- The 'Peixe' advanced as runners-up in Group D, swept Universidad Central aside in the Playoffs with an 8-3 aggregate victory and will face Macará in the Round of 16.
- Gabriel Barbosa, the team’s leading scorer with four goals, and Neymar’s return to the competition headline Santos’ pursuit of a title the club has never won.
Santos are navigating the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana with a dual objective: to breathe new life into a demanding season and to chase the one major continental trophy still missing from the cabinet of Pelé’s club. Their campaign began uphill — bottom of Group D after three matches, following a defeat in Cuenca and a run of draws — but Cuca’s 'Peixe' corrected course in time. A 3-0 win over Deportivo Cuenca on the final matchday secured second place with seven points, behind Recoleta.
The Playoffs against Universidad Central brought out their best football: a 4-1 win in Venezuela followed by a 4-2 victory at a Vila Belmiro that experienced every possible emotion: an opposition goal inside the opening minute, a collective comeback and Neymar’s return to the competition from the bench. The 8-3 aggregate scoreline produced some striking numbers: Gabriel Barbosa as the club’s leading scorer in international competition this year with four goals, Gabriel Bontempo emerging as one of the breakout players with three, and one record still intact — Santos have never lost to Venezuelan opposition in CONMEBOL competitions.
The Round of 16 brings a journey into unfamiliar territory: Macará, the surprise unbeaten winners of Group A, with the first leg at Vila Belmiro and the return fixture in Ambato, 2,500 metres above sea level. The reward makes every effort worthwhile: advancing would equal Santos’ best-ever finish in the competition — the Quarter-finals — and move them one step closer to the trophy that even the club’s golden generations never managed to win.
Santos in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
Group D - Matchday 1: Deportivo Cuenca 1-0 Santos (Luca Mancinelli)
Group D - Matchday 2: Santos 1-1 Deportivo Recoleta (3' 1H Neymar / Roberto Ortiz)
Group D - Matchday 3: San Lorenzo 1-1 Santos (Alexis Cuello / Gabriel Barbosa, assisted by Benjamín Rollheiser)
Group D - Matchday 4: Deportivo Recoleta 1-1 Santos (Fabrizio Galeano / 4' 1H Neymar, assisted by Benjamín Rollheiser)
Group D - Matchday 5: Santos 2-2 San Lorenzo (Gabriel Bontempo and Gabriel Barbosa / Elías De Ritis and Andrés Auzmendi)
Group D - Matchday 6: Santos 3-0 Deportivo Cuenca (Gabriel Bontempo, Gabriel Barbosa and Miguel Terceros)
Round of 16 Playoffs - First Leg: Universidad Central 1-4 Santos (35' 1H Gabriel Bontempo / 12' 2H Gabriel Menino / 22' 2H Thaciano / 39' 2H Rony / 42' 2H Maicol Ruiz)
Round of 16 Playoffs - Second Leg: Santos 4-2 Universidad Central (39' 1H Miguel Terceros / 11' 2H Gabriel Barbosa / 20' 2H Gabriel Menino / 45+5' 2H Rony / 1' 1H Samuel Sosa / 26' 2H Mottes)
Round of 16 - First Leg: Santos vs. Macará — Thursday, August 13, 7:00 p.m. (Brasília time), Urbano Caldeira Stadium (Vila Belmiro), Santos
Round of 16 - Second Leg: Macará vs. Santos — Thursday, August 20, 5:00 p.m. (Ecuador time), Bellavista Stadium, Ambato
Santos Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Cuca
Alexi Stival, 'Cuca', is currently in his fourth spell at Vila Belmiro — after previous stints in 2008, 2018 and 2020-21, with his latest tenure beginning in March 2026 — a relationship that also includes a run to the 2020 CONMEBOL Libertadores final. His résumé underlines his reputation as a coach for major challenges: a CONMEBOL Libertadores winner with Atlético Mineiro in 2013 and a two-time Brasileirão champion, with Palmeiras and the 'Galo'.
His 2026 Santos side are fighting on two fronts with different levels of urgency: a battle near the bottom of the Brasileirão and a Sudamericana campaign in which the club is chasing history. His assessment after the draws in the Group Stage was characteristically direct: “Playing well is no longer enough. We have to win, score goals, be decisive and clinical.” The Playoffs against UCV provided his team’s response: eight goals across two matches.
