As ever, hard to look beyond Brazil – Game of the People
THE last 16 of the Copa Libertadores kicks-off on August 11 and increasingly, it is difficult to envisage anything other than another win for Brazil later this year. The last time a team from beyond Brazil won the competition was eight years ago when River Plate beat their Buenos Aires neighbours Boca Juniors. Since then, the Libertadores has been dominated by Palmeiras and Flamengo, who between them have featured in five of the last seven finals. In 2025, the two sides met in the final for the second time in five years. In 2026, they could meet again in the final in Montevideo.
Brazilian domestic football is arguably in better shape than the national team at the moment. In the 2026 World Cup, they disappointed, losing to Norway and Erling Haaland in the round of 16. At home, Brazil’s top flight generated record revenues of US$ 2.73 billion, a 36% increase on 2024. The landscape is certainly changing, with investors such as Red Bull, City Football Group and Eagle Football Holding already exploiting opportunities in a growing market. The introduction of the SAF Law in 2021, which allowed non-profit sports clubs to transform into profit-driven corporate entities, places Brazilian clubs well ahead of their South American rivals.
There are six Brazilian clubs in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores this season, including first-time entrants Mirassol from Sao Paulo who finished fourth in the league in their first top flight campaign. Their rise under coach Rafael Guanaes has been quite spectacular, but they have a potentially tricky tie with last-season’s semi-finalists, LDU Quito. The other five Brazilian outfits – Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Fluminense and current league leaders Palmeiras – have won the competition 11 times between them. At least one will fall in the last 16 as Cruzeiro and holders Flamengo meet in the only one-country clash. Flamengo remain the best supported club in Brazil with an astonishing average gate of 61,500, but they are eight points behind league leaders Palmeiras, who should win through against Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño. There are two appetising Brazil v Argentina meetings with Fluminense playing debutants Independiente Rivadavia, who they met in the group phase, and Corinthians versus Rosario Central, arguably the most interesting tie of the round.
Brazil continue to pull away from Argentina in the Libertadores and there’s no sign of a challenge from the Buenos Aires duo, River Plate and Boca Juniors, the only two clubs that can look seriously into the eyes of Brazil’s big guns. Boca finished third in their group and moved across to the Copa Sudamerica to join River, who failed to qualify for the Libertadores.
It’s hard to see any of the other clubs making much of an impact, although Ecuador’s Independiente Del Valle, who currently lead their domestic league, may win through against Deportivo Tolima of Columbia. There are two clubs from Chile, the relatively unknown Coquimbo Unido and title-chasing Universidad Catolica, who despite being their league’s leading scorer also have a rather leaky defence. Both Chileans face Argentine clubs, Coquimbo meeting 2025 Apertura winners Platense and Universidad playing four-time winners Estudiantes.
The Copa Libertadores is gradually building a global footprint and this year’s final in the Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, will undoubtedly capture an even greater audience. Brazil is showing the way to its South American neighbours, but is there the financial strength and drive to create more competition from the likes of Argentina, Uruguay and others?
Trophy photo: Luis Andrés Villalón Vega via Unsplash
Published by
