2026 Club Deportivo Universidad Católica season
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PresidentJuan Tagle (until 20 April)
Matías Claro (from 20 April)
Matías Claro (from 20 April)
Head coachDaniel Garnero[1]
StadiumClaro Arena[2]
| 2026 season | |
|---|---|
| President | Juan Tagle (until 20 April) Matías Claro (from 20 April) |
| Head coach | Daniel Garnero[1] |
| Stadium | Claro Arena[2] |
| League | 4th |
| Copa Chile | Group stage |
| Copa de la Liga | Group stage |
| Supercopa de Chile | 2nd |
| Libertadores | Group stage |
| Top goalscorer | League: Fernando Zampedri (11) All: Fernando Zampedri (15) |
| Highest home attendance | 17,705 v. Everton League, 14 March 2026 |
| Lowest home attendance | 14,371 v. Palestino League, 2 April 2026 |
| Average home league attendance | 15,923 |
| Biggest win | 6–1 v. Palestino (H) League, 2 April 2026 |
| Biggest defeat | 3–2 v. Cobresal (A) League, 14 February 2026 |
| All statistics correct as of 29 April 2026. | |
The 2026 Club Deportivo Universidad Católica season is the 86th season and the club's 52th consecutive season in the top flight of Chilean football. In addition to the domestic league, Universidad Católica also competed in the Copa Chile, Copa de la Liga, Supercopa de Chile and the Copa Libertadores.
The current season signifies Universidad Católica's official return to the Copa Libertadores, thereby concluding a hiatus that had extended since the club's last participation in 2022.[3] Furthermore, it represents the first full season in which the renovated Claro Arena functions as the exclusive venue for all home fixtures, following its closure in 2022 and its reopening in August of the previous year, coinciding with the initiation of the second phase of the Liga de Primera season.[4][5]
Kit information
Supplier: Puma[6] / Sponsor: Banco BICE[7] / Sleeve sponsor: 1xBet,[8] Sodimac,[9] Samsung,[10] Smart Fit[11] and Leapmotor.[12]
          Home
|
    Away
|
   Third
|
Puma enters its second consecutive year as Universidad Católica's official kit supplier, having succeeded Under Armour at the start of the 2024 season.[6]
- Home: The club unveiled its new home kit for the 2026 season on December 12, 2025.[13] Featuring the traditional blue and white colors, the jersey's iconic horizontal blue band showcases a four-tone gradient. In a departure from last season, the band has returned to its traditional position across the chest, after having been situated higher up on the torso during the previous campaign.[14] The kit is completed with a white body and sleeves, blue shorts, and white socks.[14]
- Away: The season's away kit was officially unveiled on January 29, 2026.[15] Inspired by the club's 1990s editions, the design moves away from last season's navy blue, returning to the traditional red; notably, the horizontal stripe was not included on the jersey this time.[16] The garment showcases a white collar and sleeves detailed with a blue and white blend.[16] The full kit is complemented by white shorts for the men's squad and red shorts for the women's team, paired with blue socks.[15]
- Third: On April 2nd, during the pre-match build-up against Palestino, the third kit for the season was unveiled. The launch featured a massive tifo displayed by the fans in the stands. The jersey boasts an intense electric blue color, featuring neon lightning bolts across the entire shirt. It sports a white collar and matching cuffs, though the traditional stripe is not featured on this shirt.[17]
Squad
First team
| N | Nat. | Position | Name | Age | Signed in | Ends | Previous Club | App | Goals | Assists | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| 1 |  |
GK | Vicente Bernedo | 25 | 2021 | 2026 | Cobreloa | 55 | 0 | 0 | Originally from academy |
| 24 | |
GK | Martín Contreras | 20 | 2024 | 2027 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 27 | |
GK | Darío Melo | 33 | 2025 | 2026 | Deportes Melipilla | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| 2 | |
DF | Daniel González | 24 | 2022 | 2027 | Santiago Wanderers | 102 | 3 | 1 | |
| 3 | |
DF | Eugenio Mena | 37 | 2023 | 2026 | Racing Club | 97 | 2 | 8 | |
| 4 | |
DF | Ignacio Pérez | 19 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | |
DF | Sebastián Arancibia | 19 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 23 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | |
DF | Cristián Cuevas | 31 | 2022 | 2026 | Huachipato | 132 | 5 | 20 | |
| 19 | |
DF | Branco Ampuero | 32 | 2017 | 2027 | Deportes Antofagasta | 189 | 6 | 2 | |
| 23 | |
DF | Tomás Asta-Buruaga | 29 | 2020 | 2026 | Everton | 108 | 3 | 2 | |
| 26 |  |
DF | Juan Ignacio Díaz | 27 | 2026 | 2026 | O'Higgins | 14 | 2 | 0 | |
| 28 | |
DF | Bernardo Cerezo | 31 | 2026 | 2026 | Ñublense | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| 39 | |
DF | Nicolás L’Huillier | 21 | 2026 | 2026 | Deportes Concepción | 4 | 0 | 0 | Originally from academy |
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| 5 | |
MF | Agustín Farías | 38 | 2024 | 2026 | Palestino | 48 | 0 | 0 | Second nationality: Chilean |
| 8 | |
MF | Fernando Zuqui | 34 | 2024 | 2026 | Estudiantes | 38 | 2 | 7 | |
| 10 | |
MF | Matías Palavecino | 27 | 2026 | 2028 | Coquimbo Unido | 17 | 2 | 6 | |
| 13 | |
MF | Alfred Canales | 26 | 2024 | 2026 | Magallanes | 66 | 3 | 2 | |
