- The Peruvian side eliminated the reigning CONMEBOL Sudamericana champions and will play in the Round of 16 of the competition for the fifth time.
- The 2003 champions will face Botafogo in their first knockout-stage tie.
The Cusco-based side stayed true to tradition, making home advantage count and producing a major upset in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Playoffs by overturning a difficult tie against defending champions Lanús. The Argentine side had won the first leg 2-0, but Cienciano turned the tie around at home, inspired by a brilliant performance from Alejandro Hohberg, to reach the Round of 16, where they will face Botafogo.
Long before that epic night in the Inca city, Cienciano had to work hard to secure qualification in a competition that is directly linked to the happiest chapter in the club’s history. In 2003, in only the second edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, the Cusco representatives came from behind in an unforgettable final against River Plate to become the first — and still the only — Peruvian club to be crowned South American champions.
Horacio Melgarejo’s side began their journey in the First Phase, advancing on penalties against Melgar. In the Group Stage, they made home advantage count with two victories — over Puerto Cabello and Atlético Mineiro — and a draw against Juventud de Las Piedras. Away from home, they earned a point against the Uruguayan side but suffered defeats to Puerto Cabello in Venezuela and the 'Galo' in Brazil.
Buoyed by their comeback against the reigning champions of the 'Gran Conquista', the 'Imperiales' are dreaming of going step by step and, 23 years after their greatest campaign, lifting for a second time the trophy that once took them to the summit of South American football.
Cienciano in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
First Phase: Cienciano 1 (5)-(4) 1 Melgar (6' 2H Kevin Becerra / 27' 2H Alejandro Ramos)
Group A - Matchday 1: Juventud 1-1 Cienciano (36' 1H Leonel Roldán / 43' 2H Carlos Garcés)
Group A - Matchday 2: Cienciano 2-0 Puerto Cabello (11' 1H Carlos Garcés / 34' 2H Alejandro Hohberg)
Group A - Matchday 3: Cienciano 1-0 Atlético Mineiro (30' 1H Neri Bandiera)
Group A - Matchday 4: Puerto Cabello 3-0 Cienciano (33' 1H Gustavo González / 4' 2H Robinson Flores / 15' 2H Jean Castillo)
Group A - Matchday 5: Atlético Mineiro 2-0 Cienciano (27' 1H Renan Lodi / 39' 1H Bernard)
Group A - Matchday 6: Cienciano 1-1 Juventud (20' 1H Kevin Becerra / 17' 2H Emanuel Cecchini)
Playoffs - First Leg: Lanús 2-0 Cienciano (35' 1H Franco Watson / 45+5' 2H Ramiro Carrera)
Playoffs - Second Leg: Cienciano 4-0 Lanús (7' 1H and 45+1' 1H Carlos Garcés / 40' 1H and 45+5' 2H Alejandro Hohberg)
Round of 16 - First Leg: Cienciano vs. Botafogo — Thursday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. (local time), Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium, Cusco
Round of 16 - Second Leg: Botafogo vs. Cienciano — Thursday, August 20, 9:30 p.m. (local time), Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
Cienciano Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Horacio Melgarejo
The Argentine coach, who has extensive experience in Peruvian football, took charge of Cienciano at the end of 2025. Since then, with the clear objective of restoring the club’s standing on the international stage, Melgarejo has raised the team’s level and imposed his own identity: character, resilience and relentless pressing.
The Cusco side still have one challenge to overcome: winning away from home. That is how they will close the tie against Botafogo, which makes any advantage they can build in the first leg at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega especially important.
Full Cienciano Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Gonzalo Falcon - 31. Italo Espinoza.
Defenders: 3. Kevin Becerra - 4. Maximiliano Amondarain - 13. Claudio Nuñez - 14. Sebastian Cavero - 16. Marcos Martinich - 22. Carlos Cabello - 25. Renzo Salazar - 26. Rotceh Aguilar - 27. Freddy Yovera.
Midfielders: 5. Santiago Arias - 8. Junior Aguirre - 29. Ademar Guillermo Robles - 39. Henry Caparo - 88. Gerson Barreto.
Forwards: 7. Cristian Souza - 9. Juan Romagnoli - 10. Alejandro Hohberg - 11. Neri Bandiera - 17. Ray Sandoval - 18. Didier La Torre - 19. Juan Succar - 21. Carlos Garces.
Cienciano Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Cristian Souza
The 30-year-old Uruguayan attacker is the creative heartbeat of Cienciano. He makes things happen both for himself and for those around him. He can accelerate the tempo when space opens up, but he is equally important when the team needs to become more aggressive and competitive in order to regain possession.
'Cachito' is the piece that fits perfectly alongside goalscorers Carlos Garcés and Alejandro Hohberg. He has provided four assists in the current edition of the competition, including two against Lanús in what has so far been the most important match of the semester for the 'Papá'.
Cienciano Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Carlos Garcés
The Ecuadorian striker has already become a key figure for 'La Furia Roja' and now ranks among the top five goalscorers in the club’s history. His importance has been reflected both in his overall play and in front of goal: first with a dramatic late strike away to Juventud in Uruguay, then by opening the scoring in the win over Puerto Cabello, and finally with a crucial brace against Lanús in the second leg, helping overturn a tie that had looked decidedly uphill.
His partnership with Alejandro Hohberg, another of the standout names in Cienciano’s attack, stole the spotlight on the club’s latest memorable continental night in Cusco.
Cienciano Factor X in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Alejandro Hohberg
A surname seemingly destined to make history. Alejandro, the grandson of Juan Eduardo Hohberg — the Uruguayan forward who scored twice against Hungary in the 1954 FIFA World Cup semi-final and later went on to coach in Peruvian football — completed the comeback against Lanús.
He put his name on the scoresheet twice, adding to the goal he had already scored against Puerto Cabello in the Group Stage, and once again underlined what he brings to Melgarejo’s side: experience, quality and goals to keep Cienciano dreaming of continental glory.
Cienciano History in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Cienciano lifted the CONMEBOL Sudamericana in 2003 and the CONMEBOL Recopa in 2004, achievements that established the club at the summit of Peruvian football on the continental stage. After that historic run, they reached the Round of 16 on three more occasions — in 2004, 2009 and 2025 — but were unable to progress any further.
The obstacle standing in the way of ending that run is a formidable one: Botafogo, the team with the best record in the Group Stage, await the 'Inca' side.
