Botafogo edge Grêmio in five-goal thriller, seal Copa Libertadores spot | OneFootball

Botafogo defeated Grêmio 3-2 this Saturday (22), at Nilton Santos, and SECURED a spot in the 2026 Libertadores.

Bota is in fifth place, with 58 points. It can no longer be overtaken by the eighth place. Thus, it guarantees (at least) a G-7 finish.

Botafogo will fight in the final stretch to remain among the top five and go directly to the group stage of the Libertadores.

If it finishes in sixth or seventh, the Rio de Janeiro club will have to compete in the preliminary rounds (also called pre-Libertadores).

Before Botafogo, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, and Mirassol had already secured a spot in the 2026 Libertadores.

Atlético-MG could also have secured the classification but lost to Lanús in the final of the South American Cup.

Now, there are TWO spots left in contention. Today, Fluminense (sixth with 55) and Bahia (seventh with 53) would be the qualifiers.

But teams like RB Bragantino, Corinthians, and São Paulo still have chances.

Botafogo vs Grêmio ⚔️

In the duel this Saturday (22), Botafogo controlled the first half and naturally opened 2-0 with Cuiabano and Artur.

Grêmio even scored with André Henrique at the start of the second half.

However, Marçal scored the 3-1. Carlos Vinícius found the net at the end, but the tricolor's reaction stopped there.

And the game had controversy. Check out the play in the Premiere images and give your opinion: penalty or not?

CLICK HERE to find out more about the match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 Marcelo Endelli - 2024 Getty Images