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After a break of 187 days due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Copa Libertadores resumed on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with the continuation of the group stage.
CONMEBOL has gone to extreme lengths to get the tournament restarted while the continent struggles to come to grips with the coronavirus (including bankrolling charter flights, overcoming bureaucratic obstacles and increasing registered squad sizes from 30 to 40), and you can only assume that the world’s wildest tournament is just getting started with regards to irregularities.
Each team had played two matches before the suspension, including Boca Juniors, which is the club with the most Copa Libertadores titles in this year’s competition (six) since Independiente (seven) could only qualify for the Copa Sudamericana.
There are a number of other teams in this year’s tournament looking to climb the list of the most Copa Libertadores titles, including Peñarol (five) and River Plate (four), while there’s also the competition’s unlucky bridesmaid América de Cali, who’s never won the Libertadores despite appearing in four finals.
The defending champion is Flamengo, which captured the 2019 Libertadores — the club’s second — after defeating River Plate with two goals at the death.
The Clubs With The Most Copa Libertadores Titles All Time
#1. Independiente (Argentina) — 7 titles (most recent 1984)
#2. Boca Juniors (Argentina) — 6 titles (most recent 2007)
#3. Peñarol (Uruguay) — 5 titles (most recent 1987)
#4. River Plate (Argentina) — 4 titles (most recent 2018)
#4. Estudiantes (Argentina) — 4 titles (most recent 2009)
#6. Olimpia (Paraguay) — 3 titles (most recent 2002)
#6. Nacional (Uruguay) — 3 titles (most recent 1988)
#6. São Paulo (Brazil) — 3 titles (most recent 2005)
#6. Grêmio (Brazil) — 3 titles (most recent 2017)
#6. Santos (Brazil) — 3 titles (most recent 2011)
#11. Cruzeiro (Brazil) — 2 titles (most recent 1997)
#11. Internacional (Brazil) — 2 titles (most recent 2010)
#11. Atlético Nacional (Colombia) — 2 titles (most recent 2016)
#11. Flamengo (Brazil) — 2 titles (most recent 2019)
In terms of breakdown by CONMEBOL nations, here’s how the countries have fared.
The Countries With The Most Copa Libertadores Titles
#1. Argentina — 27
#2. Brazil — 19
#3. Uruguay — 8
#4. Colombia — 3
#4. Paraguay — 3
#6. Chile — 1 (Colo-Colo in 1991)
#6. Ecuador — 1 (LDU Quito in 2008)
#8. Peru — 0 (Universitario and Sporting Cristal have lost finals)
#8. Bolivia — 0
#8. Venezuela — 0
Flamengo’s Gabriel “Gabigol” Barbosa was the tournament’s leading scorer last year with nine goals, while Palmeiras’ Luiz Adriano is the leading scorer of the 2020 group stage with four goals so far.
Copa Libertadores Most Goals All-Time
#1. Alberto Spencer (Ecuador) — 54 goals
#2. Fernando Morena (Uruguay) — 37 goals
#3. Pedro Rocha (Uruguay) — 36 goals
#4. Daniel Onega (Argentina) — 31 goals
#5. Julio Morales (Uruguay) — 30 goals
#6. Antony de Ávila (Colombia) — 29 goals
#6. Juan Carlos Sarnari (Argentina) — 29 goals
#6. Luizão (Brazil) — 29 goals
#9. Juan Carlos Sánchez (Argentina) — 26 goals
#9. Luis Artime (Argentina) — 26 goals
This year’s final (a single-leg affair since the disastrous 2018 contest between River and Boca) is set to be held at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro in late January.
Select 2020 Copa Libertadores Group Stage Matches To Watch
Sept. 16 | Bolívar (Bolivia) vs. Palmeiras (Brazil)
Sept. 17 | Libertad (Paraguay) vs. Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Sept. 17 | Racing (Argentina) vs. Nacional (Uruguay)
Sept. 17 | LDU Quito (Ecuador) vs. São Paulo (Brazil)
Sept. 23 | Internacional (Brazil) vs. Grêmio (Brazil)
Sept. 23 | Athletico Paranaense (Brazil) vs. Colo-Colo (Chile)
Sept. 29 | Colo-Colo (Chile) vs. Peñarol (Uruguay)
Sept. 30 | River Plate (Argentina) vs. São Paulo (Brazil)
Sept. 30 | Flamengo (Brazil) vs. Independiente (Ecuador)
Oct. 1 | Olimpia (Paraguay) vs. Santos (Brazil)
Oct. 22 | Grêmio (Brazil) vs. América de Cali (Colombia)
