Libertadores and Sudamericana - Soccer tournaments of South America

The CONMEBOL Libertadores, and CONMEBOL Sudamericana of this year, are next to finish, and on this climate, I’m gonna show what are these competitions, and how they were at this edition. 

Starting with Libertadores, the Copa Libertadores da América (America’s Liberators Cup), officially CONMEBOL Libertadores, is the main soccer competition between professional clubs in South America, organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) since 1960. It is the most important club competition on the continent, being one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, together with the UEFA Champions League. The name of the tournament is a tribute to the main independence leaders of the South American nations: José Artigas, Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, D. Pedro I of Brazil, Antonio José de Sucre and Bernardo O'Higgins.

The competition has had many different formats throughout its history. In the beginning, only the national champions participated, so much so that in its infancy the competition was called the Copa dos Campeões da América (Champions Cup of America), and received its current name only in 1965. From the following year's edition onwards, the South American national vice-champions also went on to qualify for the competition. In 1998, teams from Mexico were invited to compete until 2017, when CONMEBOL instituted a reform in the event that discouraged Mexicans from continuing to compete in the tournament. Traditionally, a group stage was almost always used, but the number of teams per bracket varied several times.

In its current format, the tournament consists of three stages, with the first stage generally starting in late January. The six surviving teams from the first phase join the other 26 teams previously classified in the second, in which there are eight groups made up of four teams each. The two best teams in each group go to the final knockout phase, always in round-trip matches until the semi-finals; the final, which is played in a single game at a previously chosen venue, is preferably played in November. The Libertadores winner qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup (as a CONMEBOL representative) and the South American Cup of the following year.

Independiente (ARG) is the record holder for titles in the competition, with seven victories. Argentina is the country with the most achievements, with 25 titles, while Brazil is the country with the greatest diversity of winning teams, with a total of 10 different clubs that lifted the cup. The trophy was won by 25 different clubs, with fifteen winning the tournament more than once and six winning it consecutively.

The Copa Sudamericana (in Spanish: Copa Sudamericana), whose current official name is CONMEBOL Sudamericana, is a continental competition of South American soccer clubs, organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) since 2002. It is the second most prestigious competition between clubs on the South American continent, second only to the Copa Libertadores da América.

It replaced, in 2002, the Mercosul and Merconorte Cups, which in 1998 and 1999 replaced the Copa Conmebol and the Supercopa Sudamericana. The Copa Sudamericana resulted from the unsuccessful attempt to dispute a Pan American Cup of clubs, including competitors from North and Central America between 2002 and 2008.

The CONMEBOL Libertadores 2021, is the 62nd edition of the soccer competition held annually by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Clubs from the ten South American associations participate. On May 13, 2021, the CONMEBOL board virtually defined the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, as the venue for the finals of the Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. With this, the Centenario Stadium will undergo a process of modernization by CONMEBOL and will have the presence of the public, since the expectation is that the majority of the population will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November. The winner of the Copa Libertadores 2021 earns the right to represent CONMEBOL in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, will also face the champion of the Copa Sudamericana 2021 in the Recopa Sudamericana 2022, as well as qualifying automatically to the 2022 Copa Libertadores de America group stage.

These are all the teams who were qualified to CONMEBOL Libertadores. In italics, the ones who didn't pass to the group stage. All the delegations had 4 vagues, except Argentina, with 6, and Brazil with 7. Argentina just got a new vague with the winner of Sudamericana 2020, Defensa y Justicia. Brazil also got a new vague with Palmeiras, who was the winner of Libertadores 2020.

After the group stage, a draw was made for decide the octaves of final. Let's use the example of the team I support: Atlético-MG. As it was the first place on Group H, Atlético couldn't confront with, for example, Flamengo, but could confront with, for example, Cerro Porteño. And vice-versa, a second-place team, would confront only a first-place team, like Vélez Sarsfield VS. River Plate, or Boca Juniors VS. Barcelona de Guayaquil. Then, happened the quarterfinals, the semi-finals, and the finals. In the tables, is in bold the winning team, and the aggregate. The order is team, round trip game, and aggregate. If something in (parentesis) at aggregate, and a "pen" after a team, means the penalties. The "ag" part after a team, means "won by away goals rule".

