Corinthians: possible high-altitude challenges in Libertadores group stage | OneFootball

The draw for the groups of the 2026 Copa Libertadores will take place this Thursday (19th) at 8:00 PM (Brasília time) at the Conmebol headquarters in Paraguay. In the tournament, Corinthians may face not only traditional on-field opponents but also one of the biggest challenges of the competition off the field: altitude.

With this in mind, Timão Central detailed which opponents from each pot play in cities at higher altitudes and could pose this type of difficulty to the Alvinegro throughout the South American competition, in their quest for a second championship.

Photo: Timão Central

Pot 1 — LDU and Independiente Del Valle – Quito – 2,850 meters above sea level

In recent years, Brazilian teams playing at the altitude of Quito, against LDU and Independiente del Valle, have faced difficulties with shortness of breath, physical fatigue, and other effects caused by the altitude. Recent examples include Palmeiras and São Paulo's defeats to LDU, by 3-0 and 2-0 respectively, as well as Corinthians itself, which was defeated by Del Valle 3-0 in 2023.

Pot 2 — Since Corinthians is in this pot, they cannot face any of the clubs that are also in this draw bracket.

Pot 3 — Cusco FC – Cusco – 3,350 meters and Always Ready – El Alto – 4,090 meters

Cusco FC, formerly Real Garcilaso, from Peru, is participating in the Libertadores group stage for the first time and plays its games at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega stadium, located at over 3,300 meters of altitude, the third highest among the Copa Libertadores participants.

Also in pot 3, the highest altitude of the competition remains the feared city of El Alto, where Always Ready plays its games at over 4,000 meters above sea level. In the only two encounters between the teams, Corinthians did not defeat the opponent and was even beaten 2-0 at the Municipal Stadium of El Alto, with several players reporting difficulties caused by the thin air.

Pot 4 — In pot 4, altitude does not appear as a major problem. The team with the stadium located at the highest point is Independiente Medellín, from Colombia, which plays its games at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium, about 1,495 meters above sea level, an elevation considered moderate by Libertadores standards.

In search of Eternal Glory after 14 years since their last and only victory, Timão awaits the group definitions to know the path ahead in the continent's main competition. Each group will be formed by one club from each pot, with only one restriction in the regulations: teams from the same country can only be in the same group if one of them has come from the preliminary rounds. Since the two Brazilian representatives who played in the Pre-Libertadores were eliminated, there will be no national clashes in the group stage, and matches between Brazilian teams can only occur in the knockout stage.

The first round of the group stage is scheduled to take place between April 7th and 9th. The grand final is set for November 28th, a Saturday, according to the calendar released by Conmebol in July 2025. The entity has chosen the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, as the venue for the final.

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