- ‘El Decano’ topped Group G with 13 points after a campaign defined by comebacks and will face Vasco da Gama in the Round of 16.
- Three-time CONMEBOL Libertadores champions, the Paraguayan giants are pursuing the Gran Conquista, the continental trophy still missing from their cabinet.
Olimpia built their first-place finish in Group G of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana on the defining quality of teams with character: the ability to come from behind. ‘El Decano’ overturned deficits in three matches during the group stage — against Barracas Central in Buenos Aires, Vasco da Gama at the Defensores del Chaco and Audax Italiano on the final matchday, when an own goal had put their grip on top spot in jeopardy — and finished with 13 points, three more than the ‘Cruz-Maltino’, who placed second and will now be their opponents in the Round of 16.
Pablo Sánchez’s side shared the attacking responsibility remarkably evenly, scoring 11 goals through nine different players. Fernando Cardozo and Rubén Lezcano — the only two players to score more than once — emerged as key contributors, while a creative partnership flourished when the pressure was at its highest.
Their continental campaign coincided with an outstanding first half of the year domestically. Olimpia were crowned champions of Paraguay’s Apertura in May, securing the 48th league title in their history. However, their start to the Clausura has fallen short of expectations, as ‘Vitamina’ himself acknowledged: “We are having a start that is far from what we wanted.”
The squad’s renewal also produced the most popular signing of the South American transfer window: Tim Payne, the 32-year-old New Zealand full-back who became a global phenomenon during the 2026 World Cup. A campaign launched by Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini, who invited his followers to support the “least-known player” at the tournament, propelled Payne from fewer than 5,000 followers to more than five million.
Olimpia signed him from Wellington Phoenix on an 18-month contract, in a move driven by an objective that club president Rodrigo Nogués explained in straightforward terms: to strengthen the Olimpia brand on a global scale. The gamble has already delivered its first sporting highlight. Payne marked his debut with a spectacular goal in last weekend’s domestic league victory over Rubio Ñu and is now dreaming of making his first appearance in the Gran Conquista.
The Round of 16 offers the perfect decider against Vasco da Gama. The two clubs shared a group and recorded one emphatic victory apiece — a 3-0 win for the Brazilian side at São Januário and a 3-1 triumph for Olimpia in Asunción. The first leg will be played in Rio de Janeiro, with the tie to be decided at the Defensores del Chaco.
The historical significance of the prize is clear: three-time kings of South America in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, Olimpia have never won the CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
Olimpia in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
First Phase: Sportivo Trinidense 0-1 Olimpia
Goal: Rubén Lezcano (35')
Group G – Matchday 1: Audax Italiano 0-2 Olimpia
Goals: Rubén Lezcano (23') and Juan Alfaro (35'), both assisted by Bernardo Benítez
Group G – Matchday 2: Olimpia 0-0 Barracas Central
Group G – Matchday 3: Vasco da Gama 3-0 Olimpia
Goals: José Luis Rodríguez, Nuno Moreira and Adson
Group G – Matchday 4: Barracas Central 1-2 Olimpia
Goals: Gastón Morales / Fernando Cardozo (34', assisted by Eduardo Delmás) and Alex Franco (90', assisted by Iván Leguizamón)
Group G – Matchday 5: Olimpia 3-1 Vasco da Gama
Goals: Mateo Gamarra (66', assisted by Hugo Quintana), Hugo Sandoval (84') and Sebastián Ferreira (90+3', assisted by Sandoval) / Carlos Cuesta (48')
Group G – Matchday 6: Olimpia 3-1 Audax Italiano
Goals: Hugo Quintana (assisted by Raúl Cáceres), Alan Rodríguez and Fernando Cardozo (assisted by Bernardo Benítez) / Raúl Cáceres own goal
Round of 16 – First Leg: Vasco da Gama vs. Olimpia
Thursday, August 13, 7:00 p.m. Paraguay time
São Januário Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
Round of 16 – Second Leg: Olimpia vs. Vasco da Gama
Thursday, August 20, 7:00 p.m.
Defensores del Chaco Stadium, Asunción
Olimpia Head Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Pablo Sánchez
The 53-year-old Rosario native joined Olimpia in November 2025 with fresh credentials, having recently guided Liga de Quito to the 2024 LigaPro title and the Ecuadorian Super Cup. As a player, he represented Rosario Central, Feyenoord and Alavés; as a coach, he built his reputation with intense teams and well-organized dressing rooms.
