- The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 continues on Wednesday, 9 September, with one Quarter-final first-leg match.
- Check out the kick-off time, stadium, previous meetings and all the key information ahead of today’s action.
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 continues on Wednesday, 9 September, with one Quarter-final first-leg encounter. It will be an all-Brazilian night, as Neymar and Gabigol’s Santos host the ever-competitive Atlético Mineiro.
Below is the full schedule and everything you need to know about today’s match.
Today’s match – Wednesday, 9 September 2026
- 19:00: Santos vs. Atlético Mineiro – Estádio Urbano Caldeira, Santos
All kick-off times are local to the venue.
Santos vs. Atlético Mineiro
A Brazilian classic that continental competition had yet to produce. Santos and Atlético Mineiro have never faced each other in a CONMEBOL tournament, while their most recent meeting in a knockout tie came in the 2019 Copa do Brasil. Vila Belmiro hosts the first leg of a clash between two teams that reached the Quarter-finals by very different routes: the 'Peixe' surviving until the very end, and the 'Galo' maintaining their habit of getting through knockout ties.
Santos beat Macará 2-1 at Vila Belmiro before holding on for a 0-0 draw at altitude in Ambato to advance, on a night when they failed to register a shot on target and Cuca opted for a heavily rotated side featuring several youngsters, with neither Neymar nor Gabriel Barbosa included in the squad. The team had reached the Round of 16 after scoring eight goals across their Playoffs tie against Universidad Central and will once again look to 'Gabigol', who has five goals in this continental campaign and has scored in four consecutive CONMEBOL Sudamericana matches, as their main attacking reference. Neymar, with two goals and two assists in five appearances, is the other major question mark heading into the tie.
Santos in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
Atlético Mineiro eliminated Red Bull Bragantino with a 1-0 win in Bragança Paulista followed by a 2-2 draw at Arena MRV, where they had to come from behind twice: Eric Ramires and Eduardo Sasha put the visitors ahead, Maycon equalised and Tomás Cuello sealed qualification in the third minute of added time. Eduardo Domínguez's side thus extended a record that sets them apart in the competition: they have never lost a knockout tie after winning the first leg away from home. Bernard, with three goals, and Cuello, with four assists, are key figures in their attack.
The tie also features a personal reunion on the touchline: Cuca, who won the 2013 Libertadores with the 'Galo', now leads the Santos side looking to eliminate the club with which he achieved continental glory. There is also a historic first for the 'Peixe': this will be the first time they have faced Brazilian opposition in this competition from the Quarter-finals onwards.
The tie is about to begin: the aggregate winner will advance to the Semi-finals, while a draw after the two legs will send the series to penalties. The return leg will be played next week in Belo Horizonte.
Atlético Mineiro in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Urbano Caldeira (Vila Belmiro), Santos
Date and kick-off time: Wednesday, 9 September at 19:00
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
VAR: Carlos Orbe (ECU)
The match in numbers:
- Santos and Atlético Mineiro have never faced each other in a CONMEBOL competition. Their most recent knockout tie came in the Round of 16 of the 2019 Copa do Brasil, when the Galo advanced 2-1 on aggregate (0-0 at home and 2-1 away).
- Santos have won seven of the nine knockout ties they have played against Brazilian opposition in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. This is the first time they have faced a team from their own country in the competition from the Quarter-finals onwards, having previously eliminated São Paulo in the 2004 Round of 16.
- Atlético Mineiro are one of only three teams to have scored more than one goal from build-up sequences involving 10 or more passes before the shot since the start of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026, with two, alongside São Paulo and Olimpia.
- Gabigol (Santos) has scored in each of his last four matches in the Sudamericana 2026. If he scores again, he will equal his longest run of consecutive appearances with a goal in CONMEBOL competitions: five matches between November 2020 and May 2021, during which he scored seven goals.
- Neymar has already faced Atlético Mineiro in a knockout tie. It came in the Quarter-finals of the 2010 Copa do Brasil, when he contributed a goal and an assist in the second leg to help Santos advance.
Santos vs. Atlético Mineiro kits
