leg: Cruzeiro vs. Flamengo — Wednesday, August 12, 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Mineirão, Belo Horizonte
Round of 16 - Second Leg: Flamengo vs. Cruzeiro — Wednesday, August 19, 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
Flamengo Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Leonardo Jardim
The Portuguese coach, who was born in Venezuela, took charge of the 'Mengão' on March 4, 2026, signing a contract through the end of 2027 to inherit the reigning South American champions following Filipe Luís’ departure. His international résumé speaks for itself: Ligue 1 champion in 2016-17 and a UEFA Champions League semi-finalist with Monaco’s Mbappé-led generation, after previous spells with Sporting and Olympiacos.
His connection to the Round of 16 tie is direct: Jardim coached Cruzeiro in 2025, knows the Mineirão from the inside and must now eliminate his former club to keep Flamengo’s title defence alive. His record since taking charge — just three defeats — and the team’s commanding Group Stage campaign have reinforced the project: a Flamengo side that attacks in numbers and concedes very little.
Full Flamengo Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores
*The final official squad list will be confirmed on Saturday, August 8.
Flamengo Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Giorgian de Arrascaeta
The Uruguayan remains the creative heartbeat of the most successful era in Flamengo’s history, and his 2026 campaign has maintained that standard: two goals and one assist in the Group Stage, the responsibility of orchestrating a star-studded midfield — with Paquetá, De la Cruz and Jorginho among his possible partners — and the quality to turn tight matches into comfortable victories.
A CONMEBOL Libertadores champion with the club in 2019, 2022 and 2025, De Arrascaeta enters the Round of 16 with an added source of motivation that suits him perfectly: knockout ties against Brazilian opposition, where his talent so often helps separate very good teams from champions.
Flamengo Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Bruno Henrique
At 35, the man for the big continental nights remains the 'Mengão’s' attacking barometer: four goals in the Group Stage, including a brace in the final match against Cusco FC, plus two assists, making him the team’s leading scorer in an attack that found the net 14 times. His personal record in the competition reads like a biography of Flamengo’s golden era, with decisive contributions in the 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2025 campaigns.
When the stage is the Libertadores, Bruno Henrique seems to find another level: runs in behind, aerial power and that instinct for appearing exactly where a tie can be decided. Cruzeiro have been warned.
Flamengo Factor X in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Pedro
The No. 9 is the player who adds another dimension to the 'Mengão': two goals and one assist in the Group Stage — including the strike that broke Estudiantes’ resistance at the Maracanã — and an imposing season tally of 21 goals, the highest in the squad. When a match calls for a pure finisher, Flamengo have one of the best in South America in that role.
Developed in Fluminense’s youth system and back in Rio after his spell with Fiorentina, Pedro enters the tie against Cruzeiro in the kind of scenario that suits him best: crowded penalty areas, tight spaces and knockout series that can be decided by a single touch. If the No. 9 is in form, Flamengo’s title defence has a reliable source of goals.
Flamengo History in the CONMEBOL Libertadores
Flamengo are one of the defining names of the competition’s modern era: four-time South American champions, lifting the trophy in 1981 with Zico, in 2019 after the unforgettable final in Lima, in 2022 in Guayaquil and again in 2025 in Lima, when Danilo scored the decisive goal against Palmeiras. They were also runners-up in 2021.
The 2026 edition finds Flamengo in the role they relish most: defending champions, owners of the best Group Stage campaign and among the leading contenders once again. The Round of 16 tie against Cruzeiro opens the road toward an unprecedented objective in Brazilian football — a fifth CONMEBOL Libertadores title.
