🏆 The South American ‘obsession’

On Thursday night, at the headquarters of the South American football confederation Conmebol in Luque, Paraguay, the continent’s football dignitaries gathered for a comparatively lowkey ceremony, drawing the groups of this year’s Copa Libertadores — South America’s leading continental club competition.

For five of the tournament’s six Brazilian participants, the path to the next phase seems relatively clear. Belo Horizonte side Cruzeiro have some tricky away trips lined up, while top sides Flamengo and Palmeiras should qualify with ease. Plucky first-timers Mirassol are in for a baptism of fire, however, with visits to the nausea-inducing altitudes of Quito and La Paz, as well as facing last year’s Copa Sudamericana winners Lanús.

With the competition set to dominate much of the continent’s club football headlines between now and the November 28 final, this week we’re taking a look back at the history of the Copa Libertadores: how it became so important for South American clubs, and how it came to be dominated by Brazil…

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