2026 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages

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The 2026 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages are played from 3 February to 12 March 2026. [1] A total of 19 teams compete in the qualifying stages to decide four of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores.

Contents

Draw

The draw for the qualifying stages was held on 18 December 2025, 12:00 PYT (UTC−3), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay. [2] [3]

Teams were seeded by their CONMEBOL Clubs ranking as of 15 December 2025 (shown in parentheses), [4] taking into account the following three factors: [5]

  1. Performance in the last 10 years, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 2016–2025.
  2. Historical coefficient, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 1960–2015 and 2002–2015 respectively.
  3. Local tournament champion, with bonus points awarded to domestic league champions of the last 10 years.

For the first stage, the six teams were drawn into three ties (E1–E3), with the teams from Pot 1 hosting the second leg. [6]

First stage draw
Pot 1Pot 2
  1. † The identity of the team from Bolivia was not known at the time of the draw and it was seeded in Pot 2.

For the second stage, the 16 teams were drawn into eight ties (C1–C8), with the teams from Pot 1 hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie, excluding the three winners of the first stage, which were seeded in Pot 2 and whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, and could be drawn into the same tie with another team from the same association. [6]

Second stage draw
Pot 1Pot 2
  1. † The identity of the teams from Bolivia and Ecuador was not known at the time of the draw and they were seeded in Pot 2.

For the third stage, the eight winners of the second stage were allocated without any draw into the following four ties (G1–G4), with the team in each tie with the higher CONMEBOL ranking hosting the second leg. [6]

Format

In the qualifying stages, each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, extra time will not be played, and a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.3).

Bracket

The qualifying stages are structured as follows:

The bracket was decided based on the first stage draw and second stage draw, which was held on 18 December 2025.

Winner G1

First stage Second stage Third stage
            
Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud (p) 0 4 4 (4)
Flag of Ecuador.svg Universidad Católica 1 3 4 (3)
Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud 0 2 2
Flag of Paraguay.svg Guaraní 0 1 1
Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud 1
Flag of Colombia.svg Independiente Medellín 1
Flag of Uruguay.svg Liverpool 1 0 1
Flag of Colombia.svg Independiente Medellín 2 0 2

Winner G2

First stage Second stage Third stage
            
Flag of Chile.svg O'Higgins (p) 1 1 2 (4)
Flag of Brazil.svg Bahia 0 2 2 (3)
Flag of Chile.svg O'Higgins 1 0 1
Flag of Colombia.svg Deportes Tolima 0 2 2
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg The Strongest 2 0 2 (3)
Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Deportivo Táchira (p) 1 1 2 (5)
Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Deportivo Táchira 0 1 1 (0)
Flag of Colombia.svg Deportes Tolima (p) 1 0 1 (3)

Winner G3

First stage Second stage Third stage
            
Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Carabobo 1 2 3
Flag of Chile.svg Huachipato 0 1 1
Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Carabobo 0 2 2 (2)
Flag of Peru (state).svg Sporting Cristal (p) 1 1 2 (3)
Flag of Paraguay.svg 2 de Mayo 1 1 2
Flag of Peru (state).svg Alianza Lima 0 1 1
Flag of Paraguay.svg 2 de Mayo 2 0 2 (4)
Flag of Peru (state).svg Sporting Cristal (p) 2 0 2 (5)

Winner G4

Second stage Third stage
        
Flag of Ecuador.svg Barcelona (p) 0 1 1 (5)
Flag of Argentina.svg Argentinos Juniors 1 0 1 (4)
Flag of Ecuador.svg Barcelona 1 1 2
Flag of Brazil.svg Botafogo 1 0 1
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg Nacional Potosí 1 0 1
Flag of Brazil.svg Botafogo 0 2 2

First stage

Summary

The first legs were played on 3–5 February, and the second legs were played on 10–12 February 2026. [7] [8] [9]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
The Strongest   Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg 2–2 (3–5 p) Flag of Venezuela (state).svg   Deportivo Táchira 2–1 0–1
Juventud   Flag of Uruguay.svg 4–4 (4–3 p) Flag of Ecuador.svg   Universidad Católica 0–1 4–3
2 de Mayo   Flag of Paraguay.svg 2–1 Flag of Peru (state).svg   Alianza Lima 1–0 1–1

Matches

The Strongest Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg 2–1 Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Deportivo Táchira
Report
Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
Attendance: 10,992 [10]
Referee: Paulo Zanovelli (Brazil)
Deportivo Táchira Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 1–0 Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg The Strongest
 Report
Penalties
5–3
Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal
Referee: Derlis López (Paraguay)

Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Deportivo Táchira won on penalties and advanced to the second stage (Match C2).

