2026 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Copa Libertadores qualifying stages were played from 3 February to 12 March 2026.[1] A total of 19 teams competed in the qualifying stages to decide four of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores.
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]
- Performance in the last 10 years, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 2016–2025.
- Historical coefficient, taking into account Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana results in the period 1960–2015 and 2002–2015 respectively.
- 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]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
|
|
- † 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]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
|
- † 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]
- Second stage winner C1 vs. Second stage winner C8
- Second stage winner C2 vs. Second stage winner C7
- Second stage winner C3 vs. Second stage winner C6
- Second stage winner C4 vs. Second stage winner C5
Format
In the qualifying stages, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, extra time would not be played, and a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.3).
Bracket
The qualifying stages are structured as follows:
- First stage (6 teams): The three winners of the first stage advance to the second stage to join the 13 teams which are given byes to the second stage.
- Second stage (16 teams): The eight winners of the second stage advance to the third stage.
- Third stage (8 teams): The four winners of the third stage advance to the group stage to join the 28 direct entrants. The four teams eliminated in the third stage enter the Copa Sudamericana group stage.
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 | |||||||||||||||
 Juventud (p)
| 0 | 4 | 4 (4) | ||||||||||||||
 Universidad Católica
| 1 | 3 | 4 (3) | ||||||||||||||
| Juventud
| 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
 Guaraní
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Juventud
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
 Independiente Medellín
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Liverpool
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Independiente Medellín
| 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
Winner G2
| First stage | Second stage | Third stage | |||||||||||||||
 O'Higgins (p)
| 1 | 1 | 2 (4) | ||||||||||||||
 Bahia
| 0 | 2 | 2 (3) | ||||||||||||||
| O'Higgins
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Deportes Tolima
| 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
 The Strongest
| 2 | 0 | 2 (3) | ||||||||||||||
 Deportivo Táchira (p)
| 1 | 1 | 2 (5) | ||||||||||||||
| Deportivo Táchira
| 0 | 1 | 1 (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Deportes Tolima (p)
| 1 | 0 | 1 (3) | ||||||||||||||
Winner G3
| First stage | Second stage | Third stage | |||||||||||||||
| Carabobo
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Huachipato
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Carabobo
| 0 | 2 | 2 (2) | ||||||||||||||
 Sporting Cristal (p)
| 1 | 1 | 2 (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2 de Mayo
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Alianza Lima
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 de Mayo
| 2 | 0 | 2 (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Sporting Cristal (p)
| 2 | 0 | 2 (5) | ||||||||||||||
Winner G4
| Second stage | Third stage | ||||||||||
| Barcelona (p)
| 0 | 1 | 1 (5) | ||||||||
 Argentinos Juniors
| 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | ||||||||
| Barcelona
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Botafogo
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Nacional Potosí
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 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 score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Strongest | 2–2 (3–5 p) | Deportivo Táchira | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Juventud | 4–4 (4–3 p) | Universidad Católica | 0–1 | 4–3 |
| 2 de Mayo | 2–1 | Alianza Lima | 1–0 | 1–1 |
Matches
| The Strongest | 2–1 | Deportivo Táchira |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Deportivo Táchira won on penalties and advanced to the second stage (Match C2).
| Juventud | 0–1 | Universidad Católica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Universidad Católica | 3–4 | Juventud |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
3–4 |
|
Tied 4–4 on aggregate, Juventud won on penalties and advanced to the second stage (Match C1).
| 2 de Mayo | 1–0 | Alianza Lima |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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 score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juventud | 2–1 | Guaraní | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Deportivo Táchira | 1–1 (0–3 p) | Deportes Tolima | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| 2 de Mayo | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Sporting Cristal | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Barcelona | 1–1 (5–4 p) | Argentinos Juniors | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Nacional Potosí | 1–2 | Botafogo | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Carabobo | 3–1 | Huachipato | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| O'Higgins | 2–2 (4–3 p) | Bahia | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Liverpool | 1–2 | Independiente Medellín | 1–2 | 0–0 |
Matches
| Guaraní | 1–2 | Juventud |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Juventud won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G1).
| Deportivo Táchira | 0–1 | Deportes Tolima |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Deportes Tolima | 0–1 | Deportivo Táchira |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–0 |
|
|
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).
| Barcelona | 0–1 | Argentinos Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Barcelona won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G4).
| Nacional Potosí | 1–0 | Botafogo |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Botafogo | 2–0 | Nacional Potosí |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Botafogo won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G4).
| Carabobo | 1–0 | Huachipato |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Carabobo won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the third stage (Match G3).
| Bahia | 2–1 | O'Higgins |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–4 | ||
Tied 2–2 on aggregate, O'Higgins won on penalties and advanced to the third stage (Match G2).
| Liverpool | 1–2 | Independiente Medellín |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Independiente Medellín | 0–0 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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 were played on 10–12 March 2026.[22][23]
Matches
| Juventud | 1–1 | Independiente Medellín |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Independiente Medellín | 2–1 | Juventud |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Independiente Medellín won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.
| O'Higgins | 1–0 | Deportes Tolima |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Deportes Tolima | 2–0 | O'Higgins |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Deportes Tolima won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.
Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Sporting Cristal won on penalties and advanced to the group stage.
| Barcelona | 1–1 | Botafogo |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Barcelona won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the group stage.
Notes
- 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.
- 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]
- 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]
- The Sporting Cristal vs. 2 de Mayo match, originally scheduled to be held at Estadio Nacional, Lima, was moved to Estadio Miguel Grau, Callao.[16]
- 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.[21]
- 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.[24]
- 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.