- Four players who won the World Cup with their national team will feature in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
- River Plate (Argentina), placed in Pot 1 of the group stage draw, boasts four Argentine champions from Qatar 2022.
El ‘Millonario’ arrives at the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana draw with renewed expectations: the team’s inconsistency under head coach Marcelo Gallardo (who won the tournament with River Plate in 2014) led to his departure and his replacement by a familiar face, Eduardo Coudet. ‘Chacho’, who already has international experience as a manager in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (with Racing Club in 2019), has taken on the challenge of leading a transition that blends established names, recent history, and the need to rebuild a competitive identity at continental level.
In that context, River presents a strength few teams can match: the pedigree of its World Cup winners. Franco Armani, Germán Pezzella, Gonzalo Montiel, and Marcos Acuña form a spine shaped by elite experience, international exposure, and the winning mentality they cemented at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Beyond the symbolic value, their presence also represents a competitive edge when facing high-pressure scenarios.
Franco Armani reached Eternal Glory with the red sash in the 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores, but he has never represented River in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. He did face them in the competition, however—specifically in the 2014 final, where he lost to what is now his own team. Over time, the goalkeeper has established himself as one of the dressing room leaders and one of the heroes behind the club’s most recent successes.
Germán Pezzella has a past filled with great memories wearing the River Plate shirt in the competition: not only did he celebrate the 2014 title, but he also scored a goal in the final against Atlético Nacional (Colombia). His return to the club found him at the peak of his footballing maturity, with European experience and a game-reading ability that positions him as one of the team’s defensive leaders.
For Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña, it will be their first time representing River Plate in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Montiel, remembered for scoring the decisive penalty that secured Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022, also shared with Armani a place among the key figures who won the 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores. His energy, intensity in duels, and ability to step up in decisive moments make him a fundamental piece within Coudet’s system.
Acuña, meanwhile, brings versatility and experience at the highest competitive level: whether as a full-back or midfielder, his physical output and well-channeled aggression align with the profile of a team that will look to impose itself through intensity. His career in Europe and his role with the Argentina national team make him one of the standout names in the tournament.
Sebastián Driussi was not a World Cup champion, but within the current squad he is the only player who featured for River in its last two appearances in the competition, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. His knowledge of the club and of South American cup dynamics provides added value within a group that blends memory and renewal.
With this foundation, River Plate will aim to once again be a contender in a tournament that marked a turning point in its recent history. The 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana emerges as an opportunity to relaunch its sporting project, built on players who already know what it means to win at the highest level and driven by the ambition to write a new continental chapter.