Juventud Flag of Uruguay.svg 0–1 Flag of Ecuador.svg Universidad Católica
Report
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo [note 1]
Attendance: 1,798 [11]
Referee: Gery Vargas (Bolivia)
Universidad Católica Flag of Ecuador.svg 3–4 Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud
 Report
Penalties
3–4
Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito
Referee: Yael Falcón Pérez (Argentina)

Tied 4–4 on aggregate, Juventud won on penalties and advanced to the second stage (Match C1).

2 de Mayo Flag of Paraguay.svg 1–0 Flag of Peru (state).svg Alianza Lima
Report
Estadio Río Parapití, Pedro Juan Caballero
Referee: José Burgos (Uruguay)
Alianza Lima Flag of Peru (state).svg 1–1 Flag of Paraguay.svg 2 de Mayo
 Report
Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, Lima
Referee: Flavio de Souza (Brazil)

2 de Mayo won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the second stage (Match C3).

Second stage

Summary

The first legs were played on 17–19 February, and the second legs were played on 24–26 February 2026. [7] [8] [9] [12]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Juventud   Flag of Uruguay.svg 2–1 Flag of Paraguay.svg   Guaraní 0–0 2–1
Deportivo Táchira   Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 1–1 (0–3 p) Flag of Colombia.svg   Deportes Tolima 0–1 1–0
2 de Mayo   Flag of Paraguay.svg 2–2 (4–5 p) Flag of Peru (state).svg   Sporting Cristal 2–2 0–0
Barcelona   Flag of Ecuador.svg 1–1 (5–4 p) Flag of Argentina.svg   Argentinos Juniors 0–1 1–0
Nacional Potosí   Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg 1–2 Flag of Brazil.svg   Botafogo 1–0 0–2
Carabobo   Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 3–1 Flag of Chile.svg   Huachipato 1–0 2–1
O'Higgins   Flag of Chile.svg 2–2 (4–3 p) Flag of Brazil.svg   Bahia 1–0 1–2
Liverpool   Flag of Uruguay.svg 1–2 Flag of Colombia.svg   Independiente Medellín 1–2 0–0

Matches

Juventud Flag of Uruguay.svg 0–0 Flag of Paraguay.svg Guaraní
Report
Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera, Montevideo [note 2]
Referee: Rafael Klein (Brazil)
Guaraní Flag of Paraguay.svg 1–2 Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud
 Report
Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción [note 3]
Referee: Cristian Garay (Chile)

Juventud won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G1).

Deportes Tolima Flag of Colombia.svg 0–1 Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Deportivo Táchira
Report
Penalties
3–0
Estadio Manuel Murillo Toro, Ibagué
Referee: Leandro Rey Hilfer (Argentina)

Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Deportes Tolima won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G2).

Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Sporting Cristal won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G3).

Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Barcelona won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G4).

Nacional Potosí Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg 1–0 Flag of Brazil.svg Botafogo
Report
Estadio Víctor Agustín Ugarte, Potosí
Referee: Augusto Aragón (Ecuador)
Botafogo Flag of Brazil.svg 2–0 Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg Nacional Potosí
 Report
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro
Attendance: 28,318 [16]
Referee: Piero Maza (Chile)

Botafogo won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G4).

Carabobo Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 1–0 Flag of Chile.svg Huachipato
Report
Estadio Misael Delgado, Valencia
Referee: Andrés Rojas (Colombia)
Huachipato Flag of Chile.svg 1–2 Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Carabobo
 Report
Estadio Huachipato-CAP Acero, Talcahuano
Attendance: 4,328 [17]
Referee: Rodrigo Pereira (Brazil)

Carabobo won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G3).

