Corinthians to learn Copa Libertadores group stage opponents this Thursday | OneFootball

This Thursday (19), Corinthians will learn the first steps of their journey in search of their second Libertadores title. Starting at 8:00 PM (Brasília time), Conmebol will hold the group stage draw for the competition. The club returns to this stage after three years, when they finished third in their group and were eliminated in the initial phase.

The group stage will feature 32 teams, divided into four pots with eight clubs each. The distribution follows the Conmebol ranking, which placed Corinthians in pot 2. Thus, the eight best teams appear in pot 1, followed by the next eight in pot 2, then those in pot 3, while pot 4 gathers the four lowest-ranked directly qualified teams, as well as the four coming from the preliminary rounds.

Photo: Disclosure/Conmebol

There are still exceptions in the composition of the pots. Flamengo and Lanús, champions of the 2025 Libertadores and Sudamericana, respectively, were placed directly in pots 1 and 2.

With the pots defined, the draw will form eight groups, from A to H, each with four teams. At the end of the stage, the top two from each group advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed teams move on to the Copa Sudamericana playoffs.

The schedule foresees the group stage taking place between April 7 and May 28. The grand final is scheduled for November 28, with the venue yet to be determined.

It is worth noting that president Osmar Stabile and football executive Marcelo Paz will be present at the Conmebol headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, to attend the draw and represent Corinthians on Thursday night.

Timão appears in 22nd place in the Conmebol ranking, being the fourth-best Brazilian listed. As a result, they are in pot 2, alongside Lanús (Argentina), Libertad (Paraguay), Estudiantes (Argentina), Cerro Porteño (Paraguay), Bolívar (Bolivia), Cruzeiro, and Universitario (Peru).

According to Conmebol rules, teams from the same country cannot be drawn into the same group at this stage, so Corinthians cannot face another Brazilian club. The only exception would be the presence of clubs coming from the preliminary rounds, but since Bahia and Botafogo were eliminated, this possibility does not exist.

Check out the pots for the 2026 Libertadores draw

Pot 1: Flamengo, Palmeiras, Boca Juniors-ARG, Peñarol-URU, Nacional-URU, LDU-EQU, Fluminense, and Independiente del Valle-EQU.

Pot 2: Lanús-ARG, Libertad-PAR, Estudiantes-ARG, Cerro Porteño-PAR, Corinthians, Bolívar-BOL, Cruzeiro, and Universitario-PER.

Pot 3: Junior Barranquilla-COL, Universidad Católica-CHI, Independiente Santa Fe-COL, Rosario Central-ARG, Always Ready-BOL, Coquimbo Unido-CHI, Deportivo La Guaira-VEN, and Cusco-PER.

Pot 4: Universidad Central-VEN, Platense-ARG, Independiente Rivadavia-ARG, Mirassol, Barcelona de Guayaquil-EQU, Tolima-COL, Sporting Cristal-PEU, and Independiente Medellín (EQU).

Where to watch the draw?

The ceremony will be held at Conmebol headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, and can be followed from 8:00 PM. The broadcast will be on ESPN on pay TV, as well as on the Disney+ and Paramount+ streaming platforms. Another option is the official Libertadores channel on YouTube.

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