São Paulo and Boca Juniors clash in Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals

São Paulo takes the pitch to face Boca Juniors in the quarterfinals of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. The first leg takes place at La Bombonera, marking the fifth knockout tie between the two teams in CONMEBOL tournaments.

The teams' path in the competition

São Paulo enters the matchup as the only team that has never trailed in this edition of the tournament. After a 1-1 draw against Bolívar in La Paz, the team managed by Dorival Júnior secured qualification at the MorumBIS with a 3-1 victory, featuring goals from Luciano, Jonathan Calleri, and Sabino. Luciano is the team's top scorer in the competition, while Calleri returns to La Bombonera as a key player.

Meanwhile, Boca Juniors arrives in its best form of the season. After dropping down from the CONMEBOL Libertadores and eliminating O'Higgins on penalties, the team overcame Recoleta in the round of 16 with a 7-1 aggregate score.

Head-to-head history between the clubs

The clash at La Bombonera revives the historic matchup from the round of 16 of the 2007 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. On that occasion, the Argentine side won 2-1 at home and the São Paulo Tricolor won 1-0 at the Morumbi, resulting in the Brazilian side's qualification. Recent history points to an advantage for the São Paulo club, which has seven wins in its last nine matches against Argentine rivals in CONMEBOL tournaments.

Rules of the knockout stage

The first-leg matches of the quarterfinals take place between Tuesday and Thursday, while the return legs will be played the following week. If the aggregate score remains tied after 180 minutes, the tie will be decided directly by a penalty shootout. The goal for all remaining teams is to reach the single-match final scheduled for November 21 at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla.

With information from gol.conmebol.com, CNN Brasil.