O'Higgins Flag of Chile.svg 1–0 Flag of Brazil.svg Bahia
Report
Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua
Attendance: 8,282 [18]
Referee: Javier Feres (Uruguay)
Bahia Flag of Brazil.svg 2–1 Flag of Chile.svg O'Higgins
 Report
Penalties
3–4
Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
Attendance: 46,046 [19]
Referee: Maximiliano Ramírez (Argentina)

Tied 2–2 on aggregate, O'Higgins won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G2).

Independiente Medellín Flag of Colombia.svg 0–0 Flag of Uruguay.svg Liverpool
Report
Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)

Independiente Medellín won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G1).

Third stage

Summary

The first legs were played on 3–5 March, and the second legs are played on 10–12 March 2026. [21] [22]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Juventud   Flag of Uruguay.svg G1 Flag of Colombia.svg   Independiente Medellín 1–1 12 Mar
O'Higgins   Flag of Chile.svg 1–2 Flag of Colombia.svg   Deportes Tolima 1–0 0–2
Carabobo   Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 2–2 (2–3 p) Flag of Peru (state).svg   Sporting Cristal 0–1 2–1
Barcelona   Flag of Ecuador.svg 2–1 Flag of Brazil.svg   Botafogo 1–1 1–0

Matches

Independiente Medellín Flag of Colombia.svg v Flag of Uruguay.svg Juventud
Report
Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín
Referee: Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay)

Winner advances to the group stage.

O'Higgins Flag of Chile.svg 1–0 Flag of Colombia.svg Deportes Tolima
Report
Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua
Attendance: 8,097 [24]
Referee: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)
Deportes Tolima Flag of Colombia.svg 2–0 Flag of Chile.svg O'Higgins
 Report
Estadio Manuel Murillo Toro, Ibagué
Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)

Deportes Tolima won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.

Carabobo Flag of Venezuela (state).svg 0–1 Flag of Peru (state).svg Sporting Cristal
Report
Estadio Misael Delgado, Valencia
Referee: Ramon Abatti (Brazil)
Sporting Cristal Flag of Peru (state).svg 1–2 Flag of Venezuela (state).svg Carabobo
 Report
Penalties
3–2
Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, Lima [note 7]
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)

Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Sporting Cristal won on penalties and advanced to the group stage.

Botafogo Flag of Brazil.svg 0–1 Flag of Ecuador.svg Barcelona
Report
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro
Referee: Piero Maza (Chile)

Barcelona won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.

Notes

  1. ↑ Juventud played their first stage home match at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo instead of their regular stadium Estadio Parque Artigas Las Piedras, Las Piedras which did not meet CONMEBOL requirements.
  2. ↑ Juventud played their second stage home match at Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera, Montevideo (originally scheduled at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo) [12] instead of their regular stadium Estadio Parque Artigas Las Piedras, Las Piedras which did not meet CONMEBOL requirements. [13]
  3. ↑ Guaraní played their home match at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción instead of their regular stadium Estadio Rogelio Livieres, Asunción which is being rebuilt. [14]
  4. ↑ The Sporting Cristal vs. 2 de Mayo match, originally scheduled to be held at Estadio Nacional, Lima, was moved to Estadio Miguel Grau, Callao. [15]
  5. ↑ Liverpool play their home matches at Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera, Montevideo (originally scheduled at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo) [8] instead of their regular stadium Estadio Belvedere, Montevideo which is being rebuilt. [20]
  6. ↑ Juventud played their third stage home match at Estadio Gran Parque Central, Montevideo instead of their regular stadium Estadio Parque Artigas Las Piedras, Las Piedras which did not meet CONMEBOL requirements. [23]
  7. ↑ Sporting Cristal played their third stage home match at Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, Lima instead of their regular stadium Estadio Alberto Gallardo, Lima which did not meet CONMEBOL requirements.