Full Santos Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Diogenes Da Silva - 34. João Silva - 67. Rodrigo Plazezwski - 77. Gabriel Nascimento - 79. João Lucio - 88. Arthur Do Vale.
Defenders: 3. Vinicius Rodrigues - 4. Lucas Verissimo - 12. Mayke Rocha - 14. Luan Peres - 18. Igor De Souza - 26. João Ananias - 31. Gonzalo Escobar - 42. João Alencar - 66. Gabriel Follmer - 98. Adonis Frias - 99. Marcelo Torrez.
Midfielders: 5. João Felipe Schmidt - 8. Gabriel Morais - 15. Willian Souza Arão - 16. Thaciano Mickael - 20. Pedro Manoel - 25. Gabriel Menino - 28. Christian Oliva - 30. Miguel Terceros - 48. Gustavo Pereira - 58. Vinicius Scardua - 72. Nicola Profeta - 76. Vinicius Freitas - 80. Kauan Barreto - 81. Samuel Mendes.
Forwards: 7. Robson De Souza - 9. Gabriel Barbosa - 10. Neymar Da Silva - 11. Ronielson Da Silva - 17. Gustavo Caballero - 21. Moises Da Veiga - 22. Alvaro Barreal - 27. Davi Fernandes - 29. Kaio Vitoriano - 32. Benjamin Rollheiser - 38. Rafael De Andrade - 39. Pedro Assis - 41. João Dos Santos - 47. Mateus De Souza - 55. Fernando Pradella - 57. Nadson Maia - 59. David Nogueira.
Santos Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Neymar
His presence alone changes the scale of the competition. Neymar is playing in only the second CONMEBOL Sudamericana campaign of his career — the first came in 2010, also with Santos — and he made his mark in the Group Stage with two goals against Recoleta, both early strikes and both marking his return to scoring on the continental stage.
The competition carries added significance for him: a CONMEBOL Libertadores champion in 2011 and a Recopa winner in 2012 with the 'Peixe', the 'Gran Conquista' is the only CONMEBOL club title missing from his honours list. At 34, the No. 10 enters the knockout rounds motivated by the chance to complete the collection with the club that has defined his career.
Santos Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Gabriel Barbosa
'Gabigol' is the 'Peixe’s' leading scorer in international competition this year with four goals — against San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires and at Vila Belmiro, against Deportivo Cuenca on the final Group Stage matchday, and with a header against Universidad Central in the second leg of the Playoffs — while also contributing two assists. Back at the club where he made his professional debut, the highest-scoring Brazilian in CONMEBOL Libertadores history is now chasing two personal milestones: the 'Gran Conquista', the only major CONMEBOL club title missing from his honours list, and a landmark tally that is within reach — his next goal will be his 100th in a Santos shirt.
His return from the injury that ruled him out of the first leg of the Playoffs was immediate: a goal in the return fixture and a leading role in the comeback. Against Macará, the 'Peixe' will once again look to their No. 9.
Santos Factor X in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Gabriel Bontempo
The 21-year-old midfielder has been Santos’ breakout player of the year: three goals in the competition — against San Lorenzo, Deportivo Cuenca and the opener in the tie against UCV in Valencia — as well as the assist for Gabigol’s header in the second leg. A product of the club’s academy and already showing remarkable maturity, he has earned his place alongside the squad’s biggest names through his performances.
His emergence gives Cuca something he values highly: attacking production from midfield. In a tie against Macará that will include 90 minutes at altitude in Ambato, the youngster’s energy and ability to arrive in dangerous areas could make the difference.
Santos History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
For a club with two Intercontinental Cups and three CONMEBOL Libertadores titles — Pelé’s triumphs in 1962 and 1963, and Neymar’s in 2011 — the 'Gran Conquista' remains a surprisingly unfinished chapter: Santos have never won the competition and have never reached the final. Their best runs ended in the Quarter-finals in 2003, 2004 and 2021.
The 2026 edition, fuelled by the 8-3 aggregate victory over Universidad Central, with Gabigol on the verge of reaching 100 goals for the 'Peixe' and Neymar back in the competition, represents an opportunity to turn that unfinished business into the missing chapter of one of the most glorious histories in South American football.