Aditional info:

Participants (including preliminary levels): 47

Period: February 27th - November 20th

Matches: 155

Goals: 423

Striker: Gabriel Barbosa “Gabigol” (Flamengo-BRA) = 11 goals

Biggest hammering (difference of goals): Palmeiras (BRA) 6 VS. 0 Universitario (PER)

The Copa Sudamericana 2021, officially named CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021, is the 20th edition of the South American soccer competition, organized annually by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Clubs from the ten South American associations participate. On May 13, 2021, the CONMEBOL board virtually defined the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, as the venue for the finals of the Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores. The Centenario Stadium will undergo a process of modernization by CONMEBOL and will have the presence of the public, as the expectation is that the majority of the population will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November. The winner of the Copa Sudamericana 2021 will be guaranteed in the Copa Libertadores de América 2022 and will also earn the right to play against the winner of the Copa Libertadores 2021, the Recopa Sudamericana 2022 and the J.League YBC Levain Cup/ CONMEBOL Sudamericana End of the same year.

These are all the teams who were qualified to CONMEBOL Sudamericana (including the ones who played octaves of final). Additionally, twelve eliminated teams from the Copa Libertadores de América 2021 were transferred to the Copa Sudamericana, starting from the group stage (4 teams) and from the octaves of final (8 teams). In italics, the ones who didn't pass to the group stage of Libertadores, and played the group stage of Sudamericana. In underline, the teams who were transferred from Libertadores to the octaves of final of Sudamericana. In strikethrough, the teams who didn’t pass to the group stage of Sudamericana. 

The group stage was divided into 8 groups, with 4 teams each. The first team of each group, passed to the octaves of final and is in <font color="blue">blue</font>. The three other ones of each group were eliminated from the competition and is in normal. In order, the tables feature the <u>team</u>, the <u>points</u>, the <u>number of matches</u>, the <u>number of wins</u>, and the <u>goals difference</u>.

After the group stage, another draw, decided the octaves of final. Well, 8 teams (the first of each group), passed to the octaves. Remember of the Libertadores, where the third one of each group, was eliminated, and transfered to Sudamericana? So, 8 teams were transfered to Sudamericana, and now, was possible to make the octaves of final, the quarterfinals, the semi-finals, and the finals. In the tables, is in bold the winning team, and the aggregate. The order is team, round trip game, and aggregate. If something in (parentesis) at aggregate, and a "pen" after a team, means the penalties. The "ag" part after a team, means "won by away goals rule".

Participants (including preliminary levels): 56

Period: March 16th - November 20th

Matches: 157

Goals: 392

Striker: Agustín Álvarez Martínez (Peñarol-URU) = 10 goals

Biggest hammering (difference of goals): Grêmio (BRA) 8 VS. 0 Aragua (VEN)

That’s so far one of the blogs I most worked on, and surely, the “most-characters” one, with about 45k characters (we have a limit of 50k 😱). Is this JetPunk Record? I even received an advice about the limit of characters... but I think that’s because of a huge HTML. Anyway, Libertadores and Sudamericana are the most important soccer competitions of South America  (yeah, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana aren’t in CONMEBOL, but in CONCACAF, like Australia and New Zeland at AFC). Happily, my dear Galo (Atlético-MG) is on semi-finals of Libertadores, with a huge team. Make sure to hate Flamengo for uncountable reasons, mainly about being benefited always, and Boca Juniors, because of the confusion they did on us at octaves of final (search please, I’m angry just of say about that crying babies 😤). So... yeah, this blog isn’t complete (just won’t be at 50k lol), as you can see, we didn’t have semi-finals and finals of both competitions, and the additional info can change occasionally. So, that’s it. Go Atlético, and if you have somehow to watch Libertadores and Sudamericana, try to see. Emotion, vibration, and union 🙃

Q. S. = I used 44,896 characters 🤔