Santos have a poor record in Copa Sul-Americana openers; see more | OneFootball

Santos begin their 2026 Copa Sudamericana campaign this Wednesday against Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador. The match, valid for the first round of the continental competition, will be played at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) at Alejandro Serrano Aguilar Stadium. The clash marks another international campaign opener for the Alvinegro Praiano, who have a poor record in tournament debuts.

In nine appearances in the Sudamericana, Santos got off to a winning start only three times. Peixe opened with a victory in 2006, when they beat Cruzeiro at Vila; against Independiente in 2021, also in Baixada Santista; and in 2023, against Blooming in Bolivia.

In addition to those wins, Santos have four defeats and two draws in their other Sudamericana openers. With those numbers, Peixe have a record of only 40.74% in their first matches of the tournament.

Santos campaigns

Despite being three-time Libertadores champions, Santos have not matched that strong performance in the Sudamericana. The Alvinegro Praiano’s best campaigns came in 2003, 2004 and 2021, when the team reached the quarterfinals. On those occasions, Peixe were eliminated by Cienciano-PER, LDU-EQU and Libertad-PAR, respectively.

Santos have also struggled to remain competitive in the Sudamericana. Since the format change in 2021, the Alvinegro Praiano have played the tournament three times and, after falling in the quarterfinals to Libertad, were eliminated in the round of 16 by Deportivo Táchira-VEN the following year and went out in the group stage in 2023.

Scenario for the opener

Santos open their Sudamericana campaign after a negative result in the Brasileirão: a 3-1 comeback defeat to Flamengo last Sunday. The Alvinegro Praiano have been inconsistent this season and are struggling in the national league, sitting only 15th with 10 points — two more than Chapecoense, the first team in the relegation zone.

São Paulo's Sudamericana opening results:

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