- ‘Verdão’, three-time champions of the competition and runners-up in 2025, defeated Cerro Porteño 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Quarter-finals, where they will face Liga de Quito.
- Gustavo Gómez decided the tie in Asunción with a header from a Jhon Arias assist, while Abel Ferreira keeps Palmeiras in contention for another Eternal Glory.
Palmeiras still carry unfinished business on the continental stage: the 2025 CONMEBOL Libertadores Final they lost to Flamengo in Lima. The 2026 edition offers Abel Ferreira’s ‘Verdão’ another opportunity, and the team have already overcome their first knockout hurdle to return to the continent’s final eight.
The Group Stage had shown a solid, if not flawless, Palmeiras side: they finished second in Group F with 11 points, two behind Cerro Porteño, the same opponents they would meet again in the Round of 16. The Paraguayan side had been the only team to defeat them during that stage, winning 1-0 at Allianz Parque, while the other meeting between the two ended 1-1 in Asunción.
The knockout tie maintained that balance. In the first leg in São Paulo, Palmeiras were reduced to ten men following Andreas Pereira’s sending-off, but still managed to take the lead through José Manuel López. Cerro Porteño equalised in stoppage time, sending the tie to La Nueva Olla level at 1-1.
The return leg in Asunción was decided by one of the defining figures of the Ferreira era. Gustavo Gómez headed home a corner taken by Jhon Arias in the 41st minute to score the only goal of the match. Carlos Miguel preserved the advantage late on as Palmeiras completed a 2-1 aggregate victory. The goal also took the Paraguayan captain to 15 in the history of the competition, all of them from set-piece situations.
The next challenge brings back a very recent chapter. Liga de Quito, who eliminated Mirassol on penalties, will be their opponents in the Quarter-finals. The two sides were already involved in one of the most dramatic ties of 2025: LDU won the first leg of the Semi-finals 3-0 in Quito, but Palmeiras responded with a 4-0 victory in São Paulo to reach the Final. One year later, they will meet again, this time for a place among South America’s final four.
Palmeiras in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Results and Schedule
Group F – Matchday 1: Junior 1-1 Palmeiras (10' PT Teófilo Gutiérrez, penalty / 11' ST Ramón Sosa)
Group F – Matchday 2: Palmeiras 2-1 Sporting Cristal (27' PT Murilo and 35' ST José Manuel López, penalty / 41' PT Jorge González)
Group F – Matchday 3: Cerro Porteño 1-1 Palmeiras (27' ST Carlos Miguel own goal / 33' PT Jhon Arias)
Group F – Matchday 4: Sporting Cristal 0-2 Palmeiras (32' PT José Manuel López and 5' ST Ramón Sosa)
Group F – Matchday 5: Palmeiras 0-1 Cerro Porteño (3' ST Pablo Vegetti)
Group F – Matchday 6: Palmeiras 4-1 Junior (6' PT and 45' PT Jhon Arias, 40' PT Allan and 6' ST Andreas Pereira / 36' PT Muriel)
Round of 16
First Leg: Palmeiras 1-1 Cerro Porteño (36' ST José Manuel López / 45+4' ST Carlos Miguel own goal)
Second Leg: Cerro Porteño 0-1 Palmeiras (41' PT Gustavo Gómez, assist by Jhon Arias). Palmeiras advanced 2-1 on aggregate.
Palmeiras Head Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Abel Ferreira
The Portuguese coach has come to define an era in São Paulo. Since arriving at the end of 2020, he has guided ‘Verdão’ to back-to-back CONMEBOL Libertadores titles in 2020 and 2021 — a remarkable achievement in consecutive editions — as well as two Brasileirão crowns and a collection of trophies that has established him among the most successful coaches in the club’s history. A former full-back in Portugal, he arrived in Brazil after coaching Sporting Braga and PAOK.
His 2026 campaign has maintained that standard with a renewed squad built around players such as Andreas Pereira and Jhon Arias, while also carrying unfinished continental business: reclaiming the crown that slipped away in the 2025 Final against Flamengo. The Round of 16 presented an additional challenge, as Cerro Porteño had been the only team to defeat Palmeiras during the Group Stage.
Abel’s side managed to reverse that story. After a 1-1 draw in São Paulo, Palmeiras won 1-0 at La Nueva Olla thanks to a Gustavo Gómez header and completed a 2-1 aggregate victory. The result placed the club back among South America’s final eight and saw Ferreira overcome the first major knockout test of this latest pursuit of Eternal Glory.
The next challenge brings back another recent chapter: Liga de Quito, the opponents Palmeiras eliminated in the 2025 Semi-finals after overturning a 3-0 first-leg defeat in Ecuador. For Ferreira, it will be another step in a competition that has already defined his tenure and in which he is now chasing a third title as ‘Verdão’ head coach.
Full Palmeiras Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores
Goalkeepers: 1. Carlos Dos Santos - 14. Marcelo Lomba - 21. Kaique Pereira - 72. Kauan Lima - 73. Luiz Souza.
Defenders: 2. Alexander Barboza - 3. Bruno De Lara Fuchs - 4. Agustin Giay - 15. Gustavo Gomez - 43. Luis Roncholeta - 44. Kone Zie - 53. Luccas Gomes - 54. Thiago Nogueira - 56. Arthur Santana - 57. João De Moura Andrade.
