Everything You Need to Know About the Copa Libertadores

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The 2022 Copa Libertadores final will be played on the 29th of October at the Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The match will be contested between Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense, both of Brazil. This is the 63rd time the Copa Libertadores has been played and it is the top club competition for South American teams. The winners will qualify for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup.

When the Copa Libertadores was first contested, only the winners of South American leagues were invited to play in the competition.

In 1996, the rules were changed so the runners-up also participated and the tournament expanded in 2000 to include 32 teams, which was a significant increase to the 20 teams that previously played in the competition.

The current Copa Libertadores format starts with a qualifying stage and moves to a group stage. There are 8 groups and the teams play each other home and away, with the top two teams progressing to the knockout stages.

From the round of 16 through to the semi-final, the ties are played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the final played as a single game at a predetermined venue.

In terms of the most successful clubs in the Copa Libertadores, Independiente lead the way with 7 titles to their name. However, you must go back to 1984 to find the last time the Argentine club won the competition.

Argentina have enjoyed plenty of success in the Copa Libertadores and four of the five top clubs in the history of the tournament come from Argentina. Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Estudiantes have 14 Copa Libertadores titles between them and they are only separated by Peñarol of Uruguay, who have won the Copa Libertadores 5 times.

In terms of Brazilian clubs, São Paulo, Palmeiras, Santos, and Grêmio have all won the Copa Libertadores 3 times, with Olimpia of Paraguay and Nacional of Uruguay joining them.

Looking at performances by nation and Argentina top the list with 25 titles and Brazil are in second place with 22 titles, a number that will increase to 23 following the 2022 Copa Libertadores final. Then come Uruguay back on 8 titles and Colombia and Paraguay, both with 3 titles to their name. So, there is clear dominance by clubs from Argentina and Brazil.

Moving to individual records and the all time top goal scorer in Copa Libertadores history is Alberto Spencer with 54 goals in 87 appearances. The Ecuadorian played for Peñarol of Uruguay and Barcelona of Ecuador in the 1960s and 70s.

There are no current day players close to his total and that is perhaps due to the fact many of the top strikers leave to play for European clubs.

Daniel Onega holds the record for the number of goals scored in a single Copa Libertadores tournament, netting 17 times during the 1966 season.

In terms of the most appearances, Ever Hugo Almeida tops the charts with 113 games for Olimpia. Antony de Ávila, Vladimir Soria, Willington Ortiz, and Rogério Ceni all played 90 times or more in the Copa Libertadores.