Under-20 Libertadores: Flamengo face Venezuelan side in opener | OneFootball

Libertadores U-20 takes place from March 7 to 22, in Quito, Ecuador

Current champion of the Libertadores U-20, Flamengo is the top seed of Group A in the 2026 competition, which also includes Estudiantes de Mérida (VEN), Bolívar (BOL), and Independiente Medellín (COL). This Tuesday (17), Conmebol announced the dates and times of the matches.

SEE DETAILS:

Flamengo vs. Estudiantes Mérida – 03/07 – 9 PM – Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa

Bolívar vs. Flamengo – 03/10 – 7 PM – Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado

Flamengo vs. Independiente Medellín – 03/13 – 6:30 PM – Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa *All times in Brasília time

The youth competition takes place from March 7 to 22, in Quito, Ecuador. Flamengo and Palmeiras are the only two Brazilian representatives in the tournament. Thus, under the command of Bruno Pivetti, the Garotos do Ninho aim for their third continental title.

WHICH TEAMS FORM GROUPS B AND C?

In Group B, another Brazilian team is the top seed: Palmeiras. Along with the São Paulo team in this first phase are Sporting Cristal (PER), Olimpia (PAR), and Universidad Católica (EQU). Additionally, Group C is composed of Belgrano (ARG), LDU (EQU), Nacional (URU), and Santiago Wanderers (CHI).

HOW DO THE SEMIFINALS AND FINALS WORK?

Only the first place from each of the three groups and the best second place advance to the semifinals, played in a single match. Conmebol holds the two clashes on March 19, and schedules the final, also in a single match, for the 22nd of the same month. All matches take place at Estadio IDV, of Independiente del Valle (EQU).

WHAT IS THE LIST OF FLAMENGO PLAYERS REGISTERED FOR THE COMPETITION?

Alan Santos, Camargo, Da Mata, Daniel Sales, Diego Guimarães, Ernest, Guilherme Gomes, Gustavo Ramires, Gusttavo, João Couto, João Victor, Josmar, Kaio Nóbrega, Léo Nannetti, Lucas Vieira, Luiz Felipe, Pablo Lúcio, Ryan Roberto, and Werneck.

Among the individual highlights of the U-20 squad, Ryan Roberto and Pablo Lucio stand out for their good performances in the category. On the other hand, Flamengo will not count on midfielder Joshua for the competition.

The player suffered a leg injury after a strong impact during a training session. Subsequently, Joshua underwent medical exams, which diagnosed a contusion in the area.

Although the injury is not considered serious, the estimated recovery time weighed against the player's presence, especially with the proximity of the start of the Libertadores U-20. Given this scenario, coach Bruno Pivetti decided to leave the player out of the squad list.

IS FLAMENGO A TWO-TIME CHAMPION?

This season, Flamengo is seeking their third Libertadores U-20 title. In 2025, the Rubro-Negro won the trophy by defeating Palmeiras in the final, 3-2 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw in regular time, in Paraguay. In 2024, the Mengão lifted the trophy undefeated, by defeating Boca Juniors (ARG) 2-1, coming from behind, in the final in Uruguay.

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