Boca Juniors draw Cruzeiro, Universidad Católica and Barcelona in 2026 Libertadores groups | OneFootball

Boca Juniors have been handed a testing Copa Libertadores 2026 group alongside Cruzeiro, Universidad Católica and Barcelona of Ecuador, with the tournament set to begin in the week of 7 April. The draw was held in Luque, Paraguay, after the Sudamericana groups were set. According to SuperDepor.com, it produced challenging sections for the Argentine clubs.

Boca are the only Argentine top seed and will compete in group D. They face Cruzeiro, who beat them in the 2024 Sudamericana last 16, plus Chile’s Universidad Católica and Barcelona of Ecuador, who came through the qualifiers, eliminating Argentinos Juniors and Botafogo.

Estudiantes land in group A with defending champions Flamengo, who knocked them out in last season’s quarter-finals. They also face Peru’s Cusco, runners-up in the Clausura and second in the annual table, and Colombia’s Independiente Medellín, who reached the groups by ousting Liverpool and Juventud de Las Piedras.

Group H pairs Rosario Central with Independiente del Valle, champions of Ecuador with 82 points and only four defeats in 40 matches. They are joined by Libertad of Paraguay, third in the accumulated table, and Venezuela’s Universidad Central, fourth in their annual standings.

Lanús must contend with altitude against Liga de Quito, Bolivia’s Always Ready and Brazil’s Mirassol, who make their Libertadores debut.

Two Argentine debutants complete the field. Platense face Peñarol, Corinthians and Independiente Santa Fe, while Independiente Rivadavia meet Fluminense, Bolívar and Deportivo La Guaira.

Source: SuperDepor.com