Conmebol draws clashes for Pre-Libertadores 2026 with Bahia against O’Higgins and Botafogo facing Bolivian By Thiago Lemos
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Conmebol held the draw for the preliminary phases of Copa Libertadores 2026 this Thursday, at Luque, at Paraguai. Bahia and Botafogo, the only Brazilian representatives at this stage, met their opponents in the second knockout phase. Brazilian clubs enter this phase directly and need to overcome two knockout stages to reach the group stage.
The event defined the entire keying of the three preliminary phases. The matches involve teams from several South American countries in search of the four remaining places in the main stage of the tournament.
- Representative of Bolívia x Deportivo Táchira (Venezuela)
- Juventud (Uruguay) x Universidad Católica (Ecuador)
- 2 of Mayo (Paraguay) x Alianza Lima (Peru)
These duels open the competition in February.
👀🏆 Tudo defined! The games and crosses of CONMEBOL’s Fase Preliminar#Libertadores2026 looked like this.
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR)December 18, 2025
⭐️ A new path through#EternalGlory! pic.twitter.com/aOJZSnbC2j
Second phase switching
The second phase has 16 teams and round-trip clashes. Bahia faces O’Higgins, from Chile, while Botafogo takes on a representative from Bolívia, which will still be defined by the local championship.
Other duels include:
- Winner of Juventud/Universidad Católica x Guaraní (Paraguay)
- Bolivian representative winner/Deportivo Táchira x Deportes Tolima (Colombia)
- Winner of 2 of Mayo/Alianza Lima x Sporting Cristal (Peru)
- Representative of Equador x Argentinos Juniors (Argentina)
- Carabobo (Venezuela) x Huachipato (Chile)
- Liverpool (Uruguay) x Independiente Medellín (Colombia)
The teams on the left decide the second leg at home in most cases. Essa configuration follows the ranking of Conmebol to define field commands.
Dates of the knockout stages
The preliminary phases take place in early 2026. The first phase takes place in the weeks of February 4th and 11th.
The second phase is scheduled for the weeks of February 18th and 25th. Já the third phase will be played in the weeks of March 4th and 11th.
The group stage draw is scheduled for March 18. Essa sequence allows those classified to quickly join the main stage of the tournament.
Path of Brazilian clubs
Bahia and Botafogo avoid direct confrontation in the second phase due to the rules of the draw. In the third phase, however, a possible duel between the Brazilians could occur depending on progress.
The winner of O’Higgins/Bahia faces the Bolivian representative/Deportivo Táchira/Tolima. Já the winner of the Bolivian/Botafogo duel takes the forward from Equador/Argentines Juniors.
This structure requires total focus from Brazilians in two eliminatory clashes. Conquering a place in the group stage represents the main objective in this initial trajectory.
Third phase details
The third phase defines the four final places for the groups. The clashes are pre-determined by the draw schedule.
Among the duels are:
- Winner of Juventud/Universidad Católica/Guaraní x winner of Liverpool/Independiente Medellín
- Winner of Bolivian representative/Deportivo Táchira/Tolima x winner of O’Higgins/Bahia
- Winner of 2 of Mayo/Alianza Lima/Sporting Cristal x winner of Carabobo/Huachipato
- Winner of Equador/Argentinos Juniors x winner of Bolivian/Botafogo
The winners advance directly to the group stage of Libertadores 2026.
Format of previous phases
The preliminary stages involve 19 teams in total. Apenas four of them guarantee a place in the group stage alongside the 28 already classified directly.
Duels are played in a round-trip format. In case of a draw on aggregate, the decision goes to penalties without extra time.
Teams with the best position in the Conmebol ranking generally decide the second leg at home. Essa advantage seeks to balance forces in the qualifiers.
Participants involved
Several South American countries are present in the initial phases. Clubes of Chile, Bolívia, Venezuela, Uruguai, Paraguai, Peru, Equador and
The draw considered the updated ranking of Conmebol to form the pots. Bahia and Botafogo were among the seeded teams in the second phase.
This distribution aims to create balanced confrontations from the beginning. The competition gains definitive contours with the definition of the paths.
Preparation for duels
Clubs now plan pre-season based on known opponents. Viagens lengths and differences in altitude can influence some confrontations.
Bahia prepares a strategy against O’Higgins’ Chilean football. Botafogo studies possible Bolivian rivals, known for operating at high altitudes.
Conmebol keeps the schedule tight to align with the group stage. The Brazilians seek to repeat strong campaigns in previous editions of the preliminaries.
