Copa Libertadores returns this week with heavyweight Round of 16 matchups

The Copa Libertadores, South America’s primary club football tournament, returns to action this week with the commencement of the knockout stages. Following the conclusion of the group stage in May, South America’s version of the Champions League returns with 16 teams left in the tournament.

Copa Libertadores Knockout Stage Schedule

Stage	Draw date	Game Dates
Round of 16	Bracket was set on May 29, 2026	First Leg: August 11-13, 2026 Second Leg: August 18-20, 2026
Quarter-finals	Bracket was set on May 29, 2026	First Leg: September 8-10, 2026 Second Leg: Sept. 15-17, 2026
Semi-finals	Bracket was set on May 29, 2026	First Leg: October 13-15, 2026 Second Leg: October 20-22, 2026
Final	Bracket was set on May 29, 2026	November 28, 2026

Starting in the Round of 16, each matchup is played across a home-and-away two-legged tie until the final, a single match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The 16 participating teams were seeded based on their Group Stage, with no restrictions on who can face who.

Pot 1 (Seeds 1 to 8): Flamengo, Independiente Rivadavia, Independiente del Valle, Universidad Catolica, Cerro Porteño, LDU Quito, Corinthians, Coquimbo Unido
Pot 2 (Seeds 9 to 16): Rosario Central, Mirassol, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, Platense, Estudiantes, Deportes Tolima, Fluminense

Below is the schedule for the first leg of the Round of 16:

(16) Fluminense vs. (2) Independiente Rivadavia	August 11 – 6:00 PM (ET)
(14) Estudiantes vs. (4) Universidad Catolica	August 11 – 8:30 PM (ET)
(13) Platense vs. (8) Coquimbo Unido	August 12 – 6:00 PM (ET)
(11) Palmeiras vs. (5) Cerro Porteño	August 12 – 6:00 PM (ET)
(12) Cruzeiro vs. (1) Flamengo	August 12 – 8:30 PM (ET)
(10) Mirassol vs. (6) LDU Quito	August 13 – 6:00 PM (ET)
(9) Rosario Central vs. (7) Corinthians	August 13 – 8:30 PM (ET)
(15) Deportes Tolima vs. (3) Independiente del Valle	Postponed due to the recent earthquake in Colombia