References

  1. ↑ "Calendario de la CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL Sudamericana y CONMEBOL Recopa 2026" [Schedule for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL Sudamericana and CONMEBOL Recopa] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Conmebol sorteará las fases preliminares de Libertadores y Sudamericana 2026 el 18 de diciembre" [CONMEBOL will draw the preliminary rounds of the 2026 Libertadores and Sudamericana on 18 December] (in Spanish). El Universo. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  3. ↑ "Cruces definidos para la Fase Preliminar de la CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026" [Matchups set for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores' Preliminary Stage] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "Ranking de Clubes de la CONMEBOL 2026" [2026 CONMEBOL Clubs Ranking](PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "RANKING DE CLUBES DE LA CONMEBOL 2021 SISTEMA DE PUNTAJE" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Pautas de sorteo para la CONMEBOL Libertadores y CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026" [Draw guidelines for the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Fixture de Fase Preliminar de la CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026" [2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores Preliminary Stage Fixture] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "CONMEBOL LIBERTADORES 2026 | PROGRAMA DE PARTIDOS - FASES PRELIMINARES | Departamento de Competiciones y Operaciones | Versión de 18/12/2025" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  9. 1 2 "CONMEBOL LIBERTADORES 2026 | PROGRAMA DE PARTIDOS - FASES PRELIMINARES | Departamento de Competiciones y Operaciones | Versión de 22/01/2026" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Strongest 2-1 Táchira (3 de fev, 2026) Placar Final" (in Brazilian Portuguese). ESPN. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  11. ↑ "Juventud 0-1 U Católica (5 de fev, 2026) Placar Final" (in Brazilian Portuguese). ESPN. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  12. 1 2 "CONMEBOL LIBERTADORES 2026 | PROGRAMA DE PARTIDOS - FASES PRELIMINARES | Departamento de Competiciones y Operaciones | Versión de 13/02/2026" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "Cambio de escenario en un partido de la CONMEBOL Libertadores" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "Remodelación del estadio, en marcha" [Remodeling of the stadium, underway] (in Spanish). La Nación. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "Cambio de escenario en un partido de la CONMEBOL Libertadores" [Venue change in a CONMEBOL Libertadores match] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  16. ↑ Dantas, Matheus (25 February 2026). "Botafogo vence o Nacional Potosí no Nilton Santos e avança na Libertadores" [Botafogo defeats Nacional Potosí at Nilton Santos and advances in the Libertadores] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Rádio Itatiaia.
  17. ↑ Toledo, Raúl (24 February 2026). "Huachipato no puede con la maldición internacional y queda fuera de la Libertadores ante Carabobo" [Huachipato cannot overcome the international curse and are eliminated from the Libertadores by Carabobo] (in Spanish). Sabes Deportes.
  18. ↑ "O'Higgins 1-0 Bahia (18 de fev, 2026) Placar Final" (in Brazilian Portuguese). ESPN. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  19. ↑ "Bahia vence O'Higgins, mas cai nos pênaltis e vive decepção na pré-Libertadores" [Bahia defeats O'Higgins but loses on penalties and suffers disappointment in Pre-Libertadores]. www.estadao.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. 25 February 2026.
  20. ↑ Martínez, Bruno (27 March 2025). "Liverpool construirá un estadio de última generación: ¿cuánto costará y cuándo estará listo?" [Liverpool will build a state-of-the-art stadium: how much will it cost and when will it be ready?] (in Spanish). Debate Uruguay. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Calendario de partidos – Fase 3" [Match schedule – Stage 3] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  22. ↑ "CONMEBOL LIBERTADORES 2026 | PROGRAMA DE PARTIDOS - FASES PRELIMINARES | Departamento de Competiciones y Operaciones | Versión de 27/02/2026" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  23. ↑ "Libertadores: Juventud será local en Gran Parque Central frente al Independiente Medellín" [Libertadores: Juventud will host Independiente Medellín at Gran Parque Central] (in Spanish). Montevideo Portal. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  24. ↑ Figueroa, Maximiliano (4 March 2026). "O'Higgins vence a Tolima por la cuenta mínima y se va con ventaja a Colombia" [O'Higgins defeats Tolima by the narrowest of margins and heads to Colombia with the advantage] (in Spanish). El Rancagüino.
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