History of Copa Sudamericana in Timeline

The Copa Sudamericana, organized by CONMEBOL since 2002, is South America's second-most prestigious club football competition. It replaced the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur, featuring clubs from CONMEBOL and, between 2004 and 2008, CONCACAF. The tournament operates as an elimination format with varying rounds and teams each year.

1992: Creation of Copa CONMEBOL

In 1992, the Copa CONMEBOL was created as an international football tournament for South American clubs that did not qualify for the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana.

1998: Start of Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur

In 1998, the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur tournaments were introduced as replacements for the Copa CONMEBOL.

1999: Discontinuation of Copa CONMEBOL

In 1999, the Copa CONMEBOL was discontinued, leading to the creation of the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur tournaments.

2001: Discontinuation of Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur

In 2001, the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur tournaments were discontinued, paving the way for a new competition.

2002: Copa Sudamericana begins

In 2002, the CONMEBOL Sudamericana began, replacing the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur with a single-elimination tournament. This marked the start of the annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL.

2002: Introduction of Copa Sudamericana

In 2002, the Copa Sudamericana was introduced as a single-elimination tournament, replacing the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur, with San Lorenzo as the reigning Copa Mercosur champion.

2003: Cienciano wins Copa Sudamericana

In 2003, Cienciano's victory in the Copa Sudamericana ignited celebrations across Peru, highlighting the significance of the tournament.

2003: Nissan Motors becomes major sponsor

In 2003, Nissan Motors signed an 8-year contract with CONMEBOL to become the first major sponsor of the Copa Sudamericana.

2004: Boca Juniors win Copa Sudamericana

In 2004, Boca Juniors secured one of their two Copa Sudamericana titles, marking a significant achievement in the club's history. This was the first of back-to-back victories for the club.

2004: CONCACAF clubs invited

In 2004, clubs from CONCACAF were invited to participate in the Copa Sudamericana, expanding the competition beyond South American teams.

2005: Boca Juniors win back-to-back Copa Sudamericana titles

In 2005, Boca Juniors achieved back-to-back Copa Sudamericana victories, solidifying their place as one of the competition's most successful clubs.

2006: Pachuca wins Copa Sudamericana

In 2006, the Mexican football federation regarded Pachuca's Copa Sudamericana victory as the most important title won by any Mexican club, underscoring the competition's prestige.

2008: End of CONCACAF clubs invitation

In 2008, the invitation of CONCACAF clubs to the Copa Sudamericana ended, reverting the competition to South American teams only.

2014: Most games played

As of the end of the 2014 tournament, LDU Quito and São Paulo hold the record for the most games played in the Copa Sudamericana, with 50 games each.

2016: Copa Sudamericana format

Until 2016, the Copa Sudamericana comprised 47 teams in a knockout format, with Argentine and Brazilian teams receiving byes to the second round and defending champions entering in the round of 16.

2017: Implementation of format changes

Starting from the 2017 edition, the Copa Sudamericana implemented changes to its format, altering the structure of the tournament.

2019: DirecTV and DAZN acquire broadcast packages

Starting in 2019, the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana broadcast packages were separated. DirecTV, through its sports channel DSports, and DAZN took over Copa and Recopa Sudamericana coverage from Fox Sports until 2022, with RedeTV! also broadcasting the tournament in Brazil.

Loading Video...

2021: Introduction of group stage

In 2021, the Copa Sudamericana introduced a group stage, replacing the second stage of the tournament. This change gave byes to six qualifiers from Argentina and Brazil, while ensuring that at least two teams from each association would participate in the group stage.

May 2022: CONMEBOL renews agreement with DirecTV

On May 12, 2022, CONMEBOL announced the renewal of their agreement with DirecTV for broadcasting rights from 2023 to 2026, while also awarding rights for Brazil to SBT, ESPN, and Paramount.

2023: DirecTV agreement renewal

In 2023, CONMEBOL renewed its agreement with DirecTV for the 2023-2026 cycle, while also awarding rights for Brazil to SBT, ESPN, and Paramount.

2023: Prize money for Copa Sudamericana clubs

In 2023, clubs participating in the Copa Sudamericana received varying amounts of prize money based on their performance, with increased rewards for progressing through different stages of the tournament. For example, clubs qualifying for the group stage were awarded US$900,000, and the winners received US$5,000,000.

2024: Current Sponsors of Copa Sudamericana

As of 2024, Copa Sudamericana is sponsored by several companies, supporting the tournament's operations and reach.

2024: Puma becomes official match ball supplier

In 2024, German company Puma became the official match ball supplier for Copa Sudamericana and all other CONMEBOL competitions, ending CONMEBOL's 20-year partnership with Nike.