Vasco’s Sul-Americana group may include Libertadores champions | OneFootball

The Vasco football department has already begun tactical and logistical planning for the Copa Sudamericana in the current 2026 season. The continental tournament promises a high level of technical difficulty right from its initial phase. Conmebol recently confirmed the official division of pots for the group stage draw, according to the entity’s ranking updated in December 2025.

The ceremony to determine the groups is scheduled for March 19, at the institution’s headquarters in Luque, Paraguay. The event will reveal the paths for all 32 clubs qualified for the international competition.

+ Vasco has Renato Gaúcho as the coach with the most victories in Brazil in the decade

Vasco could face top seeds

The format of the draw immediately raised an alert for the technical staff led by Renato Gaúcho. The cruzmaltino team was placed in pot 2 of the tournament. The rule states that the club will not face opponents from the same pot, but will necessarily cross paths with one of the leaders from pot 1.

This dynamic puts Vasco on a collision course with continental giants and Copa Libertadores da América champions. The list of top seeds includes historically powerful institutions such as River Plate, São Paulo, Grêmio, Racing, Atlético Mineiro, and Santos.

Strict regulations and a test of maturity

In addition to the imminent risk of facing tough opponents right in the first matches, the competition’s regulations require an almost perfect performance rate. The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams each. Only the top team in each group advances directly to the round of 16. Clubs finishing in second place will have to play an extra knockout playoff, facing the eliminated teams coming from the Libertadores group stage.

Without a doubt, the presence of such strong opponents in Vasco’s path will turn the campaign into a true test of maturity for the current squad. However, facing these adversaries from the start serves as extra motivation and the perfect opportunity for the Giant of the Hill to show its strength on the South American stage.

Conmebol Sudamericana Trophy – Photo: Conmebol Publicity

+ Follow Papo na Colina on social media: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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