- Palmeiras, who secured a 2-1 victory at the Maracanã, host Fluminense at the Nubank Parque, where they have won or drawn 21 of their 23 knockout-stage matches.
- Flamengo and Estudiantes will settle their semi-final tie on Thursday at the Maracanã, following a goalless draw in La Plata, in a clash between the reigning champions and the last team to defeat them.
The finalists of the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores will be decided this week, with both semi-final ties still in the balance. Palmeiras claimed a 2-1 victory at the Maracanã, giving them the advantage of knowing that a draw at the Nubank Parque will be enough to reach the Final. However, Fluminense's stoppage-time goal means they cannot afford to be complacent. Estudiantes and Flamengo, meanwhile, played out a goalless draw in La Plata, leaving everything to play for in the return leg in Rio de Janeiro.
The second legs will take place on Wednesday, 21 October, in São Paulo and Thursday, 22 October, at the Maracanã. If the aggregate scores are level, the ties will be decided by a penalty shootout. Brazil are already guaranteed at least one representative in the Final, to be held on Saturday, 28 November, at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, while Estudiantes, the only Argentine side among the four semi-finalists, will be looking to claim the other spot.
Palmeiras vs. Fluminense
Palmeiras struck first and will now decide the tie on home soil. In the first leg, José Manuel López opened the scoring in the 45th minute of the first half, before Marlon Freitas, a product of Fluminense's youth academy, doubled the lead in the 85th minute. Three minutes into stoppage time, Wesley Natã pulled one back with a header to keep the tie alive. The 'Verdão' became the first visiting team to defeat 'Flu' in a knockout-stage match in the competition and need only a draw at the Nubank Parque on Wednesday to advance. Fluminense must win by one goal to force a penalty shootout or by two to progress outright.
Abel Ferreira's side have made their home ground a fortress in knockout matches. According to Opta, they have won or drawn 21 of their 23 CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout-stage fixtures at the Nubank Parque and have never lost there against Brazilian opposition. They also have an impressive record of protecting first-leg advantages, having progressed from 12 of the 13 ties in which they won the opening match away from home. José Manuel López, with four goals and four assists, leads the team in both categories in this edition, while Jhon Arias, with three goals, has been involved in more sequences ending in a shot than any other Palmeiras player, with 61. In the first leg, Palmeiras opted to sit back and strike quickly on the counterattack, while their defence excelled in the air, winning 67.7% of aerial duels. Carlos Miguel, who has played every minute of their campaign, preserved the advantage with crucial saves from Hulk in a one-on-one situation and an Agustín Canobbio header.
Palmeiras in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and fixtures
Fluminense need a performance that defies the historical trend. They have won just two of their eight away matches against Brazilian opponents in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, although one came against Palmeiras themselves, a 2-0 victory in São Paulo in 1971, and the other was a 2-1 win over Internacional in the second leg of the 2023 Semi-finals, on their way to their only title. They have also progressed from four of their last five ties in which they played the second leg away from home. Marcão's side dominated possession in the first leg, recording 70.2% of the ball and completing 192 passes in the final third, the highest figure by any team in a Semi-final or Final since Opta began collecting data in 2013. However, they struggled to turn that control into clear opportunities, with only three of their 11 shots on target. Hulk and Thiago Silva bring experience to a squad that has already come through two tense knockout ties in this edition: against Independiente Rivadavia in the Round of 16 and Platense, whom they eliminated 3-2 on aggregate in the Quarter-finals.
Fluminense in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: results, squad and fixtures
The return leg will once again pit two contrasting styles against each other. Fluminense are the most possession-oriented of the four semi-finalists, with 184 sequences of ten or more passes, an average of 4.5 passes per sequence and a goalkeeper whose distributions travel an average of just 19.2 metres. Palmeiras, meanwhile, have registered more shots, with 191 attempts, 62 of them on target, and press higher up the pitch, recording the lowest PPDA among the four semi-finalists (9.9). They have also found a valuable attacking weapon in set pieces: six of their 17 goals have originated from dead-ball situations, compared with just one for Fluminense.
Match details
- Stadium: Nubank Parque, São Paulo
- Date and kick-off: Wednesday, 21 October, 21:30 (local time)
- Referee: Esteban Ostojich (URU)
- VAR: Andrés Cunha (URU)
The match in numbers
- Palmeiras have won or drawn 21 of their 23 CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout-stage matches at the Nubank Parque (W11 D10 L2), remaining unbeaten against Brazilian opponents (W1 D5).
- Fluminense have won two of their eight CONMEBOL Libertadores away matches against Brazilian opposition (D3 L3), including a 2-0 victory over Palmeiras in the 1971 group stage and a 2-1 win away to Internacional in the second leg of the 2023 Semi-finals.
- Palmeiras have progressed from 12 of the 13 CONMEBOL Libertadores ties in which they won the first leg away from home. The only exception came in the 2019 Quarter-finals against Grêmio, when they played the return leg away from their usual home stadium, losing 2-1 at the Pacaembu.
- Fluminense have advanced from four of their last five CONMEBOL Libertadores ties in which they played the second leg away from home, recording two wins, one draw and two defeats in those matches.
- Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras) has recorded 49 CONMEBOL Libertadores victories and could become just the third coach to reach 50 wins in the competition, after Renato Gaúcho (54) and Marcelo Gallardo (51). Gabriel Ochoa Uribe also has 49 victories, excluding the five wins recorded by his assistant, Tucho Ortíz, in 1988.
- If he features, Gustavo Gómez will make his 91st CONMEBOL Libertadores appearance for Palmeiras, drawing level with Sergio Aquino (Libertad) in third place on the all-time list for most appearances with a single club in the competition. Only Vladimir Soria with Bolívar (93 appearances) and Ever Hugo Almeida with Olimpia (113) rank higher.
- Fluminense completed 192 passes in the final third against Palmeiras in the first leg, the highest figure recorded by any team in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-final or Final since Opta's records began in 2013.
- Palmeiras won 67.7% of aerial duels in the first leg against Fluminense, their second-highest percentage in a CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 match (68.4% at home to Sporting Cristal). Centre-backs Alexander Barboza (4/4) and Murilo (3/3) won every aerial duel they contested, while 'Flaco' López won more aerial duels than any other player in the match (5/8).
- A product of Fluminense's youth academy, Marlon Freitas (Palmeiras) has won 14 of his 16 career matches against his former club (L2). In the first leg of the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-finals, he led the Verdão in goals (1), touches in the opposition penalty area (3), chances created (2), successful passes (48), successful passes in the final third (7), ball recoveries (6) and tackles (4).
- At 18 years and 179 days old, Wesley Natã became Fluminense's second-youngest goalscorer in CONMEBOL Libertadores history, behind Kayky in 2021 (17 years and 330 days). He also became the youngest player to score in a Semi-final or Final of the competition in the 21st century, surpassing Bryan Cabezas (19 years and 109 days), who scored for Independiente del Valle against Boca in 2016.
Palmeiras vs Fluminense kits
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
