Brazil's South American dominance in numbers | OneFootball

Palmeiras booked their place in the Copa Libertadores final after overcoming a three-goal first leg deficit to set up another all-Brazilian final.

LDU Quito had already knocked out two Brazilian sides (Botafogo and São Paulo) on their route to the semi-finals and romped to a 3-0 victory in the first leg. But last night Abel Ferreira's side won 4-0 to complete a surprise comeback.

Palmeiras will now face Flamengo in the final after the Rio de Janeiro giants edged past Racing Club.

The final will be played in late November at the Estadio Monumental in Lima as Brazil continues to dominate football on the continent.

Since the introduction of a single match format for Copa Libertadores finals for the 2019 season, 12 of 14 teams have been from Brazil – a remarkable 86% dominance.

Argentinian super powers Boca Juniors and River Plate were the only outliers and while both of those clubs faced each other in the 2018 two legged final (which River won), they both lost out to Brazilian sides.

Since 2002 (we're using this cut-off for a reason), there have been six winners from Argentina, two from Colombia, and one each for Ecuador and Paraguay. Until now, Brazil has had 13 winners and there will be a 14th very soon.

Unsurprisingly, Brazil being in a far better place economically than anyone else on the continent while having a massive population (210 million compared to 44 million Argentinians) has resulted in club dominance.

However, CONMEBOL's second tournament has offered watchers far more variety. The 2025 Sudamerica final will feature one Brazilian side (Atlético Mineiro) but they will face Argentina's Lanús managed by former Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino.

Like the Copa Libertadores, the Copa Sudamericana introduced a single match final for the 2019 campaign.

Of 14 teams, six were Brazilian (43%), five were Argentinian (36%), with the other three hailing from Ecuador.

Let's compare the winners since the competition's introduction in 2002. Unlike the 13 (soon to be 14) Brazilian winners of the Copa Libertadores, there have been just five – half of Argentina's tally of 10.

There has been more variety too with wins by teams from Ecuador (four times) and a single win for teams from Colombia, Chile, Peru, and even one from outside CONMEBOL's jurisdiction when Mexican side Pachuca won the tournament in 2006.

Still, Brazil's dominance is apparent in this tournament. There has been a Brazilian side in every final since 2021, which was also the year of an all-Brazil final when Athletico Paranaense defeated Red Bull Bragantino.

It's hard to see how other nation's clubs can keep up.