Santos return to international action after three years | OneFootball

Santos finished the 2025 Brazilian Championship in the qualification zone for the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. In this way, the club will return to play in an international tournament after three years.

The last time was in 2023, when they participated in the Sudamericana. On that occasion, Peixe disappointed and was eliminated still in the group stage. The team earned only five points and finished third in their group, which also included Newell’s Old Boys (1st, with 18), Audax Italiano (2nd, with 11), and Blooming (4th, with 1).

At the end of that year, Santos ended up being relegated to Série B of the Brasileirão. As a result, they did not play in international competitions in 2024 and 2025.

Now, therefore, Juan Pablo Vojvoda is putting Peixe back on the international stage. This Sunday, with a 3-0 victory over Cruzeiro, the Alvinegro Praiano finished Série A in 12th place, with 47 points.

Returning to an international competition is of utmost importance for the club, especially in financial terms. For each stage played and victory achieved in the Sudamericana, clubs receive an amount from Conmebol. This season, for example, the champion earned US$ 6.5 million.

“We had a set objective. We increased the number of competitions for 2026, which was the plan, now with an international tournament. Returning to a competition like the Sudamericana is fundamental, it’s an alternative source of revenue,” said president Marcelo Teixeira.

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