Copa Libertadores facts for kids
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| Organizing body | CONMEBOL |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1960 |
| Region | South America |
| Number of teams | 47 (from 10 associations) |
| Qualifier for |
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| Related competitions | Copa Sudamericana (2nd tier) |
| Current champion(s) |  Botafogo(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Independiente(7 titles) |
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América, is a huge annual football competition. It's like the Champions League for South America! Teams from all over the continent play to see who is the best club.
The tournament started in 1960. It's named after the Libertadores, who were important leaders. These leaders helped South American countries become free. So, the name means "Liberators of the Americas Cup."
Over the years, the competition has changed a lot. At first, only league champions played. Later, more teams joined, including runners-up. From 2000, 32 teams started competing. Today, many clubs from each country take part. Argentina and Brazil usually have the most teams.
The tournament has different stages. It starts in January and ends in November. Teams play in groups, then the best ones move to knockout rounds. The winner gets to play in other big international tournaments. These include the FIFA Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.
Independiente from Argentina has won the most titles. They have won seven times! Argentine clubs have won 25 times in total. Brazilian clubs have won many times too, with 12 different teams lifting the trophy.
Contents
History of the Copa Libertadores
The idea for a big South American football competition started a long time ago. In the 1930s, teams from Argentina and Uruguay played in the Copa Aldao. This sparked the dream of a continent-wide tournament.
In 1948, the South American Championship of Champions was held. This was a very important event. It brought together the champions from different countries. Vasco da Gama from Brazil won this first tournament. This competition even helped inspire the creation of the European Cup in Europe!
In 1958, the leaders of Peñarol football club helped create the plan for the Copa Libertadores. The goal was to have a South American champion. This champion could then play against the European champion. They would decide "the best club team of the world." The competition was officially approved in 1959. In 1965, it was named after the "heroes of South American liberation." These heroes include famous figures like Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín.
How Teams Qualify and Play
Getting into the Tournament
Most teams get into the Copa Libertadores by doing well in their local leagues. Some countries have two half-year tournaments. These are called Apertura and Clausura tournaments. Other countries, like Argentina and Brazil, use a regular league format.
Teams can also qualify by winning their country's domestic cup. For example, winning the Copa Argentina can get an Argentine team into the Libertadores. Since 2011, the team that wins the Copa Sudamericana also gets a spot in the next Copa Libertadores.
The tournament has different stages. Teams from smaller leagues might start in the first stage. More successful teams join later in the group stage.
How the Games Work
The Copa Libertadores used to have some unique rules. Unlike many other football competitions, it didn't always use extra time. It also didn't use the away goals rule. This rule means that goals scored away from home count for more.
From 1960 to 1987, if teams were tied after two games, they played a third match. If that was a draw, they would have a penalty shootout. Since 2005, the away goals rule has been used. However, the final match is an exception. In the final, if scores are tied, they play extra time.
Since 1995, teams get 3 points for a win. They get 1 point for a draw and 0 for a loss. This system makes winning games more important.
Tournament Stages
The current tournament has 47 clubs. They play over six to eight months. There are three main parts: the first stage, the second stage, and the knockout stage.
The first stage has 12 clubs playing two-legged knockout games. The six winners join 26 other clubs in the second stage. Here, teams are divided into eight groups of four. Each team plays every other team in their group twice. They play one home game and one away game.
The top two teams from each group move to the knockout stage. This part of the tournament has two-legged knockout ties. Teams play each other home and away. This continues through the quarterfinals and semifinals. Finally, there is the big final match.
The winner of the Copa Libertadores gets to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. This is a competition for champion clubs from all over the world. The Copa Libertadores winner also plays in the Recopa Sudamericana. This is a special match against the winner of the Copa Sudamericana.
Prizes and Awards
The Famous Trophy
The tournament's trophy is also called the Copa Libertadores. It's a beautiful trophy made of sterling silver. The football player on top is made of bronze with a silver coating. An Italian artist named Alberto de Gasperi designed it.
The bottom part of the trophy is made of wood. It has small badges from every team that has won the competition. These badges show the year, the club's name, and their city and country. If a club wins the tournament three times in a row, they get to keep the actual trophy! Only two clubs have done this: Estudiantes and Independiente.
Prize Money
Winning the Copa Libertadores comes with big rewards! Clubs earn money as they advance through the tournament. This money comes from TV rights and advertising.
As of 2023, teams get US$500,000 for reaching the second stage. In the group stage, they get US$1,000,000 for each home game. They also get an extra US$300,000 for every match they win in the group stage.
The prize money keeps growing as teams get closer to the final.
- Round of 16: US$1,250,000
- Quarter-finals: US$1,700,000
- Semi-finals: US$2,300,000
- Runners-up (second place): US$7,000,000
- Champions (winners): US$18,000,000
Cultural Impact of the Copa Libertadores
The Copa Libertadores is very important in South American culture. It's more than just a football tournament. It's a big part of people's lives and dreams.
The "Liberator Dream"
The "Sueño Libertador" means the "Liberator Dream." This is a special phrase used by sports reporters. It describes a team's big dream of winning the Copa Libertadores. When a team is knocked out, people say they "woke up from the liberator dream."
Clubs often spend a lot of money to try and win this cup. Players and fans care deeply about the tournament. In 2010, players from Guadalajara even said they'd rather play in the Copa Libertadores final than a friendly game against the world champion Spain. This shows how much the tournament means to them.