| 14 | |
MF | Jimmy Martínez | 29 | 2026 | 2026 | Huachipato | 14 | 2 | 1 | |
| 17 | |
MF | Gary Medel | 38 | 2025 | 2027 | Boca Juniors | 121 | 11 | 13 | Originally from academy |
| 20 |  |
MF | Jhojan Valencia | 29 | 2025 | 2027 | Austin | 54 | 0 | 9 | |
| 22 | |
MF | Martín Gómez | 19 | 2026 | 2026 | Real Pilar | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 36 | |
MF | Bryan González | 23 | 2022 | 2026 | Unión San Felipe | 26 | 0 | 1 | Originally from academy |
| 46 | |
MF | Vicente Cárcamo | 20 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| 7 | |
FW | Justo Giani | 27 | 2026 | 2026 | Aldosivi | 19 | 10 | 3 | |
| 9 | |
FW | Fernando Zampedri (c)[20] | 38 | 2020 | 2027 | Rosario Central | 242 | 154 | 13 | Second nationality: Chilean |
| 11 | |
FW | Clemente Montes | 25 | 2019 | 2027 | Academy | 142 | 20 | 12 | |
| 18 | |
FW | Juan Francisco Rossel | 21 | 2023 | 2027 | Academy | 50 | 3 | 0 | Second nationality: Ecuadorian |
| 25 | |
FW | Diego Corral | 21 | 2023 | 2027 | Academy | 34 | 2 | 1 | |
| 30 | |
FW | Diego Valencia | 26 | 2025 | 2027 | Salernitana | 171 | 35 | 16 | Originally from academy |
Reserve team
| N | Nat. | Position | Name | Age | Signed in | Ends | Previous Club | App | Goals | Assists | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | |
GK | Francisco Valdés | 20 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 50 | |
GK | Matías Meza | 19 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | |
DF | Francisco Daza | 18 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 37 | |
DF | Joaquín Meneses | 17 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 42 |  |
DF | Nickolas Pino | 19 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second nationality: Chilean |
| 44 | |
DF | José Ignacio Salas | 18 | 2025 | 2026 | Academy | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 46 |  |
DF | Jeffrey Sekgota | 19 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second nationality: Chilean |
| 49 | |
DF | Raimundo Vega | 19 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 47 | |
MF | Vasco León | 19 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 48 | |
MF | Vicente Olivares | 19 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 52 | |
MF | Lucas Barraza | 17 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 38 | |
FW | Nicolás Girón | 19 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 43 | |
FW | Amaro Pérez | 16 | 2025 | 2028 | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 51 | |
FW | Matías Moreno | 19 | — | Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Contracts and transfers
New contracts
| Date | Pos. | Name | Contract length |
Contract ends |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 December 2025 | DF | Branco Ampuero |
2-year | 2027 | [21][22] |
| MF | Gary Medel |
2-year | 2027 | ||
| FW | Fernando Zampedri |
2-year | 2027 | ||
| 18 December 2025 | GK | Darío Melo |
1-year | 2026 | [23][24] |
| DF | Eugenio Mena |
1-year | 2026 | ||
| MF | Jhojan Valencia |
2-year | 2027 | ||
| 8 January 2026 | MF | Agustín Farías |
1-year | 2026 | [25] |
| FW | Clemente Montes |
2-year | 2027 | [25] | |
| 13 January 2026 | DF | Tomás Asta-Buruaga |
1-year | 2026 | [26] |
Transfers in
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Type | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 December 2025 | FW | Justo Giani |
Aldosivi |
Free transfer | [27] |
| MF | Jimmy Martínez |
Huachipato | Free transfer | [28] | |
| DF | Bernardo Cerezo |
Ñublense | Free transfer | [29] | |
| 22 December 2025 | MF | Matías Palavecino |
Coquimbo Unido | Free transfer | [30][31] |
| 31 December 2025 | MF | Bryan González |
Unión San Felipe | End of loan | [32] |
| DF | Nicolás L'Huillier |
Deportes Concepción | End of loan | [33] | |
| 12 January 2026 | DF | Juan Ignacio Díaz |
O'Higgins | Free transfer | [34] |
Transfers out
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Type | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 November 2025 | DF | Valber Huerta |
Retired[35] | Contract terminated | [36] |
| 16 December 2024 | DF | Dylan Escobar |
Coquimbo Unido | End of loan | [37] |
| 31 December 2025 | DF | Luis Muñoz |
San Luis | Contract terminated | [38] |
| 16 January 2026 | FW |  Eduard Bello |
 Barcelona |
End of loan | [39] |
Loans in
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2026 | MF | Martín Gómez |
Real Pilar |
31 December 2026 | [40] |
Loans out
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 June 2025 | DF | Guillermo Soto |
Tigre |
30 June 2026 | [41] |
| 1 January 2026 | MF | Joan Orellana |
Deportes La Serena | 31 December 2026 | [42] |
| 2 January 2026 | MF | Jorge Ortiz |
Deportes Copiapó | 31 December 2026 | [43] |
| 13 January 2026 | FW | Martín Hiriart |
Unión La Calera | 31 December 2026 | [44] |
| 14 January 2026 | MF | Leenhan Romero |
Deportes Concepción | 31 December 2026 | [45] |
| 18 February 2026 | MF | Nicolás Letelier |
Trasandino | 31 December 2026 | [46] |
| 25 February 2026 | FW | Bastián Gómez |
Deportes Linares | 31 December 2026 | [46] |
| DF | Felipe Mercado |
Deportes Linares | 31 December 2026 | [46] | |
| 1 March 2026 | FW | Axel Cerda |
Concón National | 31 December 2026 | [47] |
| 15 March 2026 | FW | Milan Tudor |
San Marcos de Arica | 31 December 2026 | [48] |
