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Copa Libertadores

The preliminary stages of the 2024 Copa Libertadores da América were held between February 6 and March 14, 2024. A total of 19 teams competed in the qualifying stages to determine four of the 32 group stage spots.
Below is the aggregate score of the last qualifying phase:

RB Bragantino 2 x 3 Botafogo (*Botafogo classified)

Nacional (PAR) 4 x 4 Palestino (*Palestino classified on penalties )

Always Ready 2 x 2 Nacional (URU) (*National classified on penalties)

Colo-Colo 3 x 2 Sportivo Trinidense (*Colo-Colo classified)

The 2024 Copa Libertadores for men's football has had its participants defined.
Check out the clubs that occupied the 47 places below.

BRAZIL: Fluminense, São Paulo, Palmeiras, Grêmio, Atlético-MG, Flamengo, Botafogo and Red Bull Bragantino.

ARGENTINA: River Plate, Rosario Central, Estudiantes, Talleres, San Lorenzo and Godoy Cruz.

BOLIVIA: The Strongest, Bolívar, Always Ready and Aurora.

CHILE: Huachipato, Cobresal, Colo-Colo and Palestino.

COLOMBIA: Junior Barranquilla, Millonarios, Atlético Nacional and Águilas Doradas.

ECUADOR: LDU, Independiente del Valle, Barcelona de Guayaquil, El Nacional and Aucas.

PARAGUAY: Libertad, Cerro Porteño, Sportivo Trinidense and Nacional.

PERU: Universitario, Alianza Lima, Sporting Cristal and Melgar.

URUGUAY: Liverpool, Peñarol, Nacional and Defensor.

VENEZUELA: Caracas, Portuguesa, Deportivo Táchira and Academia Puerto Cabello.

During the CONMEBOL Copa América Group Stage draw, held in Miami, the PUMA Cumbre was presented, the new PUMA ball that will replace the current NIKE ball and will become the official ball of the competition. The name "PUMA Cumbre" is inspired by the mountain range that crosses America, seeking to symbolize the excellence of football in the region. Its design is based on the shape of the continent, and its 16 lines represent the total number of countries participating in the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024. Thus, the ball seeks to unite all the nations that will compete in this historic national team tournament.

The Copa Libertadores trophy was designed in 1959, at the request of CONMEBOL president, Férmin Sorhueta, for the tournament that would begin in 1960. It was designed by Italian designer Alberto de Gásperi in Lima, Peru, and approved by the entity's directors. It was decided that the clubs that won the tournament three times in a row would keep the trophy permanently.
The current trophy is the third to be manufactured, after Estudiantes and Independiente won the right to have it permanently.

Since 2010, Brazilian clubs have enjoyed a period of dominance in the Copa Libertadores, with Internacional winning the title in 2010, followed by Santos in 2011, Corinthians in 2012 and Atlético Mineiro in 2013. In 2014, Argentina's San Lorenzo broke that streak by winning the title. River Plate, another Argentine team, won in 2015, followed by Colombia's Atlético Nacional in 2016. Grêmio brought the title back to Brazil in 2017, and River Plate won it again in 2018. In 2019, Flamengo won the River Plate in the final in a single game, after 38 years without winning the title. This period shows a diversity of champions and growing competition between South American clubs.

In the 2000 Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors, led by Carlos Bianchi, won the title after 22 years, defeating Palmeiras. The following year, Boca won the title again by defeating Cruz Azul in the final. However, their quest for the tri was frustrated by Olimpia in the quarter-finals.
In 2003, the competition saw great teams and surprises, with Santos standing out for their offensive football. Boca Juniors beat Santos in the final, winning their fourth title. The following year, however, they were defeated by Once Caldas of Colombia in the final.
São Paulo beat Atlético Paranaense in 2005, becoming the first to win three titles. In 2006, Internacional beat São Paulo in the final, winning their first title. In 2007, Boca Juniors beat Grêmio in the final, winning their sixth title.

In the 1990s, the Copa Libertadores witnessed the resurgence of some South American clubs. Olimpia, led by Luis Cubilla, regained their glory by winning the tournament in 1990 and reaching the final again in 1991, although they were defeated by Colo-Colo of Chile.
São Paulo emerged as a dominant force, winning the competition in 1992 and 1993, under the leadership of Telê Santana and with a stellar team. Grêmio lifted the trophy in 1995, while River Plate triumphed in 1996.
Brazilian football continued to prevail at the end of the decade, with Cruzeiro, Vasco da Gama and Palmeiras winning the titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999 respectively . Vasco da Gama and Palmeiras also contributed to the rise of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Grêmio to the title in 1995 before guiding them to another success with Palmeiras in 1999.

In 1980, Nacional won its second Copa Libertadores by beating Internacional in Brazil. The following year, in 1981, Flamengo of Brazil triumphed with a stellar team led by Zico, Júnior, Leandro, Adílio, Nunes, Tita and Carpegiani, defeating Cobreloa of Chile in the final.
After 16 years, Peñarol recovered the title in 1982 by beating Cobreloa in the final. In 1983, Grêmio de Porto Alegre made history by winning their first title by defeating Peñarol in the final. Independiente ended their impressive run of titles in 1984, winning their seventh and final trophy by defeating Grêmio in the final. Independiente's highlights were Jorge Burruchaga and Ricardo Bochini.

After losing the trophy to Santos in 1963, Boca Juniors finally got their chance at victory in the 1970s. They won the Copa Libertadores title in 1977, defeating Cruzeiro after a penalty shootout. In 1978, Boca beat Deportivo Cali 4-0 in the second leg of the final. However, in 1979, "Tri's" dream was interrupted by Olimpia from Paraguay, who beat Boca in the final and won the title at La Bombonera Stadium.

A pivotal moment in the tournament's early history was the debut of Estudiantes, a modest Argentine club known as the Pincharratas. They adopted an unusual playing style, focused on physical preparation and the search for victories at all costs. Under the leadership of coach Osvaldo Zubeldía and with players such as Carlos Bilardo, Oscar Malbernat and Juan Ramón Verón, Estudiantes became the first team to win three consecutive titles in the competition, defeating Palmeiras in 1968 and later successfully defending the title in 1969 and 1970.

The first edition of the Copa Libertadores, then called the Champions Cup, took place in 1960, with the participation of seven teams that were champions of their countries in 1959. Peñarol from Uruguay won the first game against Jorge Wilstermann from Bolivia 7-1, with the first goal in the history of the competition scored by Carlos Borges. Peñarol ended up winning the title by defeating Olimpia of Paraguay in the final.
The American Champions Cup did not attract much international attention until its third edition, when Santos, led by Pelé and considered by some to be one of the best teams of all time, has gained global recognition.

The winner of the Copa Libertadores guarantees their place in the FIFA Club World Cup as a CONMEBOL representative, in addition to automatically qualifying for the Recopa Sul-Americana the following year.
Independiente holds the record for titles in the competition , with seven achievements. Argentina leads the ranking of countries with the highest number of victories, totaling 25 titles, while Brazil stands out for the diversity of winning clubs, with a total of 11 different teams that have already lifted the cup 23 times.
To date, the Libertadores trophy has been won by 26 different clubs.

The Copa Libertadores da América is the main football tournament between clubs in South America, organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is highly prestigious and honors leaders of South American independence. Such as 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.
In the beginning, it was called the American Champions Cup and it was only in 1965 that it was baptized with its current name.