- The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 group stage draw will take place on Thursday, March 19, starting at 8:00 PM (Paraguay time).
- The event will be broadcast live on the competition’s official YouTube channel.
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 is preparing for one of its most anticipated milestones: the group stage draw, the stage that will define each team’s initial path in the race for continental glory. With all qualified clubs confirmed following the preliminary rounds and qualification ties, the ceremony will determine the group compositions and the first challenges on the road to the knockout phase.
The draw will set the initial route for the 32 participating teams, who will be divided into eight groups of four clubs. Each side will play six matches—three at home and three away—in pursuit of a place in the round of 16, reserved for the winners of each group. The runners-up, meanwhile, will compete in the round of 16 playoffs.
The CONMEBOL Competitions and Operations Department has released the guidelines for the group stage draws of the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
When will the CONMEBOL Sudamericana draw take place?
The group stage draw will take place on Thursday, March 19, starting at 8:00 PM (Paraguay time), at CONMEBOL’s headquarters in Luque, Paraguay.
The ceremony will determine the composition of the tournament’s eight groups, each made up of four teams, marking the beginning of the road toward the continental title.
Across the rest of the continent, kickoff times are as follows:
- 8:00 PM – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay
- 7:00 PM – Bolivia and Venezuela
- 6:00 PM – Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
From that moment on, the group stage map will be set, with matches beginning in April and running through the end of May.
How to watch the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage draw?
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage draw can be watched live on the tournament’s official YouTube channel, where the ceremony will be broadcast across the entire continent.
This will allow fans to follow in real time as the eight groups are formed and the schedule for their respective teams is revealed.
Which teams will take part in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana draw?
A total of 32 teams from ten countries will take part in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage draw. Twenty-eight qualified directly, while the remaining four are teams that were eliminated in Phase 3 of the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
- Argentina: Barracas Central, Deportivo Riestra, River Plate, Racing Club, San Lorenzo, and Tigre.
- Bolivia: Blooming and Independiente Petrolero.
- Brazil: Atlético Mineiro, Botafogo, Grêmio, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos, São Paulo, and Vasco da Gama.
- Chile: Audax Italiano, O’Higgins, and Palestino.
- Colombia: América de Cali and Millonarios.
- Ecuador: Deportivo Cuenca and Macará.
- Paraguay: Olimpia and Recoleta.
- Peru: Alianza Atlético and Cienciano.
- Uruguay: Boston River, Juventud, and Montevideo City Torque.
- Venezuela: Academia Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, and Caracas.
The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four clubs each. After six matchdays, the winner of each group will advance to the round of 16, while the runner-up will move on to the round of 16 playoffs. Both stages will be drawn again once the group phase has concluded.
How are the pots for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana draw structured?
The 32 teams were divided into four pots of eight teams each based on the CONMEBOL Club Ranking as of December 15, 2025—a system used to seed teams in continental competitions.
Each group will include one team from each pot, and clubs from the same country cannot be drawn into the same group.
These are the pots for the group stage draw:
Pot 1: River Plate (ARG), Atlético Mineiro (BRA), São Paulo (BRA), Racing Club (ARG), Grêmio (BRA), Olimpia (PAR), Santos (BRA), América de Cali (COL).
Pot 2: San Lorenzo (ARG), Red Bull Bragantino (BRA), Palestino (CHI), Millonarios (COL), Caracas (VEN), Vasco da Gama (BRA), Cienciano (PER), Tigre (ARG).
Pot 3: Audax Italiano (CHI), Blooming (BOL), Academia Puerto Cabello (VEN), Boston River (URU), Montevideo City Torque (URU), Deportivo Cuenca (ECU), Independiente Petrolero (BOL), Macará (ECU).
Pot 4: Alianza Atlético (PER), Barracas Central (ARG), Deportivo Riestra (ARG), Recoleta (PAR), Juventud (URU), O’Higgins (CHI), Carabobo (VEN), Botafogo (BRA).
How will the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage be played, and when will it begin?
The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four clubs. Each team will play six matches, facing the other three sides in their group both home and away. The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 group stage will begin on April 7 and run through May 28.
The winner of each group will qualify directly for the round of 16. The runner-up in each group will advance to the round of 16 playoffs, where they will face one of the third-placed teams from the CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage. The matchups will be determined by a draw.
What will be the draw procedure for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage?
Pot 1 will be drawn first, with teams assigned to position 1 in Groups A through H, serving as the top seeds in each group.
The draw will then proceed with Pot 2 (position 2), whose teams will be placed sequentially into Groups A through H.
Next, teams from Pot 3 will be drawn to fill position 3 in each group, also in order of appearance.
Finally, Pot 4 (position 4) will be drawn, with its teams completing the last slot in each of the groups from A to H.
It should be noted that no two teams from the same country can be placed in the same group. If such a case arises, the team will be moved to the next available group, and another team will be drawn for that position.
What criteria are used to determine the pots for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana draw?
The CONMEBOL Competitions and Operations Department outlined the criteria used to determine the pots for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage draw.
The composition of the pots follows these guidelines:
a) The top seeds in each group were determined based on the CONMEBOL Club Ranking as of December 15, 2025. The eight highest-ranked teams occupy Pot 1.
b) Pot 2 is made up of the next eight teams in the CONMEBOL Club Ranking as of December 15, 2025.
c) Pot 3 consists of the following eight teams in the same ranking.
d) Pot 4 includes the four teams eliminated in Phase 3 of the 2025 CONMEBOL Libertadores (E1, E2, E3, and E4), along with the next four teams in the CONMEBOL Club Ranking as of December 15, 2025.
