Libertadores 2026 draw: time, where to watch, seedings

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·19. März 2026

Libertadores 2026 draw: time, where to watch, seedings

The continental dream gets underway with the fate of the 32 teams laid out on the table in Luque. Find out all the details of the draw for a new edition of La Gloria Eterna.

The group stage draw for the 2026 Copa Libertadores will take place this Thursday, March 19, at the Conmebol headquarters in Luque, Paraguay. The ceremony will begin at 20:00 and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports Premium, ESPN, and the Disney+ platform, as well as on the Confederation's official YouTube and Facebook channels. Find out all the details of the event.

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The 2026 edition of the «Gloria Eterna» features a map of contenders with historic nuances and notable absences. After two years of absence from the top tournament, Boca Juniors makes its grand return, relying on its ranking to secure a top seed in Pot 1. This is perhaps the strongest support for Argentine football, which, for the first time in over a decade, will not have River in the competition.

However, national representation looks varied and full of stories of resilience: Lanús arrives with the momentum of being the most recent Sudamericana champion, while Estudiantes de La Plata—always a heavyweight in these competitions—and Rosario Central will look to impose their mystique in groups that could prove challenging.

The disruptive note comes from Platense and Independiente Rivadavia, absolute debutants who represent federalism and renewal in the local tournament, although the draw will give them a tough path from Pot 4.

Brazilian football, with Flamengo (current champion) and Palmeiras leading the way, once again stands as the great rival to beat, in an edition that will have to manage its calendar wisely due to the mandatory break for the 2026 World Cup.

Format of the Copa Libertadores Draw

The 32 teams, which will be divided into 8 groups of 4 clubs each, will play a first Group Stage; and the composition of the groups will be established on the day of the Draw:

The 2025 Libertadores champion will be placed directly as the top seed in Group A.
To establish the top seeds for the remaining 7 groups (B to H), the Conmebol club ranking as of December 15, 2025, will be used. The 7 clubs at the top of Groups B to H will be those ranked in the first 7 positions according to this ranking.
The second line will consist of the most recent 2025 Sudamericana champion, plus the next 7 teams in the club ranking as of December 15, 2025; the third and fourth lines will also be formed based on this ranking.
In the group stage, each team will play one home and one away match against each of the other teams in their group.
The teams finishing first and second in each group will qualify for the Round of 16.
The 8 teams finishing third in their respective groups will qualify for the Round of 16 playoffs of the 2026 Sudamericana.
There cannot be two teams from the same country in the same group. Therefore, if this happens during the draw, the team will move to the next group and another team will be drawn for that group. Two clubs from the same country will only be allowed in a group if one of them comes from Phase 3 of the competition.

The Pots for the 2026 Copa Libertadores Draw

Pot 1: Flamengo (BRA), Palmeiras (BRA), Boca Juniors (ARG), Peñarol (URU), Nacional (URU), Liga de Quito (ECU), Fluminense (BRA), and Independiente del Valle (ECU).
Pot 2: Lanús (ARG), Libertad (PAR), Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG), Cerro Porteño (PAR), Corinthians (BRA), Bolívar (BOL), Cruzeiro (BRA), and Universitario (PER).
Pot 3: Junior (COL), Universidad Católica (CHI), Rosario Central (ARG), Independiente Santa Fe (COL), Always Ready (BOL), Coquimbo Unido (CHI), Deportivo La Guaira (VEN), and Cusco FC (PER).
Pot 4: Universidad Central (VEN), Platense (ARG), Independiente Rivadavia (ARG), Mirassol (BRA), Barcelona SC (ECU), Sporting Cristal (PER), Deportes Tolima (COL), and Independiente Medellín (COL).

2026 Copa Libertadores Draw, LIVE: Where to Watch on TV and ONLINE

The preliminary phase draw can be watched live on the official Conmebol Copa Libertadores channel on YouTube.

The event can also be watched live in Argentina on

ESPN:

Channels 103 on Flow
Channels 621 (SD) and 1621 (HD) on DirecTV
Channels 105 (SD) and 1011 (HD) on Telecentro

Fox Sports:

Channels 25 (SD) and 106 (HD) on Flow
Channels 605 (SD) and 1605 (HD) on DirecTV
Channels 101 (SD) and 1013 (HD) on Telecentro

TNT Sports Premium:

Channel 124 on Flow
Channels 603 (SD) and 1603 (HD) on DirecTV
Channels 112 (SD) and 1018 (HD) on Telecentro

Additionally, it can be streamed online on Disney+, the streaming service offered by ESPN, or by accessing ESPN Extra through Telecentro Play, D Go, and Cablevisión Flow.