- Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro will decide the title on Saturday, November 21, at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla.
- Kick-off time, venue, the road to the Final, head-to-head record, previous Finals and what happens in the event of a draw: the answers to the most frequently asked questions ahead of 'The Great Conquest'.
Boca Juniors and Atlético Mineiro will decide the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana in Barranquilla. The ten most frequently asked questions about the Final, with their answers.
1. When and where is it being played?
On Saturday, November 21, at 5:30 PM Colombia time (7:30 PM in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla. It is a single-match Final, like every one since 2019, and will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
2. What is special about the venue?
Barranquilla hosts the Final for the first time since it became a single match. The Metropolitano, home of the Colombia national team, has already staged a decider in the competition: it hosted the first leg of the 2018 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final between Junior and Athletico Paranaense, which ended 1-1 and was settled on penalties in the second leg, in favor of the Brazilian side.
3. How did the finalists get here?
Boca Juniors finished third in Group D of the CONMEBOL Libertadores and dropped into the CONMEBOL Sudamericana with Rodolfo Arruabarrena already in charge. They knocked out O'Higgins in the Round of 16 Playoffs (1-0 and 0-1, with a 4-3 win on penalties), Deportivo Recoleta in the Round of 16 (3-1 and 4-0), São Paulo in the Quarter-finals (1-0 and 1-1) and Vasco da Gama: they lost 1-0 at La Bombonera and won 3-1 at the Maracanã, with Leandro Paredes scoring the decisive goal.
Atlético Mineiro won Group B with 10 points and got past Red Bull Bragantino (1-0 and 2-2), Santos (0-2 and 4-2, with a 3-1 win on penalties) and Montevideo City Torque: 3-0 in Belo Horizonte and a 2-0 defeat at the Centenario.
4. What is the head-to-head record?
Eight official matches: three wins for Boca Juniors, one for Atlético Mineiro and four draws. They met in the 1978 and 2021 CONMEBOL Libertadores (the latter decided on penalties after two 0-0 draws) and in the 2000 Copa Mercosur, and contested a title only once: the 1993 Copa de Oro, with a 0-0 draw in Belo Horizonte and a 1-0 Boca win at La Bombonera, with a goal from Carlos Javier Mac Allister.
5. What is at stake?
The 'Great Conquest' title, a place in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Group Stage and a spot in the 2027 Recopa. Boca Juniors, champions in 2004 and 2005, would become the first club with three titles: they currently share the top of the list with five other two-time winners (Lanús, Independiente, Liga de Quito, Athletico Paranaense and Independiente del Valle). Atlético Mineiro are chasing their first CONMEBOL Sudamericana title. By country, Argentina lead with 11 titles and Brazil have five. It is the eighth Final between an Argentine and a Brazilian club: the Argentine sides have won five, including the last four.
6. What is their record in Finals?
Boca Juniors have played two CONMEBOL Sudamericana Finals and won both: against Bolívar in 2004 (a 1-0 defeat away and a 2-0 win at La Bombonera) and against Pumas UNAM in 2005 (two draws and a 4-3 win on penalties). They are the only club to have won the tournament in consecutive seasons. Atlético Mineiro arrive at their tenth continental Final, their third in a row: they lost the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores Final to Botafogo (3-1, at the Monumental) and the 2025 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final to Lanús (0-0 and 5-4 on penalties, in Asunción). According to Opta, they are the first Brazilian club to reach consecutive CONMEBOL Sudamericana Finals.
7. Who are the coaches?
Rodolfo Arruabarrena is in his second spell at Boca Juniors: he returned in June and had already taken the club to the Semi-finals of the 2014 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Eduardo Domínguez took charge of Atlético Mineiro on February 24, replacing Jorge Sampaoli, and has led them to the Final in his first season. Both have Carlos Bianchi in their stories: 'Vasco' was his full-back in the Boca side that won the title in 2000, and 'Barba' is his son-in-law.
8. Who are the players to watch?
For Boca Juniors, Leandro Paredes, the captain who sat out the first leg against Vasco da Gama through injury and, eleven days later, came on at the Maracanã to score the 3-1 that sealed the tie as a penalty shootout loomed. Miguel Merentiel has scored in all four knockout ties and is chasing his first international title with Boca, three years after losing the 2023 CONMEBOL Libertadores Final to Fluminense. Lautaro Di Lollo, a 22-year-old academy-developed center-back, opened the comeback in Rio with a header in the 3rd minute of the first half.
For Atlético Mineiro, Bernard, 34, a 2013 CONMEBOL Libertadores champion back at the club since 2024, is the 'Galo''s all-time top scorer in the competition, with eight, and the first to score five in a single edition. Tomás Cuello, who came through at Atlético Tucumán, kept the campaign alive with two stoppage-time goals, against Bragantino and Santos, is the team's top assist provider and is one win away from equaling the record for most wins by a player in the tournament's history. Gabriel Delfim, 24, took over in goal after Everson's injury and saved three penalties in the shootout against Santos.
9. What happens if it's a draw?
If the 90 minutes end level, there will be 30 minutes of extra time and, if the scores remain tied, penalties. That is how the 2025 Final was settled, with the 0-0 between Lanús and Atlético Mineiro after 120 minutes. Both finalists have already won a shootout in this edition: Boca against O'Higgins and Mineiro against Santos, with their goalkeepers leading the way.
10. Which ball will be used?
CUMBRE, PUMA's special edition for the Final: a white base, blue bands in several shades and yellow lines, the colors of the competition. It has 12 panels, a 3D texture and FIFA Quality Pro certification, and its name ('summit' in Spanish) refers to the peak every club seeks to reach. The official match ball for the Final.
