The 22nd edition of South America’s premier club competition opened with the preliminary phase, where several teams bowed out and moved on with the rest of the journey toward the championship.
Independiente del Valle, the defending champions from the 2022 edition, set the tone as other clubs eyed the South American Cup for 2023. The continental tournament began on March 8, ahead of the group stage draw, with many teams still in contention. While some clubs already secured their spots for the next continental event, many places remained to be earned on the field.
Recopa Sudamericana 2023: when it will be played, teams and how to watch it on TV
The competition kicked off with 56 teams, all among the continent’s elite, competing for the other half of glory.
WHEN DID THE 2023 SOUTH AMERICAN CUP BEGIN?
The continental tournament started on March 7 with the first phase, which concluded two days later, setting the stage for the rest of the campaign.
LOTTERY
Monday, March 27, marked the date to reveal the group formations for the championship. This phase began on April 5 and wrapped up during the week of June 28. The draw for the groups followed the CONMEBOL 2022 ranking to determine seedings and matchups.
CLASSIFIED TEAMS
These are the teams seeded for the continental tournament, sorted by country for clarity:
ARGENTINA
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
CHILE
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
PARAGUAY
PERU
URUGUAY
VENEZUELA
DISPUTES FORM
The tournament featured 56 participating teams, with 44 directly qualified and 12 earning spots through varied routes linked to the Copa Libertadores. The competition opens with a preliminary phase where qualifiers from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela face off in country-based knockouts. The 16 winners advance to the group stage, where six teams from Argentina and Brazil join, along with four clubs that dropped out in the Libertadores stage. The 32 qualifiers are divided into eight groups of four, facing each other in home and away matches. Only the group winners move on to the Round of 16, while the remaining eight teams filling the knockout bracket come from the Libertadores groups. From the Round of 16 onward, the format continues with two-legged ties and no away goals rule, until the single final, which is staged at a neutral venue to be announced, on a date to be confirmed for late October.
SCHEDULE AND LUMINAIRES
CONMEBOL officially released the full calendar for 2023, detailing every phase and milestone, ensuring the schedule aligns with domestic leagues and international commitments.
PRELIMINARY PHASES
Phase 1
The path through Phase 1 unfolds with high-stakes knockout ties, testing depth and resilience across participating nations.
GROUP PHASE
The group phase begins on April 5, with teams playing through the weeks leading up to the final date in the week of June 28, determined by the group standings and head-to-head results.
EIGHTH FINAL
The Round of 16 draw determines the crossovers, with matchups scheduled through early July and the eight ties played in the weeks of July 19 and 26.
QUARTERFINALS
The eight remaining teams compete during the weeks of August 23 and 30, moving toward the semifinals.
SEMI-FINALS
The semifinals take place in late September and early October, setting the stage for a dramatic final push.
SINGLE FINAL
The final is a single match held at a neutral venue chosen by the organizers, with the decisive moment scheduled for late October.
TELEVISION
The soccer broadcast rights for the Copa Sudamericana 2023 are held by ESPN and DirecTV Sports on television and Star Plus and DGo on streaming. Brazil will view some games on open television, while other platforms provide pay-TV coverage alongside local broadcasters.
VAR
As in past editions, the video assistant referee system is available to referees from the Round of 16 onward, continuing a practice that began in 2017 to support officiating decisions.
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