In Paraguay, ‘Vitamina’ delivered immediate results: the 2026 Apertura title, the club’s 48th league crown, and first place in a continental group that became an uphill battle after the 3-0 defeat in Rio de Janeiro, before his side responded with the drama of three comeback victories.
His biggest test now awaits: turning ‘El Decano’ into a leading contender in a competition the club has never won.
Full Olimpia Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Gaston Olveira - 13. Lucas Verza - 25. Carlos Lentinelly.
Defenders: 2. Bryan Bentaberry - 4. Timothy Payne - 14. Gustavo Vargas - 15. Mateo Gamarra - 16. Anibal Chala - 21. Cesar Olmedo - 22. Juan Vera - 23. Esteban Matus - 27. Raul Caceres - 30. Alan Rodriguez - 33. Lucas Ramirez - 41. Christhian Ruiz - 43. Elias Rodas.
Midfielders: 5. Juan Alfaro - 6. Richard Ortiz - 8. Alex Franco - 18. Victor Quintana - 20. Eduardo Delmas - 26. Richard Sanchez - 44. Brayan Grance - 50. Oscar Cardozo.
Forwards: 7. Fernando Cardozo - 9. Hugo Sandoval - 10. Derlis Gonzalez - 11. Carlos Ferreira - 17. Pedro Zarza - 19. Ruben Lezcano - 24. Tiago Caballero - 29. Ivan Leguizamon - 31. Braian Romero - 35. Franco Alfonso - 37. Bernardo Benitez - 42. Thiago Aranda - 46. Kevin Amarilla - 47. Milan Freyres - 49. Jonathan Rolon.
Olimpia’s Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Mateo Gamarra
The centre-back embodies the less glamorous but most decisive aspect of Olimpia’s campaign: defensive solidity. An undisputed starter at the heart of the back line, Gamarra also provided the kind of contribution rarely expected from a defender. His header 21 minutes into the second half against Vasco da Gama sparked the Matchday 5 comeback, a victory that turned the battle for top spot in Olimpia’s favour — and one ‘El Decano’ never relinquished.
His presence will be doubly valuable in the Round of 16. Olimpia will once again face Vasco, the opponent he has already beaten in the air, and the tie — with the first leg at São Januário and the return at the Defensores del Chaco — promises the kind of physical contest in which the defender thrives.
In a squad that lost several key players during the transfer window, Gamarra remains Olimpia’s greatest certainty.
Olimpia’s Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Fernando Cardozo
In a side that shared the goals around remarkably evenly — 11 goals scored by nine different players — two names sit joint-top with two apiece. Fernando Cardozo’s goals have come in the decisive moments: he scored the temporary equaliser in the comeback against Barracas Central in Buenos Aires and added the third in the crucial win over Audax Italiano, the goal that secured top spot in the group in front of more than 23,000 supporters at the Defensores del Chaco.
Rubén Lezcano’s goals, meanwhile, laid the foundations for the campaign. The midfielder opened Olimpia’s continental journey by scoring the winner against Sportivo Trinidense in the First Phase — the goal that sent ‘El Decano’ into the group stage — and struck again in their Group G opener against Audax in Chile, setting them on their way to a victory that established the tone for what followed.
Between the youngster who delivers in the biggest moments and the midfielder who gets campaigns up and running, Olimpia found the formula for an attack without a single focal point, but with no shortage of answers.
Olimpia’s X-Factor in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Bernardo Benítez
He is the hidden figure behind Olimpia’s campaign. With three assists, the midfielder is the team’s leading provider in the competition — setting up both goals in the opening 2-0 win over Audax Italiano in Chile and assisting Cardozo’s goal in the final group-stage match — and no other Olimpia player matches his tally.
In what is expected to be a tightly contested Round of 16 tie, Benítez’s understated contribution — his runs from midfield, final pass and set-piece delivery — could provide the decisive edge: the kind of influence that may not feature prominently on the posters, but invariably appears on the scoresheet.
Olimpia’s History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Olimpia’s trophy cabinet commands respect in any language: three-time CONMEBOL Libertadores champions — in 1979, 1990 and 2002 — winners of the 1979 Intercontinental Cup and protagonists of countless continental triumphs.
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, however, remains unfinished business for ‘El Decano’, who have never lifted the trophy. Olimpia enter the 2026 edition with genuine reasons for optimism: a first-place finish in their group, the status of reigning Paraguayan Apertura champions and the recent memory of three comeback victories.
Their Round of 16 tie against Vasco da Gama already carries the feel of a continental classic. In Asunción, the dream is that the Gran Conquista will finally complete the collection.
