- Tigre overcame Nacional in the Playoffs and will face another Uruguayan side in the Round of 16: Montevideo City Torque.
- Fourteen years after their best-ever international campaign, Diego Dabove’s side will look to repeat that achievement in the 'Gran Conquista'.
'El Matador' had to work harder than expected to reach the Round of 16 of South America’s second-most prestigious club competition. They drew away to Alianza Atlético in their opening match before losing at home to surprise package Macará of Ecuador. Tigre then changed course, collecting two draws and two victories, and it was the final-matchday draw between Macará and América de Cali that ultimately allowed them to reach the Playoffs.
The Argentine side had been given another chance — and they made the most of it. Tigre produced a commanding performance against Nacional at the Centenario, taking a major step towards the Round of 16 with a 3-0 first-leg victory. But when the second leg became increasingly difficult, with Nacional racing into a 2-0 lead, Santiago López emerged as the hero of an unforgettable continental night, sending the José Dellagiovanna into an explosion of relief and belief.
With Ignacio Russo as their main goalscoring threat, Gonzalo Martínez and Santiago López providing the ideal spark in one-on-one situations, and defensive solidity underpinning their approach, Dabove’s Tigre now begin a journey they know well — one they hope will take them all the way to their ultimate destination: the final in Barranquilla on November 21.
Tigre in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
Group A - Matchday 1: Alianza Atlético 1-1 Tigre (27' 2H Valentín Robaldo / 9' 1H Ignacio Russo)
Group A - Matchday 2: Tigre 0-1 Macará (9' 2H Federico Paz)
Group A - Matchday 3: Tigre 2-0 América de Cali (14' 1H Martín Garay / 28' 1H Ignacio Russo)
Group A - Matchday 4: Macará 2-2 Tigre (38' 1H Zenobio own goal / 30' 1H Franco Posse / 17' 1H and 6' 2H David Romero)
Group A - Matchday 5: América de Cali 1-1 Tigre (8' 2H Tomás Ángel / 11' 1H David Romero)
Group A - Matchday 6: Tigre 2-0 Alianza Atlético (2' 2H Jabes Saralegui / 32' 2H Alan Barrionuevo)
Playoffs - First Leg: Nacional 0-3 Tigre (2' 1H Jalil Elías / 45+4' 1H Ignacio Russo / 45' 2H Elías Cabrera)
Playoffs - Second Leg: Tigre 1-2 Nacional (37' 2H Santiago López / 11' 1H Maximiliano Gómez / 31' 1H Maximiliano Silvera)
Round of 16 - First Leg: Tigre vs. Montevideo City Torque — Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. (local time), José Dellagiovanna Stadium, Buenos Aires
Round of 16 - Second Leg: Montevideo City Torque vs. Tigre — Wednesday, August 19, 7:00 p.m. (local time), Centenario Stadium, Montevideo
Tigre Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Diego Dabove
The Argentine coach has stamped his identity on the team from the northern area of Buenos Aires: an intense, tactically disciplined side that is quick in transition, looks to play vertically and uses set pieces as an effective weapon.
His best previous campaign in the 'Gran Conquista' had been a run to the Round of 16 with Argentinos Juniors in 2019, when his side were eliminated by Colón on penalties — the 'Sabalero' would go on to reach the final of that edition.
Qualification for the Round of 16 came as a welcome boost after the break for the FIFA World Cup. “It was an extremely tough semester, with plenty of footballing and emotional ups and downs, some great moments from the team and also some difficult runs. But through it all, we kept trying to push forward,” the coach said.
Full Tigre Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Luka Fuster - 12. Felipe Zenobio - 13. Maximo Leguizamon - 26. Lautaro Morales.
Defenders: 2. Joaquin Laso - 3. Nahuel Banegas - 4. Valentin Moreno - 8. Hector Garay - 15. Angelo Marchese - 17. Guillermo Soto - 20. Alan Barrionuevo - 23. Gonzalo Requena - 24. Federico Alvarez - 37. Bautista Feversani - 38. Alex Gonzalez - 40. Luciano Minniti - 41. Lucas Molas - 42. Ramon Arias - 46. Thiago Sanchez - 48. Roman Saravia - 52. Fabricio Cordoba.
Midfielders: 5. Bruno Leyes - 7. Simon Rivero - 10. Jabes Saralegui - 11. Tiago Serrago - 21. Sebastian Medina - 27. Santiago Gonzalez - 28. Gonzalo Martinez - 30. Jalil Elias - 32. Juan Villalba - 33. Elias Cabrera - 34. Nicolas Afonso - 36. Lucian Carracedo - 44. Gaston Perez - 45. Roman Pesolilla - 47. Alan Lezcano - 50. Ignacio Peluffo - 55. Joaquin Mosqueira.
Forwards: 9. Jose Romero - 19. Alfio Oviedo - 22. Santiago Lopez - 25. Ian Subiabre - 29. Ignacio Russo - 35. Jordan Andrusisen - 43. Benjamin Figueredo - 49. Brandon Leszczuk - 51. Santino Galesio - 77. Marco Rivas.
Tigre Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Felipe Zenobio
Felipe Zenobio embodies Tigre’s sense of belonging better than anyone. A product of the club’s youth academy, the goalkeeper enjoyed a memorable introduction to international football: his first official appearance for Tigre came in the CONMEBOL Libertadores against Palmeiras in Brazil, when he was forced into action following an injury to Gonzalo Marinelli and saved a penalty from Luiz Adriano on one of the continent’s biggest stages.
After gaining experience in Argentina’s Primera Nacional, including a loan spell with Agropecuario Argentino, he returned to the club he grew up supporting, earned the starting role and, at 26, has become one of the leaders of the team. He kept clean sheets in two of Tigre’s last three CONMEBOL Sudamericana matches and played a key role in helping the side reach the Round of 16.
Tigre Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Ignacio Russo
The 25-year-old striker, developed at Rosario Central, had spells with several Argentine clubs — Chacarita, Patronato and Instituto de Córdoba — before finding his place at Tigre. In the 'Gran Conquista', he has recorded three goals and one assist in eight starts, and formed a lethal partnership with David Romero, who has since moved to Italian football.
The son of legendary coach Miguel Ángel Russo, he opened the scoring in the valuable draw away to Alianza Atlético in Peru, sealed the victory over América de Cali in Victoria, and showed all his quality in Montevideo against Nacional to put Tigre firmly on course for a place in the Round of 16.
Tigre Factor X in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Santiago López
Santiago López enjoyed one of the most memorable nights of his young career when his goal against Nacional sealed Tigre’s place in the Round of 16 of the 'Gran Conquista'. Before scoring, he had already created two clear chances for himself as his team looked to threaten on the counterattack, but had been unable to convert them.
His persistence was eventually rewarded, ending with tears of emotion in his eyes. The young forward, developed at Independiente, brings flair, freshness and determination to a Tigre attack that has the tools and variety to unlock different types of defensive setups.
Tigre History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
The last decade and a half of Tigre’s history can largely be told through the club’s emergence on the international stage. Their first continental appearance came in the 2009 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, and just three years later they finished runners-up after losing a memorable final against São Paulo.
Over the past decade, the club has alternated between difficult spells and encouraging runs, but the current campaign has rekindled memories of those landmark international nights and given supporters reason to dream of another unforgettable journey.
