How the 2026 Copa Libertadores draw will work: all you need to know | OneFootball

From Asunción, Paraguay, the matchups for the Preliminary Phase of the continent's top tournament will be determined, a key stage for teams aiming to reach the group stage.

CONMEBOL will conduct the draw for the Preliminary Phase of the Copa Libertadores 2026 this Thursday from 12:00, in the Paraguayan city of Luque.

The event will be overseen by the Directorate of Competitions and Operations of the South American body and will mark the formal starting point of a new edition of the continent's most prestigious tournament, which will once again have a long and demanding journey before the group stage.

The first stage will feature six teams —one each from Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela— who will face off in three knockout ties. The matchups will be determined by draw and will award three tickets to Phase 2, where 13 other clubs are already waiting.

The distribution of the pots will be determined by the CONMEBOL Club Ranking as of December 16, 2024: the lower-ranked teams will play the first leg at home, and the higher-ranked teams will decide the second leg at home.

In Phase 2, the 16 participants will be divided into eight home-and-away series, also ordered according to the ranking, with the exception that teams from the same association cannot face each other, except for those coming from the initial stage.

The winners will advance to Phase 3, the last hurdle before the group stage. There, four teams will secure their place in the 2026 Libertadores, while the four eliminated will have the consolation prize of a spot in the group stage of the 2025 CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

For Argentinos Juniors, the only Argentine club in this stage, the draw could mean the difference between an easy start or an uphill battle from the beginning.

With Estudiantes as the Clausura champion, here is the list of Argentine teams that will play in the Copa Libertadores

Estudiantes de La Plata defeated Racing last weekend, claimed the 2025 Clausura Tournament of the Professional League, and secured their spot in the next edition of the continent's top competition.

In addition to the “Pincha”, they will be present in the Libertadores.

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