Midfielders: 7. Felipe Pereira - 11. Jhon Arias - 17. Marlon Rodrigues - 18. Mauricio Magalhães - 19. Ramon Sosa - 26. Murilo Cerqueira - 29. Miguel Cinoncelli - 30. Lucas Evangelista - 32. Emiliano Martinez - 40. Allan Andrade - 45. Erick Machado - 48. Larson Torna Ferreira - 50. Luis Pacheco - 55. Isaac Farias - 58. Ruan Gomes - 60. Guilherme Nogueira - 65. Rafael Barbosa.
Forwards: 6. Jefte Da Silva - 8. Andreas Hoelgebaum - 9. Vitor Roque - 10. Paulo Sampaio - 12. Khellven Silva - 22. Joaquin Piquerez - 37. Riquelme Marinho - 39. Heittor Da Silva - 41. Eduardo Conceição - 42. Jose Lopez - 46. Derick Araujo Campos - 47. Victor Leite - 49. Juan Ferreira - 52. Luis Gonçalves - 61. Kauã Nascimento Nunes - 66. Andre Ribeiro - 71. Felipe Cunha.
Palmeiras’ Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: José Manuel López
The Argentine forward carried his Group Stage influence into the Round of 16. After scoring against Sporting Cristal in both São Paulo and Lima, he stepped up in a particularly difficult moment against Cerro Porteño: with Palmeiras down to ten men following Andreas Pereira’s sending-off, he attacked the far post and made it 1-0 in the 36th minute of the second half. The Paraguayan side’s stoppage-time equaliser prevented it from becoming the winning goal, but it took his tally to three in this CONMEBOL Libertadores.
Within Abel Ferreira’s attacking structure, ‘Flaco’ has established himself as a key reference through his hold-up play, presence inside the box and ability to attack tight spaces. His influence had also been evident without scoring: on the final matchday of the Group Stage, he provided three assists in the 4-1 win over Junior that secured Palmeiras’ qualification.
‘Verdão’ eventually overcame Cerro Porteño 2-1 on aggregate after winning 1-0 in Asunción and advanced to the Quarter-finals. There, López will face another demanding challenge against Liga de Quito, in a tie that will once again test Palmeiras’ attacking power against opponents they already know from the previous edition.
Palmeiras’ Top Scorers in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Jhon Arias and José Manuel López
Jhon Arias continues to deliver in the biggest moments. His three goals in the Group Stage still leave him as Palmeiras’ joint-top scorer in this CONMEBOL Libertadores, now level with José Manuel López. He scored the equaliser against Cerro Porteño at La Nueva Olla and struck twice in the 4-1 victory over Junior that brought the opening phase to a close.
He did not score in the Round of 16, but was once again decisive against Cerro Porteño. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg, Arias won the corner and delivered the cross that Gustavo Gómez headed in for the 1-0 victory in Asunción that sent ‘Verdão’ through. That assist took him to eight in the CONMEBOL Libertadores since 2023, the second-highest total in the competition over that period.
López drew level with the Colombian by scoring in the first leg of the Round of 16. With Palmeiras down to ten men following Andreas Pereira’s sending-off, the Argentine forward appeared at the far post to put his side 1-0 ahead against Cerro Porteño. It was his third goal of the campaign, following his two strikes against Sporting Cristal in the Group Stage, and further underlined his growing role as one of the main attacking references in Abel Ferreira’s side.
Palmeiras advanced 2-1 on aggregate and will now face Liga de Quito in the Quarter-finals. Arias provides creativity, assists and the ability to influence play from different areas, while López offers penalty-box presence and finishing. Two different profiles, level at the top of the club’s scoring charts, who embody much of ‘Verdão’s’ attacking variety.
Palmeiras’ X-Factor in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Ramón Sosa
The Paraguayan winger gives Palmeiras a very specific attacking weapon: the pace to break lines and the ability to score when arriving from wide areas. Both of his goals in this edition came away from home — the equaliser against Junior and the second goal in the 2-0 win over Sporting Cristal — a contribution that becomes particularly valuable in knockout ties, when spaces can often open up away from Allianz Parque.
The Round of 16 also carried an emotional dimension for Sosa, who returned to Paraguay to face Cerro Porteño at La Nueva Olla. Although he did not score, Palmeiras won 1-0 thanks to Gustavo Gómez’s goal and advanced 2-1 on aggregate.
Their next challenge will be Liga de Quito, a side that came through a tight tie against Mirassol and are traditionally strong at home. In that context, Sosa’s ability to attack space, accelerate transitions and provide depth could become an especially useful weapon for Abel Ferreira. He already showed during the Group Stage that he can be decisive away from home; the Quarter-finals now give him the chance to carry that impact into the most demanding stage of the tournament.
Palmeiras’ History in the CONMEBOL Libertadores
Palmeiras are one of the great modern dynasties of the competition: champions in 1999 under Felipão, back-to-back winners in 2020 and 2021 with Abel Ferreira, and runners-up in 2025 after losing to Flamengo in the Final in Lima. Three titles and an almost constant presence in the decisive stages have set a standard that makes every edition another opportunity for ‘Verdão’ to return to the top.
Their 2026 campaign has already cleared its first knockout hurdle. After finishing second in Group F, Palmeiras faced Cerro Porteño once again and came through a demanding tie: they drew 1-1 in São Paulo and won 1-0 in Asunción thanks to a Gustavo Gómez header, sealing a 2-1 aggregate victory. The result put them back among South America’s final eight.
The road to a fourth Eternal Glory now brings a reunion with Liga de Quito. The previous meeting is still fresh in the memory: in the 2025 Semi-finals, LDU won 3-0 in Ecuador, but Palmeiras responded with a 4-0 victory in São Paulo to reach the Final. One year later, they will meet again, this time in the Quarter-finals, with another important chapter in ‘Verdão’s’ recent continental history at stake.
