The Road to Glory: Everything You Need to Know About the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana 2025
South America’s most prestigious club competitions are back. The 66th edition of the Copa Libertadores and the always exciting Copa Sudamericana promise another year of excitement and drama.
Copa Libertadores: The Race for Continental Glory
The Copa Libertadores kicks off on Tuesday 1 April, with reigning champions Botafogo defending their title. After completing the qualifying rounds, four teams have joined the group stage, which runs from 1 April to 29 May. A total of 32 teams will face each other over six rounds, with the top two from each group advancing to the Round of 16, while the third-placed teams will have a second chance in the Copa Sudamericana playoffs.
After the end of the group stage, a new draw will define the direct elimination play-offs. From the Round of 16 to the final, round-robin matches will be played without the away goals rule, until two teams meet in the single final on 29 November, at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Beyond the honour of being crowned South American champions, the financial reward is significant. Each team in the group stage will receive $3 million, with additional prizes as they advance: $1.2 million in the round of 16, $1.7 million in the quarterfinals and $2.3 million in the semifinals. The champion will take home an impressive $23 million, while the runner-up will get $7 million.
Copa Sudamericana: The Other Route to Glory
The Copa Sudamericana 2025 will also kick off on 1 April, with 32 teams in search of international glory. The tournament kicked off with a single-leg national qualifying round, with the winners advancing to the group stage. In this format, only the group leaders will qualify directly to the Round of 16, while the runners-up will play a play-off against the third-placed teams from the Copa Libertadores.
The financial aspect of this tournament is also attractive. Each club in the group stage has already secured USD 900,000, while the tournament champion will receive USD 6.5 million. The final will be played on 22 November at the Ramón “Tahuichi” Aguilera stadium in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Emerging Talent and Established Stars
With both tournaments featuring some of the continent’s top clubs and emerging young talent, the road to the finals will be full of surprises, quality and matches that will remain in fans’ memories.
Among the players to watch closely in South America’s biggest continental club tournament (Libertadores). From promising youngsters to illustrious veterans dreaming of the throne. Estevao and Vitor Roque (Palmeiras), Oscar and Lucas Moura (Sao Paulo), Franco Mastantuono (River Plate), Igor Jesus (Botafogo), Alex Sandro and Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle) and more.
Meanwhile, in the Copa Sudamericana we find star players, promising young players and experienced players. Among the teams we can find Memphis Depay (Corinthians), Thiago Silva and Jhon Arias (Fluminense), Hulk and Bernard (Atlético Mineiro), Felipe Loyola and Gabriel Avalos (Independiente).
The countdown has begun and, by the end of November, two teams will have engraved their names on South America’s most important trophies.
