- The reigning champions will host Estudiantes at the Maracanã following a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the CONMEBOL Libertadores semi-finals.
- The tie will mark a historic occasion: neither side has ever been eliminated at the semi-final stage of the continent's most prestigious competition.
The match will be a repeat of the knockout tie from the 2025 edition, when the Rio de Janeiro side eliminated their Argentine opponents on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Flamengo vs. Estudiantes
Ninety minutes, and perhaps a penalty shootout, will bring another chapter in a historic rivalry to a close: this will be their sixth meeting in 13 months. In the first leg in La Plata, Flamengo enjoyed more of the ball, with 55.2% possession, but Estudiantes created more chances. The Argentine side registered 21 shots, six of them on target, their second-highest tally in a CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout-stage match since 2013, compared with just five attempts from the 'Mengão', none of which were on target. Agustín Rossi made six saves to preserve the goalless draw, leaving everything to be decided at the Maracanã, where the winners will advance to the Final. Another draw would send the tie to penalties, as happened in the 2025 Quarter-finals, when Flamengo progressed after a shootout.
Flamengo head into the return leg with an impressive unbeaten run and a strong home record. According to Opta, they are unbeaten in 14 CONMEBOL Libertadores matches, with nine wins and five draws, the second-longest run in the club's history in the competition. They are also the only unbeaten side among the four semi-finalists in this edition. At the Maracanã, they have enjoyed more possession and registered more shots than their opponents in all five matches this season, averaging 59% possession and 19.6 attempts per game. They have also won six of their seven home matches against Argentine opposition in the knockout stages, including a 2-1 victory over Estudiantes in 2025. Leonardo Jardim's side will be without the injured Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Danilo, but welcome back Jorginho, who served a suspension in the first leg following his dismissal in the Quarter-finals. Bruno Henrique, the team's leading scorer with five goals, overtook De Arrascaeta in La Plata to become Flamengo's all-time appearance leader in the competition, with 72 matches. He is also the club's leading scorer in CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-finals, with six goals in seven appearances.
Flamengo in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and fixtures
Estudiantes have been down this road before. For the third consecutive tie, they drew the first leg at home and will decide their fate away. In the Round of 16, they drew 1-1 with Universidad Católica before winning 3-0 in Chile. They repeated that 1-1 scoreline against Corinthians in the Quarter-finals before securing a 1-0 victory in São Paulo through an Alexis Castro volley. According to Opta, they have avoided defeat in six of their last seven away knockout-stage matches in the competition, keeping five clean sheets. Their only defeat in that sequence came against Flamengo in the 2025 Quarter-finals. Alexander Medina's side rely on Fernando Muslera, who has played every minute of their campaign, and on Guido Carrillo and Tiago Palacios, their joint-leading scorers with three goals apiece. In the first leg, Carrillo won eight aerial duels, the highest tally by any player against Flamengo in this edition, while Palacios, returning from a muscle injury, registered five shots, more than any other player across the first legs of the Semi-finals.
Estudiantes in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and fixtures
The statistics from this edition offer a glimpse of what to expect. Flamengo have won 61% of their aerial duels, the highest percentage in the competition since the start of the group stage, while their goalkeepers have prevented 1.9 goals according to Opta's post-shot expected goals model. Estudiantes, meanwhile, press aggressively high up the pitch: they have recorded 87 ball recoveries in the first 40 metres of the opposition half, 23 of which led to shots, the highest tally among the semi-finalists. They also make 12.6% of their defensive actions in the attacking third, more than any of the other three teams. For four-time champions Estudiantes, it is a chance to reach their first Final in 17 years; for Flamengo, an opportunity to move within one victory of retaining their title.
Match details
- Stadium: Estadio Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro
- Date and kick-off: Thursday, 22 October, 21:30 (local time)
- Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
- VAR: Antonio García (URU)
The match in numbers
- Flamengo have won six of their seven home matches against Argentine opposition in the CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout stages (D1), including a 2-1 victory over Estudiantes in the 2025 Quarter-finals. The only exception was a 1-1 draw against Racing in 2020, when 'La Academia' progressed on penalties.
- Estudiantes have recorded two away victories in Brazil in the CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout stages: a 2-1 win over Cruzeiro in the 2009 Final and a 1-0 victory against Corinthians in the 2026 Quarter-finals. Only three non-Brazilian teams have registered more wins under those circumstances: Boca (8), River (5) and Peñarol (4).
- Estudiantes have avoided defeat in six of their last seven CONMEBOL Libertadores away knockout-stage matches (W4 D2 L1), keeping five clean sheets. Their only defeat in that period came against Flamengo in the 2025 Quarter-finals (1-2).
- Flamengo are unbeaten in their last 14 CONMEBOL Libertadores matches (W9 D5), the second-longest unbeaten run in the club's history in the competition, behind a 17-match sequence between 2020 and 2021 (W12 D5).
- Estudiantes have progressed or won the title in three of the four CONMEBOL Libertadores ties in which they drew the first leg at home. Two of those came in 2026, against Universidad Católica in the Round of 16 and Corinthians in the Quarter-finals.
- Flamengo have enjoyed more possession and registered more shots than their opponents in each of their five home matches in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, averaging 59% possession and 19.6 shots per game (8.6 conceded) at the Maracanã. The last visiting side to outperform the 'Rubro-Negro' in both possession and shots in the competition was Independiente del Valle in October 2020.
- Estudiantes' 21 shots against Flamengo in the first leg represent their second-highest tally in a CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout-stage match since Opta began collecting this data in 2013, behind their 22 attempts against Athletico Paranaense in the 2022 Quarter-finals. Tiago Palacios registered five shots, more than any other player in the first legs of these Semi-finals.
- Flamengo have won 61% of their aerial duels in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, the highest percentage of any team since the start of the group stage. However, Guido Carrillo (Estudiantes) won eight aerial duels in the first leg, more than any other player against the 'Rubro-Negro' in this edition.
- In the first leg, Bruno Henrique moved ahead of Giorgian De Arrascaeta (71 appearances) to become Flamengo's all-time appearance leader in the CONMEBOL Libertadores (72). He is also the 'Rubro-Negro's' all-time leading scorer in the Semi-finals, with six goals in seven matches.
- Agustín Rossi (Flamengo) made six saves in the first leg against Estudiantes, the joint-second-highest tally of his CONMEBOL Libertadores career. He had previously reached or surpassed that figure only against Bolívar at altitude in La Paz, on two occasions in 2024 (seven saves in the Round of 16 and six in the group stage).
Flamengo vs Estudiantes kits
