- Tricolor’ remain unbeaten in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana: after winning Group C, they eliminated Bolívar 4-2 on aggregate and advanced to the Quarter-finals, where they will face Boca Juniors.
- Champions in 2012 and runners-up in 2022, São Paulo are chasing their second title with Dorival Júnior in charge, Luciano as their leading scorer and Calleri once again decisive in the knockout stage.
São Paulo have built their campaign on defensive security and have already carried that solidity into the knockout stage. The Brazilian side finished top of Group C with 12 points, recording three wins and three draws while conceding just one goal across the six matches. They then eliminated Bolívar without losing either leg and extended their unbeaten run to eight matches in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
Their campaign began with a 1-0 victory over Boston River in Montevideo and continued with a 2-0 win against O’Higgins at the MorumBIS. Three consecutive draws kept ‘Tricolor’ at the top before a 2-0 victory over Boston River confirmed first place and direct qualification for the Round of 16.
The campaign also featured a change of coach. Roger Machado was in charge for the opening four matchdays and left the team unbeaten, while Dorival Júnior took over for the final two Group Stage matches. In the knockout rounds, his side earned a valuable 1-1 draw at 3,600 metres above sea level in La Paz and returned to the MorumBIS with the opportunity to seal qualification in front of their own supporters.
The second leg confirmed the attacking quality within the squad. Luciano opened the scoring, Dairon Asprilla equalised for Bolívar and, when the tie was level again, Jonathan Calleri converted from the penalty spot to restore São Paulo’s advantage. Sabino then made it 3-1 and completed a 4-2 aggregate victory. Luciano also reached three goals in the competition, making him the team’s leading scorer.
São Paulo therefore progressed from a Group Stage defined by defensive solidity to also showing their ability to respond under knockout pressure. They were pegged back both in La Paz and at the MorumBIS, but found the answers needed to preserve their unbeaten record and return to the Quarter-finals.
Their next opponents will be Boca Juniors, who eliminated Recoleta 7-1 on aggregate. The tie brings together two continental champions: ‘Xeneize’ are chasing their third CONMEBOL Sudamericana title, while São Paulo, winners in 2012, are pursuing their second. A clash steeped in tradition for a place among the final four of La Gran Conquista.
São Paulo in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
Group Stage — Group C
Matchday 1: Boston River 0-1 São Paulo (Damián Bobadilla)
Matchday 2: São Paulo 2-0 O’Higgins (Luciano and Artur, both assisted by Jonathan Calleri)
Matchday 3: Millonarios 0-0 São Paulo
Matchday 4: O’Higgins 0-0 São Paulo
Matchday 5: São Paulo 1-1 Millonarios (Luciano, assist by Wendell / Jorge Hurtado)
Matchday 6: São Paulo 2-0 Boston River (Artur, assist by André Silva, and Juan Acosta, own goal, following a cross from Artur)
CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16
First Leg: Bolívar 1-1 São Paulo (18' ST Melgar / 23' PT Robert Arboleda, assist by Iago)
Second Leg: São Paulo 3-1 Bolívar (18' PT Luciano, 22' ST Jonathan Calleri, penalty, and 31' ST Sabino / 15' ST Dairon Asprilla). São Paulo advanced 4-2 on aggregate.
São Paulo Head Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Dorival Júnior
Dorival Júnior began his third spell in charge of São Paulo in May 2026 following Roger Machado’s departure. The coach returned to a club that holds an important place in his career: during his previous tenure, he led São Paulo to the 2023 Copa do Brasil title, the first in the club’s history, before leaving to take charge of the Brazilian national team.
His first spell with ‘Tricolor’ ran from 2017 to 2018, while the second lasted from April 2023 to January 2024. Dorival also won the 2022 CONMEBOL Libertadores and Copa do Brasil with Flamengo, and has built an extensive coaching career that includes spells with Santos, Internacional, Atlético Mineiro, Athletico Paranaense, Ceará and several other major Brazilian clubs.
In the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, he inherited an unbeaten side and completed the job of guiding them to first place in Group C. He then carried that solidity into the Round of 16: São Paulo drew 1-1 with Bolívar at altitude in La Paz before sealing the tie with a 3-1 victory at the MorumBIS, where they responded quickly after the Bolivian equaliser and completed a 4-2 aggregate win.
Dorival has therefore kept ‘Tricolor’ unbeaten throughout the competition and already guided them into the final eight. Their next challenge will be Boca Juniors, a tie of enormous continental significance for a place in the Semi-finals and another major test for a coach who already knows what it means to win a CONMEBOL trophy.
Full São Paulo Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 23. Rafael Pires - 31. Carlos Coronel - 41. João Pantiga - 52. Felipe Preis.
Defenders: 2. Rafael Toloi - 5. Robert Arboleda - 12. Iago Amaral Borduchi - 13. Enzo Diaz - 18. Wendell Nascimento - 19. Lucas Batista - 20. Aurelio Ulineia - 21. Cedric Alves - 22. Domingos De Sousa Coutinho - 35. Jose Chagas - 40. Igor Teixeira - 42. Maik Gomes - 43. Guilherme Reis - 44. Matheus Jose Belem De Souza - 51. Igor Odoni - 53. Isac Silvestre - 54. Luis Messias - 56. Nicolas Bosshardt - 60. Felipe Oliveira.
