- Atlético Mineiro knocked out Montevideo City Torque and will play their third consecutive continental Final, something they had only achieved between 1995 and 1997.
- The 1990s trilogy ended with a title against an Argentine club, Lanús; this one will be decided on November 21 in Barranquilla, against Boca Juniors.
Atlético Mineiro already know what it is like to play three Finals in a row. Although they lost 2-0 at the Estadio Centenario on Wednesday, the 3-0 first-leg win at the Arena MRV was enough: the 'Galo' knocked out Montevideo City Torque 3-2 on aggregate and reached the Final of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, after those of the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores and the 2025 CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
The only time they had played in Finals of CONMEBOL tournaments in three consecutive seasons was in the 1990s: the 1995 Copa CONMEBOL, the 1996 Copa Máster de CONMEBOL and the 1997 Copa CONMEBOL. On November 21, at the Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, they will face Boca Juniors. Placed side by side, the two trilogies have more than one thing in common.
The first Finals: Rosario 1995 and Buenos Aires 2024
Champions of the first edition of the Copa CONMEBOL, in 1992, Atlético Mineiro returned to that Final in 1995 after knocking out Guarani, Mineros de Guayana and, on penalties, América de Cali. On December 12, they beat Rosario Central 4-0 at the Mineirão, with goals from Ézio, Cairo, Paulo Roberto and Elpídio Silva. A week later, at the Gigante de Arroyito, the Argentine side returned the 4-0 and won the penalty shoot-out 4-3. Cláudio Taffarel, a world champion with Brazil a year earlier, saved Colusso's attempt and scored his own. "We thought we had a good lead, but in Argentina things got complicated," the goalkeeper recalled in 2024.
The first Final of the current cycle was also decided on Argentine soil. On November 30, 2024, at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Botafogo won the CONMEBOL Libertadores Final 3-1. Eduardo Vargas, who had come on at half-time alongside Bernard, pulled one back for the 'Galo' 2' into the second half. Bernard and Alan Franco, who also played that night, are still in the squad.
The second Finals: Cuiabá 1996 and Asunción 2025
Less than two months after Rosario, Atlético Mineiro traveled to Cuiabá for the Copa Máster de CONMEBOL, which brought together the four Copa CONMEBOL champions up to that point: the 'Galo' themselves (1992), Botafogo (1993), São Paulo (1994) and Rosario Central (1995). In the Semifinal they faced the Rosario side again, and this time the shoot-out went the Brazilians' way, 10-9, after a 0-0 draw. On February 12, in the Final, São Paulo won 3-0 with two goals from Almir and one from Valdir.
As in Cuiabá, the second Final of this cycle was a single match at a neutral venue. On November 22, 2025, at the Defensores del Chaco in Asunción, the team coached by Jorge Sampaoli drew 0-0 with Lanús after 120 minutes, and the Argentine side won 5-4 on penalties. Bernard and Alan Franco were in the starting line-up.
The third Finals: Lanús 1997 and Barranquilla 2026
The 1990s trilogy ended with a title. With Emerson Leão on the bench, Atlético Mineiro went unbeaten through the campaign, with five wins and three draws, and met Lanús in the Final. On November 6 they won 4-1 at the Argentine club's stadium, and on December 17 they secured the trophy with a 1-1 draw at the Mineirão. Taffarel was still in goal, and the squad included Almir and Valdir, the latter finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals.
As in 1997, the third Final will be against an Argentine club. Boca Juniors, who beat Vasco da Gama 3-1 at the Maracanã, booked their place in Barranquilla on Tuesday and return to a CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final after 21 years. For Atlético Mineiro, it will be the tenth continental Final in their history and a chance to win the big regional title they are still missing. According to Opta, they are also the first Brazilian team to reach the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final in consecutive years. They got there after beating Red Bull Bragantino in the Round of 16, Santos in the Quarterfinals, on penalties after overturning a 2-0 deficit, and Torque in the Semifinals.
For Eduardo Domínguez, the tie has a special twist: he is married to Brenda Bianchi, daughter of Carlos Bianchi, the coach who won multiple titles with Boca. "I always come back to what my father-in-law told me: 'Be yourself,'" he often says. He became the fourth coach to reach two CONMEBOL Sudamericana Finals, after Reinaldo Rueda, Luis Zubeldía and Jorge Sampaoli, his predecessor on the bench. The first came in 2015 with Huracán, and the title went to Independiente Santa Fe.
On the pitch, one of the players who featured in the last two Finals arrives in top form: according to Opta, Bernard is the first player from the club to score five goals in a single edition of the tournament and, with eight, the all-time top scorer for the 'Galo' in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. At the Centenario he won the ball back seven times, his highest tally in 38 matches in CONMEBOL competitions. Twenty-nine years ago, the third Final was the one that brought the title.
