South American Cup 2023 schedule, teams, and format explained

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The 22nd edition of the prestigious South American club competition has already set its start date.

Independiente del Valle, the defending champion from 2022, plus several other clubs are already planning their campaigns for the South American Cup 2023. The calendar is in place, including the exact start date and the day preceding the draw for the knockout rounds. While some teams have already secured a ticket to the continent’s next showcase, many spots are still up for grabs.

Recopa Sudamericana 2023: when it will be played, teams and how to watch it on TV

The tournament features 56 teams—the best on the continent—battling for continental glory.

WHEN DOES THE 2023 SOUTH AMERICAN CUP START?

The continental competition begins on March 8 with the first phase, which wraps up on March 15.

LOTTERY

March 22 marks the date when the groups for the championship are officially drawn. The group stage starts on April 5 and runs through the week of June 28. The draw and group placements are determined according to the Conmebol 2022 ranking.

CLASSIFIED TEAMS

Here are the teams seeded for the continental tournament.

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

BRAZIL

CHILI

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

PARAGUAY

PERU

URUGUAY

VENEZUELA

DISPUTES FORM

The tournament features 56 participating teams: 44 automatically qualified and 12 joining via specific paths from the Copa Libertadores. The competition opens with a preliminary phase featuring clubs from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. These clashes are one-off ties within each country, and the 16 victors advance to the group stage. Argentina and Brazil contribute six teams, while four from Libertadores 3rd stage also enter at this stage.

The 32 qualifiers are split into eight four-team zones, each playing two-legged ties. Only the group-winners advance to the round of 16; the remaining eight teams enter the knockout bracket as part of the Libertadores group-stage teams’ drop-ins, creating a diverse path to the knockout rounds.

From the round of 16 onward, the format follows a traditional two-legged knockout system, with no away goals rule, culminating in a one-match final hosted at a neutral venue. The final is scheduled for October 28, with the venue to be announced.

SCHEDULE AND LUMINAIRES

CONMEBOL has published the full calendar for 2023, detailing every phase from the early rounds through the final.

PRELIMINARY PHASES

Phase 1

  • Single-match ties. In the event of a draw, the winner is decided by penalties immediately after the match.

GROUP PHASE

The group stage begins on April 5. The final date in the week of June 28 sees all groups complete their fixtures, determining who advances to the knockout rounds.

EIGHTH FINAL

The draw for the round of 16, which determines the matchups, is held by early July. The round of 16 matches take place during the weeks of July 19 and July 26.

QUARTERFINALS

The eight remaining teams compete in the weeks of August 23 and August 30.

SEMI-FINALS

The semifinals occur in the weeks of September 27 and October 4, setting the stage for the final.

SINGLE FINAL

The champion is decided by a single final match at a neutral venue chosen by the organizers. The continental final is scheduled for late October.

TV

Broadcast rights for the Copa Sudamericana 2023 are held by ESPN and DirecTV Sports for television, with Star+ and DGo streaming. In Brazil, the match will be shown on free-to-air television, with ESPN and other platforms available through paid services in various regions.

VAR

As in prior editions, CONMEBOL has implemented the Video Assistant Referee system for the knockout rounds starting from the round of 16 in 2023. The VAR program was first introduced in 2017.

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