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Boca Juniors vs. São Paulo, a historic clash between giants

3rd September

The ‘Xeneize’ and the ‘Tricolor’ have faced each other 12 times in CONMEBOL competitions, with five wins for Boca, four for São Paulo and three draws.
The 2026 Quarter-finals will mark their second meeting in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana and their first encounter in 19 years.

Some matchups need decades of repeated meetings to build a history. Others derive their significance from the stature of the teams involved. The rivalry between Boca Juniors and São Paulo belongs to the second group: two giants with nine CONMEBOL Libertadores titles between them who, remarkably, have never faced each other in the continent’s premier club competition.

Before this series, the Argentine and Brazilian sides had played 12 official CONMEBOL matches. The record slightly favors the ‘Xeneize’, with five wins, four defeats and three draws, along with 18 goals scored and 13 conceded. Their history includes meetings in the Copa de Oro, Supercopa, Copa Mercosur, CONMEBOL Recopa and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Their first meeting came in the Semi-finals of the 1993 Copa de Oro. Boca won 1-0 at ‘La Bombonera’ thanks to a late Sergio Martínez goal and secured qualification after a 1-1 draw at the Pacaembu. The Uruguayan striker was again on target in extra time, scoring the goal that sent the Argentine side into the Final of a tournament they would eventually go on to win.

A year later, they met again in the Supercopa Semi-finals. Boca laid the foundations for qualification with a 2-0 home victory and held on despite losing the return leg 1-0. São Paulo got their revenge in the 1995 edition, winning 1-0 in Brazil and 3-2 in Buenos Aires during the opening stage. That victory at ‘La Bombonera’ remains the only away win by either side in this head-to-head record.

The 1999 Copa Mercosur produced the biggest winning margin between the two clubs. With a hat-trick from Guillermo Barros Schelotto and goals from Hugo Ibarra and Antonio Barijho, Boca claimed a 5-1 victory in Buenos Aires. The second match of that Group Stage ended in a 1-1 draw in São Paulo.

The most significant meeting came in 2006, when they contested the CONMEBOL Recopa. Boca, champions of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2005, won the first leg 2-1 thanks to a Rodrigo Palacio brace. In the return leg at the Morumbi, they strengthened their position in the tie through goals from Palacio and Martín Palermo. A 2-2 draw sealed a 4-3 aggregate victory and handed the title to Alfio Basile’s side.

Their history in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana began the following year. In the 2007 Round of 16, Boca won 2-1 at ‘La Bombonera’ with two Palermo goals, but Borges’ late strike ultimately proved decisive. The Argentine striker scored again in Brazil, but São Paulo won 1-0 and advanced on the away-goals rule.

Nineteen years later, the head-to-head record is set to move forward once again. Boca have won five of their six home matches against the ‘Tricolor’, while São Paulo remain unbeaten in the six official meetings played in their city, with three wins and three draws. The overall advantage belongs to the ‘Xeneize’; the most recent qualification went to the Brazilian side. The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 Quarter-finals will open a new chapter in a rivalry defined by the stature of its protagonists.

Boca vs São Paulo head-to-head record in CONMEBOL competitions:

1993 Copa de Oro - Semi-finals

Boca 1-0 São Paulo (40' 2H Sergio Martínez)

São Paulo 1-1 Boca (27' 2H Gustavo Matosas / 1' ET Sergio Martínez)

1994 Supercopa - Semi-finals

Boca 2-0 São Paulo (30' 1H Luis Alberto Carranza and 37' 1H Alberto Márcico)

São Paulo 1-0 Boca (27' 2H Caio)

1995 Supercopa - Qualifying round-robin

São Paulo 1-0 Boca (13' 2H Caio)

Boca 2-3 São Paulo (45' 1H Alberto Márcico and 27' 2H Walter Pico / 14' 2H and 20' 2H Amarildo and 42' 2H Caio)

1999 Copa Mercosur - Group Stage

Boca 5-1 São Paulo (3' 1H, 13' 1H and 31' 1H Guillermo Barros Schelotto, 22' 1H Hugo Ibarra and 44' 2H Antonio Barijho / 29' 1H Raí)