- Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro will meet again on the international stage to decide the new champions of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
- The head-to-head record is finely balanced, with eight meetings producing four draws, three wins for the Argentine side and one for the Brazilian team.
The Final of The Great Conquest, which will take place on Saturday 21 November at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, will bring together two clubs with a rich history and extensive experience in continental competition.
Almost half a century separates their first meeting in South American competition from the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final. The Xeneize, champions in 2003 and 2004, will face Eduardo Domínguez's side — runners-up in the previous edition of the competition — in a showdown for another major trophy to add to their already impressive collections.
The CONMEBOL Libertadores: their first challenge
The clubs first met in the 1978 edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores. Boca reached the semi-finals as the reigning champions. Juan Carlos Lorenzo's side secured an important 2-1 win at the Mineirão, with Miguel Ángel Bordón scoring twice and Marcelo Oliveira pulling one back for the hosts.
The second leg at La Bombonera also went the Argentine side's way, as Boca won 3-1 thanks to goals from Ernesto Mastrángelo, Toninho Cerezo (an own goal) and Carlos Salinas. Marinho had briefly brought the scores level in the first half. The result sent Boca through to the Final, where they defeated Deportivo Cali to lift their second CONMEBOL Libertadores title.
An international final won by the Xeneize
So far, the only time the two clubs have contested a South American title against each other was in the 1993 edition of the Copa de Oro. The tie was closely fought: the first leg in Belo Horizonte ended 0-0, before Boca claimed a 1-0 win at La Bombonera in the return fixture, with defender Carlos Mac Allister scoring a header.
Seven years later, the sides met again in the quarter-finals of the Copa Mercosur, where the Brazilian team secured their first win against Boca Juniors. In Belo Horizonte, Galo won 2-0 through goals from Marques and Argentine forward Diego Capria. The second leg in Buenos Aires ended 2-2, sending Mineiro through with a 4-2 aggregate victory. Antonio Barijho scored both of Boca's goals under Carlos Bianchi, while Cláudio Caçapa and André Neles found the net for the visitors.
Their most recent meeting came in the Round of 16 of the 2021 CONMEBOL Libertadores. The 180 minutes of normal time ended goalless, and the tie was decided on penalties in Belo Horizonte, with the Brazilian side winning 3-1. Éverson was the standout performer in goal for the Minas Gerais club that night: he saved Esteban Rolón's spot-kick before scoring his own — the final kick of the shoot-out — past Agustín Rossi.
The head-to-head record between the clubs remains finely balanced. Although one side won the only title they have contested against each other, the other has come out on top in their two most recent knockout ties. Barranquilla will provide the setting for another chapter in the Boca Juniors–Atlético Mineiro rivalry, an unmissable football occasion that will crown a new continental champion.