Midfielders: 8. Marcos Silva - 16. Damian Bobadilla - 28. Newton Araujo - 29. Pablo Gonçalves Maia - 33. Luan Da Silva - 38. Hugo Nunes - 46. Pedro Ferreira - 48. Djhordney Ferreira - 55. Matheus Ferreira - 58. Pedro Bezerra - 59. Robert Andrade - 80. Cauly Oliveira - 94. Daniel De Oliveira.
Forwards: 7. Lucas Rodrigues Moura - 9. Jonathan Calleri - 10. Luciano Da Rocha - 11. Aldemir Dos Santos - 17. Andre Oliveira - 27. João Santos - 34. Perivan Dos Santos - 37. Artur Victor - 39. Paulo Venuto - 45. Lucca Marques - 47. Brenno De Paula - 49. Ryan Rodrigues Dos Santos - 57. Juan Potes.
São Paulo’s Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Artur
Artur joined on loan from Botafogo at the end of March, just days before the start of the continental campaign, and quickly established himself as one of the team’s most dangerous attacking players. He finished the Group Stage with two goals and a decisive involvement in another, numbers that made him one of ‘Tricolor’s’ main offensive references.
His first goal came against O’Higgins: he received the ball from Calleri and finished from inside the box to seal the 2-0 win. On the final matchday, he opened the scoring against Boston River after an André Silva cutback and, shortly afterwards, another of his attacking runs ended with Juan Acosta turning the ball into his own net.
Left-footed, quick and capable of playing on either flank, Artur gives Dorival Júnior a different attacking option. He can stay wide and take on defenders, but also move inside to combine in central areas. That mobility remains important alongside Luciano and Calleri, helping prevent the team’s attacking burden from falling entirely on the centre-forward.
He did not add to his tally in the Round of 16, as São Paulo drew 1-1 with Bolívar in La Paz and won 3-1 at the MorumBIS to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Luciano moved to the top of the team’s scoring chart with three goals, while Artur remains on two and heads into the Quarter-finals against Boca Juniors as one of the players capable of breaking the balance from wide areas.
São Paulo’s Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Luciano
Luciano is São Paulo’s leading scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with three goals. His first two came during the Group Stage at the MorumBIS: he opened the scoring in the win over O’Higgins and also found the net in the draw against Millonarios.
His third arrived on an even bigger stage. In the second leg of the Round of 16 against Bolívar, Luciano got ahead of the defence after a cross from the left and opened the scoring in the 3-1 victory that sent ‘Tricolor’ through 4-2 on aggregate. With that goal, he moved ahead of Artur in the club’s scoring charts and became São Paulo’s leading scorer in the competition.
Since joining the club in 2020, Luciano has scored more than 110 goals for São Paulo and established himself among the leading scorers in the club’s history. He was also part of the squads that won the 2021 Campeonato Paulista, the 2023 Copa do Brasil and the 2024 Brazilian Super Cup.
His connection with the CONMEBOL Sudamericana stretches back several years: he scored during São Paulo’s run to the 2022 Final and was again among the key figures in 2023. At 33, he now heads into the Quarter-finals against Boca Juniors as the leading scorer of a São Paulo side that remain unbeaten in this edition.
São Paulo’s X-Factor in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Jonathan Calleri
Calleri began the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana by contributing as a creator. Against O’Higgins, he first assisted Luciano with a layoff outside the box and then set up Artur, completing a performance in which he operated as both a provider and an attacking reference.
His first goal of this edition arrived in the Round of 16. In the second leg against Bolívar, with the score at 1-1 and the tie level again on aggregate, he converted a penalty to make it 2-1 and restore São Paulo’s advantage. Sabino later extended the lead as ‘Tricolor’ sealed qualification with a 3-1 victory and a 4-2 aggregate win.
The Argentine combines penalty-box presence with an influence that goes beyond finishing. He occupies centre-backs, creates space for the attacking midfielders and gives the team a direct outlet when they need to bypass their build-up from the back. His return to scoring on the continental stage also reinforces a season in which he has once again become a central figure in the attack.
Calleri knows this competition well. He was São Paulo’s leading scorer during their run to the 2022 Final and found the net in several decisive knockout ties that year. He will now head into the Quarter-finals against Boca Juniors with an added personal dimension: he will face the club where he began his professional career, in a tie rich in both personal and continental history.
São Paulo’s History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
São Paulo won the CONMEBOL Sudamericana in 2012 with an unbeaten campaign. Coached by Ney Franco, the team eliminated Bahia, Liga de Loja, Universidad de Chile and Universidad Católica before overcoming Tigre in the Final to claim their first title in the competition.
Their relationship with the tournament continued in the following seasons. São Paulo reached the Semi-finals in both 2013 and 2014, and returned to the Final in 2022. That campaign ended with a 2-0 defeat to Independiente del Valle in Córdoba.
The club boasts one of the most decorated international trophy cabinets on the continent. São Paulo have won the CONMEBOL Libertadores three times — in 1992, 1993 and 2005 — as well as world titles, two CONMEBOL Recopas, the Supercopa Sudamericana, the Copa CONMEBOL and the Copa Master CONMEBOL.
The 2026 edition has already taken them back among the continent’s final eight. After winning Group C unbeaten, São Paulo drew 1-1 with Bolívar in La Paz and then won 3-1 at the MorumBIS to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory. They will now face Boca Juniors in the Quarter-finals, with the opportunity to continue their pursuit of a second ‘Gran Conquista’.