Former Boca Juniors goalkeeper Óscar Córdoba said the Copa Libertadores was the most important trophy he ever won. This was even more important than other big titles!
"The Cup is to be Seen, Not to be Touched"
For a long time, only clubs from countries with an Atlantic coast won the Copa Libertadores. These were mainly Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Then, in 1979, Olimpia from Paraguay won. This was a big moment!
Teams from countries with a Pacific coast struggled to win. The first Pacific team to reach a final was Universitario from Peru in 1972. They lost to Independiente. The next year, Colo-Colo from Chile also lost to Independiente. This led to a saying: "La Copa se mira y no se toca." This means "The Cup is to be seen, not to be touched." It meant the trophy wouldn't go to the west.
But this changed! Atletico Nacional from Colombia won in 1989. They were the first Pacific coast nation to win. Then, Colo-Colo from Chile won in 1991. After that, people in Chile started saying, "la copa se mira y se toca" – "The Cup is seen and touched!" Other Pacific teams like Once Caldas (Colombia) and LDU Quito (Ecuador) have also won since then.
Media Coverage and Sponsors
Matches are shown in over 135 countries. They have commentary in more than 30 languages. This makes the Copa Libertadores one of the most watched sports events on TV!
Big companies sponsor the tournament. From 1997 to 2017, companies like Toyota, Banco Santander, and Bridgestone were main sponsors. Today, many well-known brands support the Copa Libertadores. These include Coca-Cola, Mastercard, and Hyundai.
Match Ball
Since 2024, the German company Puma makes the official match ball. They make balls for all CONMEBOL competitions. The Puma Cumbre is the official ball for the 2024 Copa Libertadores.
Records and Statistics
Most Successful Clubs
Here are some of the clubs that have won the Copa Libertadores the most times:
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independiente |
7 | 0 | 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1984 |
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| Boca Juniors |
6 | 6 | 1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 | 1963, 1979, 2004, 2012, 2018, 2023 |
 Peñarol |
5 | 5 | 1960, 1961, 1966, 1982, 1987 | 1962, 1965, 1970, 1983, 2011 |
| River Plate |
4 | 3 | 1986, 1996, 2015, 2018 | 1966, 1976, 2019 |
| Estudiantes |
4 | 1 | 1968, 1969, 1970, 2009 | 1971 |
 Olimpia |
3 | 4 | 1979, 1990, 2002 | 1960, 1989, 1991, 2013 |
| Nacional |
3 | 3 | 1971, 1980, 1988 | 1964, 1967, 1969 |
| São Paulo |
3 | 3 | 1992, 1993, 2005 | 1974, 1994, 2006 |
| Palmeiras |
3 | 3 | 1999, 2020, 2021 | 1961, 1968, 2000 |
| Santos |
3 | 2 | 1962, 1963, 2011 | 2003, 2020 |
| Grêmio |
3 | 2 | 1983, 1995, 2017 | 1984, 2007 |
| Flamengo |
3 | 1 | 1981, 2019, 2022 | 2021 |
Winners by Nation
Argentina and Brazil have won the most titles. Bolivia and Venezuela have not yet reached a final.
| Nation | Winner | Runner-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
25 | 13 | 38 |
| Brazil |
24 | 19 | 43 |
| Uruguay |
8 | 8 | 16 |
 Colombia |
3 | 7 | 10 |
| Paraguay |
3 | 5 | 8 |
 Chile |
1 | 5 | 6 |
 Ecuador |
1 | 3 | 4 |
 Mexico |
0 | 3 | 3 |
 Peru |
0 | 2 | 2 |
 Bolivia |
0 | 0 | 0 |
 Venezuela |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Top Goal Scorers
Alberto Spencer from Ecuador has scored the most goals in the Copa Libertadores. He scored 54 goals!
| Rank | Country | Player | Goals | Apps | Goal Ratio | Debut | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Alberto Spencer | 54 | 87 | 0.62 | 1960 | Peñarol Barcelona |
| 2 | |
Fernando Morena | 37 | 77 | 0.48 | 1973 | Peñarol |
| 3 | |
Pedro Rocha | 36 | 88 | 0.41 | 1962 | Peñarol São Paulo Palmeiras |
| 4 | |
Daniel Onega | 31 | 47 | 0.66 | 1966 | River Plate |
|
Gabriel Barbosa | 31 | 48 | 0.60 | 2018 | Santos Flamengo |
Most Appearances
Ever Hugo Almeida from Paraguay has played in the most Copa Libertadores matches. He has played 113 games!
| Rank | Country | Player | Apps | Goals | From | To | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Ever Hugo Almeida | 113 | 0 | 1973 | 1990 | Olimpia |
| 2 | |
Antony de Ávila | 94 | 29 | 1983 | 1998 | América de Cali Barcelona |
| 3 | |
Vladimir Soria | 93 | 4 | 1986 | 2000 | Bolívar |
| 4 | |
Willington Ortiz | 92 | 19 | 1973 | 1988 | Millonarios América de Cali Deportivo Cali |
| 5 | |
Rogério Ceni | 90 | 14 | 2004 | 2015 | São Paulo |
See also
- Copa Libertadores Femenina
- Copa Sudamericana
- Continental football championships
- South American Championship of Champions
- Copa Aldao
Images for kids
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The Copa Libertadores logo is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competition.
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Since its creation, the Copa Libertadores has been part of the culture of South America.
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Alberto Spencer scored 54 total goals in the competition, a record that still stands today.
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Daniel Onega scored a record 17 goals in a single season during the 1966 tournament.
