About CONMEBOL Libertadores
CONMEBOL Libertadores is the highest level club tournament in South America, organized by the South American Football Confederation and held annually.
The Copa Libertadores of South America is named in honor of the liberators of South America, such as Jos é de San Martin, Pedro I, Simon Bolivar, and other heroes.
Cup History
In 1948, at the initiative of the football associations of various countries in South America, the predecessor of the Copa Libertadores, the South American Championship, was held. In the end, Brazil's Vasco da Gama Football Club won the championship. In 1959, the South American Football Confederation officially approved the establishment of the South American Champions Cup. In 1960, Uruguayan football team Panaro Athletic Club won the first South American Champions Cup. In 1970, the Argentine team La Plata University Football Club achieved its first three peat in the history of the Copa Libertadores in South America. In the 1987 Copa Libertadores, Pe ñ arol won the championship for the fifth time. In the 1989 Copa Libertadores final, Colombian team Atletico Madrid became the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores championship. Since 1998, Mexican teams have been invited to participate in the Copa Libertadores in South America. In the 2001 Copa Libertadores, Blue Cross Football Club became the first Mexican team to reach the final of the tournament and won the runner up. In the 2008 Copa Libertadores, the Ecuadorian team Quito University Sports Union became the first Ecuadorian team to win the championship trophy of this event.
Current Situation
Starting from the 2017 Copa Libertadores, Mexican teams are no longer invited to participate in the tournament. The second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final was held at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. River Plate Athletic Club reversed and defeated Boca Juniors Athletic Club to win the championship. In the 2024 Copa Libertadores final, Brazilian football club Botafogo defeated Brazilian club Mineiro Athletic to win their first ever Copa Libertadores championship trophy.
