In Luque, Paraguay, the draw for the group stage of the Conmebol Libertadores and Conmebol Sudamericana 2025 took place tonight. Each competition has 32 participants, divided into four pots of eight teams according to their ranking, and they have already learned about the groups they will be part of.
Obviously, the most interesting aspect of the draw for Argentinians is seeing how the groups of their teams participating in these tournaments turned out: River, Racing, Estudiantes, Vélez, Talleres, Central Córdoba (all in the Libertadores), Independiente, Lanús, Defensa y Justicia, Huracán, Godoy Cruz, and Unión (the latter in the Sudamericana).
Libertadores Draw:
Starting with River, Gallardo's team is the head of Group B, and will share it with Independiente del Valle, Universitario, and Barcelona. On paper, the Millionaire's rivals are accessible, so they will surely be in the round of 16.
Following the Sudamericana and Recopa champion, Racing will be in Group E and will play with Colo-Colo, Fortaleza, and Atlético Bucaramanga. The Chilean and Brazilian teams will challenge the Academy, while the Colombian team is unlikely to complicate things, as their squad was dismantled after their victory in last year's opening.
Meanwhile, Estudiantes will be part of Group A and will face Botafogo, the current Libertadores champion, Universidad de Chile, and Carabobo. Analyzing the scenario, the Pincha has many chances to qualify, as Botafogo was dismantled after their coronation, and the other teams, at least in terms of hierarchy and experience, are less than the La Plata team.
The other First Division champion in 2024, Vélez, will be in Group H along with Peñarol, Olimpia, and San Antonio Bulo Bulo. Currently, the Liniers team is recovering from a poor start to the season, so their future in the cup will depend on how they fare against the Uruguayans and Paraguayans in both matches, and their result in Bolivia.
The last two Argentine teams in Libertadores, Talleres and Central Córdoba, the Argentine Cup champion, ended up in Groups D and C respectively. The Córdoba team is with São Paulo, Libertad, and Alianza Lima and, based on current form, would need to raise their level a bit if they want to be present in the next round. On the other hand, the Santiago team will share a group with Flamengo, Liga de Quito, and Deportivo Táchira, and, at least by name and weight, could fight for a spot in the Copa Sudamericana.
Sudamericana Draw:
Independiente was the first to come out of the pot and will be in Group A, shared with Guaraní, Nacional de Potosí, and Boston River. At first glance, these rivals are accessible for the King of Cups, so, barring anything unusual, they will most likely advance to the next phase.
The next to come out was Defensa y Justicia, champion of the 2020 edition, and will be part of Group B along with Universidad Católica de Chile, Cerro Largo, and Vitória. The Halcón de Varela has it a bit more complicated than the Rojo, especially due to their irregular present, but they will bet everything on their home matches. They were followed by the other team from the southern zone, Lanús, champion in 2013, which will be in Group G with Vasco da Gama, Academia Puerto Cabello, and Melgar; a relatively easy group.
Later, Huracán was drawn, which will be in Group C, shared with América de Cali, Racing de Montevideo, and Corinthians. Broadly speaking, the Globo was not lucky in the draw, as they will face two teams with a lot of international history like the Red Devils and the Timão, but they will seek to get among the top 16 in their own way.
The last two Argentine teams, Godoy Cruz and Unión, ended up in groups D and E respectively. El Tomba will share with Gremio, Sportivo Luqueño, and Atlético Grau, while Tatengue got Cruzeiro, Palestino, and Mushuc Runa. Both, overall, have accessible groups to qualify for the play-offs or even make a splash and go straight to the round of 16.
How did all the Groups turn out?
Libertadores
Group A
