Getting Ready For Copa Libertadores 2023

The biggest club competition in South America gets underway for the 2023 edition of the tournament in early February. All teams involved will be dreaming of lifting the famous Copa Libertadores trophy at the end of the conclusion, but it will be no easy feat for the sides entering the competition in the first qualifying round. In this article, we will tell you more about the event's early stages this year, as well as the teams that have already qualified for the group stage.

When Does The Copa Libertadores Start?

It will be a long road to the Copa Libertadores final this season, as the competition officially gets underway on February 7. That will signal the start of the first qualifying round, as six teams enter the competition. The three winning teams from each of the ties will then join the teams that have already qualified for the second stage, with the first legs in that round getting underway on February 21, before the return legs take place the following week.

The action then heats up for the third round, with the eight winning teams from the second stage progressing through to the final qualifying stage before the group stage proper. Action in the third qualifying stage gets underway in the first week in March, before the second legs are played in the middle of March.

Which Teams Enter In The First Stage?

Six teams will enter the Copa Libertadores in the first stage of qualification, meaning that they will need to survive all three qualifying rounds if they are to play in the tournament proper. Sport Huancayo is the lone team from Peru in the opening round, as they host Nacional in the first leg, before heading to Paraguay in the return fixture.

Bolivian side Nacional Potosi will host Ecuadorian club El Nacional in the first meeting between the sides on February 8, before the sides meet for the crucial second leg just a week later. The final fixture in the first qualifying round will see Uruguayan outfit Boston River host Zamora, before traveling to Venezuela for the second leg the following week.

Which Teams Enter In The Second Stage?

Some ties in the second stage have already been set up, with the action getting underway on February 22. Carabobo will take on Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro, while Deportivo Maldonado faces Fortaleza. Magallanes will clash with Always Ready, while Curico Unido vs Cerro Porteno and Universidad Catolica vs Millonarios are the only other two established ties at this point.

The winner of the first-round tie between Nacional and Sport Huancayo will take on Sporting Cristal in the second round, while either Nacional Potosi or El Nacional will square off against Independiente Medellin.

Therefore, it will be either Boston River or Zamora taking on Huracan in the final second-stage fixture. Each of the eight winners from the second stage will then compete in the third stage for a place in the group stage.

Group Stage Automatic Berths

A total of 32 teams will make up the group stage of the Copa Libertadores in 2023. However, 28 of the teams that will be competing in the group stage have already been decided, with the four qualifiers from the previously mentioned fixtures dropping into pot four. Last season’s champions Flamengo will once again be among the leading contenders with the sports books at www.drapuestas.com, as the Brazilian club bid to win the prestigious honor for a fourth time.

They are currently ranked third in the official rating, with only River Plate and Palmeiras currently ranked higher. All three will make up pot one, which also includes Argentinian giants Boca Juniors, Nacional, and Atletico Paranaense. Pot two is headlined by Brazilian giants Corinthians, Internacional, and Fluminense. Meanwhile, other clubs in this pot include Racing, Barcelona, and Libertad.

Pot three features a number of other South American dark horses for the Copa Libertadores, with Bolivia’s Bolivar and The Strongest, joining Venezuela’s Metropolitanos and Monagas. Other teams in pot three include Melgar, Alianza Lima, and Argentinos Juniors. Only four teams make up pot four at present, with Liverpool, Deportivo Pereira, Nublense, and Patronato being the lowest-ranked clubs in the competition.

Conclusion- Road To The Final

It promises to be another hugely exciting edition of the Copa Libertadores this year. The event will keep South American fans hooked throughout 2023, as Flamengo look to claim a third victory in five years. However, other clubs will be looking to end the Brazilian dominance in the competition, as each of the previous three finals have been all-Brazilian affairs.