If you’re looking for a one-stop guide to the Copa Sudamericana, you’ve just found it!
The Copa Sudamericana is more than just a soccer tournament; it’s a spectacle of talent, passion and tradition that unites clubs from all over South America in an epic quest for continental glory. Second only to the Libertadores in terms of importance to the continent’s clubs, winning the competition is a dream for many teams and, of course, their fans.
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All about the Copa Sudamericana: what is it?
The Copa Sudamericana is a South American club tournament that takes place every year. It is the second most important club competition organized by Conmebol, behind the Copa Libertadores. Created in 2002, the South American Cup gives clubs the opportunity to compete internationally and gain prestige beyond the borders of their countries.
History of the Copa Sudamericana
The first edition of the Copa Sudamericana took place in 2002, with Argentina’s San Lorenzo becoming the first champions. Over the years, the tournament has grown in popularity, offering a chance for smaller and larger South American clubs to compete for a continental title.
Copa Sudamericana rules
Following on from our guide to all things Copa Sudamericana, let’s take a look at the tournament rules!
In general, the rules of the Copa Sudamericana follow CONMEBOL’s general regulations for club competitions, for example, each win is worth three points, a draw one point and a defeat zero points.
Clubs from various South American countries take part in the tournament, with qualification criteria based on performance in national leagues and, in some cases, in specific local competitions.
In addition, 12 teams eliminated from the Copa Libertadores are transferred to the Copa Sudamericana. Of these, four enter from the group stage, and then the eight teams that finished third in the Libertadores group stage enter the new play-off phase prior to the round of 16.
The distribution of places is as follows:
- 8 teams enter the competition after finishing third in the Copa Libertadores group stage;
- 4 teams enter the competition when they are eliminated in the third preliminary round of the Copa Libertadores;
- 6 teams from Argentina have a place in the competition, from sixth to eleventh place in the Argentine Championship;
- 6 teams from Brazil, including the 6 best-placed teams in the Campeonato Brasileiro not qualified for the Copa Libertadores (usually from sixth to 12th place in the Brasileirão).
- 4 teams from other federations, including Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay and Ecuador.
In 2024, for example, the following teams from Brazil qualified for the Copa Sudamericana:
- Athletico Paranaense (8th place in the Brasileirão)
- Internacional (9th in the Brasileirão)
- Fortaleza (10th in the Brasileirão)
- Cuiabá (12th in the Brasileirão)
- Corinthians (13th in the Brasileirão)
- Cruzeiro (14th in the Brasileirão)
Bragantino entered the competition having been eliminated from the pre-Libertadores.
Read also: All about the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: rules and how does it work?
How does the South American Cup work?
To understand everything about the Copa Sudamericana, you need to understand how it works, which takes place in stages.
Initially, there is a preliminary phase involving smaller clubs or those that didn’t qualify directly for the group stage.
The clubs are then divided into eight groups of four teams each, and play back-to-back matches with the teams in the group, which are then drawn by lot.
The best-placed teams in each group advance to the knockout stages, which include the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final .
The matches in the knockout stages are also played in a return leg format, except for the final.
That’s because in 2019, Conmebol implemented the single-match final format for the first time, with the match played between Independiente del Valle (Ecuador) and Colón (Argentina) resulting in Independiente del Valle winning 3-1.
Since then, the final of the championship has remained a single match, just like the Libertadores.
Most successful Copa Sudamericana winners
Some of the most successful clubs in the Copa Sudamericana include:
- Boca Juniors (Argentina) – 2 titles (2004 and 2005)
- Independiente (Argentina) – 2 titles (2010 and 2017)
- Independiente del Valle (Ecuador) – 2 titles (2019 and 2022)
- Athletico-PR (Brazil) – 2 titles (2018 and 2021)
- LDU Quito (Ecuador) – 2 titles (2009 and 2023)
In terms of the country with the most champions, Argentina leads the way with nine titles. Brazil is in second place with five titles, won by Atlético Paranaense, São Paulo, Internacional and Chapecoense.
Read also: Copa Libertadores champions: the tournament’s biggest winners and complete list
What is the prize money for the Copa Sudamericana?
The prize money for the Copa Sudamericana varies each year, but generally includes cash prizes for the participating clubs, as well as trophies and medals for the finalists and the champion.
The competition also offers the winners a place in the Recopa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores the following year.
In 2024, the great champion could win up to 9.615 million dollars (R$48.4 million) in total if they win all 6 group games. The South American prizes:
- Group stage – US$900,000 (R$4.5 million)
- Group stage win – US$ 115,000
- Playoff – US$ 500,000 (R$ 2.5 million)
- Round of 16 – US$ 600,000 (R$ 3 million)
- Quarter-finals – US$ 700,000 (R$ 3.5 million)
- Semi-final – US$ 800,000 (R$ 4 million)
- Runners-up – US$ 2 million (R$ 10 million)
- Champion – US$ 6 million (R$ 30.2 million)
Not bad, is it? With a win, the teams increase their capacity to invest in signings, which tends to make them more competitive.
All about the Copa Sudamericana: curiosities
The 2017 Copa Sudamericana final between Independiente and Flamengo was the first to use VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in the history of the competition. Today, we know that VAR still causes a lot of controversy, but it is a consolidated technology in soccer, and is even part of national competitions such as the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil.
In an article all about the Copa Sudamericana, we can’t leave out some extra trivia, such as:
- Top scorer in a single edition: Miguel Borja (Atlético Nacional, Colombia) is the top scorer in a single edition of the Copa Sudamericana, scoring 6 goals in the 2016 edition.
- Most goals in a single edition: Atlético Nacional (Colombia) hold the record for the most goals scored in a single edition, with 28 goals in the 2016 edition.
- Biggest win in one match: Defensor Sporting (Uruguay) 9-0 Sport Huancayo (Peru) in 2010 is the biggest win in a single match in the history of the Copa Sudamericana.
- Most participations: Club Atlético Nacional (Colombia) and Club Atlético River Plate (Argentina) are among the clubs with the most participations in the competition.
The Copa Sudamericana continues to grow in importance and visibility, providing South American clubs with a platform to showcase their talent and compete at international level.
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