About CONMEBOL Libertadores

The CONMEBOL Libertadores is the highest-level club football competition in South America, organized annually by the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL).

The tournament is named in honor of South America’s liberators, such as José Gervasio Artigas, Bernardo O'Higgins, José de San Martín, Pedro I, Simón Bolívar, and other heroes.

Cup History

In 1948, at the initiative of football associations across South America, the predecessor of the CONMEBOL Libertadores—the South American Championship of Champions—was held. Brazil’s Vasco da Gama football club won the title. In 1959, CONMEBOL officially approved the establishment of the Copa Libertadores de América. In 1960, Uruguayan team Club Atlético Peñarol claimed the first Copa Libertadores de América title. In 1970, Argentina’s Club Atlético Estudiantes de La Plata achieved the first three consecutive titles in the history of the CONMEBOL Libertadores. 

In the 1987 CONMEBOL Libertadores, Peñarol won the tournament for the 5th time. In the 1989 CONMEBOL Libertadores final, Colombia’s Atlético Nacional de Medellín became the first Colombian team to win the title. Starting from 1998, Mexican clubs were invited to participate in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. In the 2001 CONMEBOL Libertadores, Cruz Azul became the first Mexican team to reach the final and finished as runner-up. In the 2008 CONMEBOL Libertadores, Ecuador’s Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito became the first Ecuadorian team to lift the championship trophy. From the 2017 CONMEBOL Libertadores onwards, Mexican clubs were no longer invited to participate. The second leg of the 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores final was held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, where Club Atlético River Plate came from behind to defeat Boca Juniors and win the title. In the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores final, Brazilian club Botafogo defeated fellow Brazilian side Atlético Mineiro to claim their first ever Libertadores title in club history.