The 2023 Copa Libertadores campaign is ready to begin in earnest after the group stage draw was held for the 64th edition of South America's most prestigious club competition.
Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16, with the third-place team dropping down to the Copa Sudamericana to play a knockout round playoff against the second-place teams in that tournament.
Current Libertadores champions Flamengo will start against defending Ecuadorean champions Aucas, Argentina runners-up Racing, and Chile runners-up Nublense in a challenging Group A.
There is only one group with two teams from the same country facing off: Athletico Paranaense and Atletico Mineiro will meet in Group G. They will be the favorites against Paraguay's 2022 Apertura champions Libertad, and current Peruvian champions Alianza Lima.
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Copa Libertadores group stage draw, pots 2023
Here are the results of the group stage draw held on Monday, March 27, 2023.
The only group that does not feature a Brazilian club is Group H.
Clubs from Argentina and Brazil will face off in three different groups: Group A (Flamengo and Racing), Group D (River Plate and Fluminense), and Group E (Corinthians and Argentinos Juniors).
| Group A: | Flamengo (BRA) | Racing (ARG) | Aucas (ECU) | Nublense (CHI) |
| Group B: | Nacional (URU) | Internacional (BRA) | Metropolitanos (VEN) | Indep. Medellin (COL) |
| Group C: | Palmeiras (BRA) | Barcelona (ECU) | Bolivar (BOL) | Cerro Porteno (PAR) |
| Group D: | River Plate (ARG) | Fluminense (BRA) | The Strongest (BOL) | Sporting Cristal (PER) |
| Group E: | Indep. Valle (ECU) | Corinthians (BRA) | Argentinos Jrs (ARG) | Liverpool (URU) |
| Group F: | Boca Juniors (ARG) | Colo-Colo (CHI) | Monagas (VEN) | Dep. Pereira (COL) |
| Group G: | Athletico Par. (BRA) | Libertad (PAR) | Alianza Lima (PER) | Atl. Mineiro (BRA) |
| Group H: | Olimpia (PAR) | Atl. Nacional (COL) | Melgar (PER) | Patronato (ARG) |
😍🏆 ¡Así quedó la Fase de Grupos de la CONMEBOL #Libertadores 2⃣0⃣2⃣3⃣!#GloriaEterna pic.twitter.com/vUmcN54SYM
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@Libertadores) March 28, 2023
Copa Libertadores pots 2023
The draw for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores 2023 saw the 32 qualified teams sorted into eight groups of four clubs each.
Each group was made up of one team selected from each of the four predetermined pots with teams seeded in each pot according to the latest CONMEBOL rankings based on 2022 performance.
Clubs from the same country were not allowed to be drawn into the same group, with the exception of Atletico Mineiro, Sporting Cristal, Cerro Porteno, and Independiente Medellin, who were the last to qualify after earning their spots via the playoffs.
Those same four playoff qualifiers were automatically placed among the lowest seeds in Pot 4.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate (ARG) | Libertad (PAR) | Bolivar (BOL) | Liverpool (URU) |
| Flamengo (BRA) | Atletico Nacional (COL) | The Strongest (BOL) | Deportivo Pereira (COL) |
| Palmeiras (BRA) | Internacional (BRA) | Melgar (PER) | Nublense (CHI) |
| Boca Juniors (ARG) | Barcelona (ECU) | Alianza Lima (PER) | Patronato (ARG) |
| National (URU) | Racing(ARG) | Argentinos Juniors (ARG) | Independiente Medellin (COL) |
| Athletico Paranaense (BRA) | Corinthians (BRA) | Metropolitanos (VEN) | Atletico Mineiro (BRA) |
| Independiente del Valle (ECU) | Colo-Colo (CHI) | Aucas (ECU) | Cerro Porteno (PAR) |
| Olimpia (PAR) | Fluminense (BRA) | Monagas (VEN) | Sporting Cristal (PER) |
When is the Copa Libertadores being played in 2023?
- Group stage: April 4-6, April 18-20, May 2-4, May 23-25, June 6-8, June 27-29
- Round of 16: Aug. 1-10, 2023
- Quarter finals: Aug. 22-31, 2023
- Semi finals: Sept. 26-Oct. 5, 2023
- Final: Nov. 11, 2023
The 2023 Copa Libertadores will formally kick off on April 4 when group play begins.
The knockout stages will then start from August 1 with all rounds except for the final to be contested over two legs.
The final is then set to be held on November 11 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Copa Libertadores 2023 teams
This 2023 competition features teams from 10 different South American nations take to the pitch.
As is often the case, Brazil have the most representatives in this year's tournament with seven.
| Country | No. of clubs |
Participating clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 7 | Athletico Paranaense, Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fluminense, Internacional, Palmeiras |
| Argentina | 5 | Argentina Juniors, Boca Juniors, Patronato, Racing, River Plate |
| Colombia | 3 | Atletico Nacional, Deportivo Pereira, Independiente Medellin |
| Ecuador | 3 | Aucas, Barcelona, Independiente del Valle |
| Paraguay | 3 | Cerro Porteno, Libertad, Olimpia |
| Peru | 3 | Alianza Lima, Melgar, Sporting Cristal |
| Bolivia | 2 | Bolivar, The Strongest |
| Chile | 2 | Colo-Colo, Nublense |
| Uruguay | 2 | Liverpool, Nacional |
| Venezuela | 2 | Metropolitanos, Monagas |
When was the Copa Libertadores group stage draw?
The 2023 Copa Libertadores group stage draw was held on Monday, March 27 at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.
Proceedings began at 8 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET / 12 a.m. GMT).
