- The first games of Phase 2 of CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 will be played from February 20th to 22nd.
- From the eight duels in the phase, the clubs that will take another step towards the group stage of Glória Eterna will emerge.
The cities of Caracas, El Alto, Medellín, Cochabamba, Asunción, Valencia and Mendoza will host the first games of Phase 2 of CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024. From February 20th to 22nd, sixteen South American clubs will face each other with the aim of winning some advantage for the second leg and put a foot in the next stage of the continental tournament.
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela each have two clubs in the competition, while Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay have one team competing in the tournament.
– Tuesday, February 20:
In Caracas: Portuguese (VEN) x Palestinian (CHI)
Stadium: National Olympic Brígido Iriarte
Time: 6:00pm (local time) – 10:00pm (GMT)
Referee: Augusto Aragón (EQU)
WAS: Carlos Orbe (EQU)
Background:
- Palestino and Portuguesa have already faced each other twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, with two victories for the Chilean team, including a historic rout: 6-0 in April 1979.
- Portuguese returns to CONMEBOL Libertadores after 40 years. Their last participation was in 1984, when they won three games, but were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament.
- This is the third time that Palestino has participated in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, starting its campaign in Phase 2. The team advanced to Phase 3 on the two previous occasions (2019 and 2020), but only reached the group stage in 2019.
In El Alto: Always Ready (BOL) x Sporting Cristal (PER)
Stadium: Municipality of Villa Ingenio
Time: 8:30 pm (local time) – 00:30 am (GMT)
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
WAS: Juan Soto (VEN)
Background:
- Always Ready and Sporting Cristal have already faced each other twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, both in the 1968 group stage. The Peruvian club is undefeated against this opponent, with one victory (4-1) and one draw (1-1).
- Always Ready participates in CONMEBOL Libertadores for the fourth consecutive edition. In 2021 and 2022, the team qualified directly for the group stage, but last year they were eliminated by Magallanes in Stage 2.
- Sporting Cristal participates in the CONMEBOL Libertadores six consecutive times. It is the second best series of appearances in the tournament, after a record 13 seasons between 1995 and 2007.
In Medellin: Águilas Doradas (COL) x RB Bragantino (BRA)
Stadium: Atanasio Girardot
Time: 7.30pm (local time) – 00.30am (GMT)
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU)
WAS: Antonio Garcia (URU)
Background:
- Águilas Doradas and Red Bull Bragantino have never faced each other in CONMEBOL competitions. The only Brazilian opponent that has ever faced the Colombian team was Coritiba, in the 2013 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Águilas Doradas won both games: 1-0 as a visitor and 2-1 at home.
- It is the first time that Águilas Doradas participates in CONMEBOL Libertadores. The Colombian club has already participated in six editions of CONMEBOL Sudamericana, and in 2023 it was eliminated in Phase 1.
- Red Bull Bragantino participates in CONMEBOL tournaments for the fourth consecutive season. The team was in CONMEBOL Sudamericana in 2021 and 2023, and CONMEBOL Libertadores in 2022 and 2024.
– Wednesday, February 21:
In Cochabamba: Aurora (BOL) x Botafogo (BRA)
Stadium: Felix Capriles
Time: 8:30 pm (local time) – 00:30 am (GMT)
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI)
WAS: Fernando Vejar (CHI)
Background:
- Aurora and Botafogo have never played against each other in CONMEBOL competitions. The Bolivian team faced Brazilian rivals four times in these tournaments: Grêmio in CONMEBOL Libertadores 2009 (2D) and Vasco in CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2011 (1W and 1D).
- Aurora is unbeaten in its last two CONMEBOL Libertadores games (1W and 1D). This is the first time that the Bolivian club has been undefeated in consecutive games in the tournament.
- Botafogo is in the CONMEBOL Libertadores for the fourth time in the 21st century. On two of the three previous occasions, Fogão had to compete in the qualifying phase (2014 and 2017), and went to the group stage on both occasions.
In Asunción: Nacional (PAR) x Atlético Nacional (COL)
Stadium: Defenders of the Chaco
Time: 9:30 p.m. (local time) – 12:30 a.m. (GMT)
Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)
WAS: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
Background:
- Atlético Nacional progressed to the next stage in two of the last three CONMEBOL Libertadores stages in which they faced Paraguayan opponents. However, the only time they failed to progress to the next stage in that period, playing against Paraguayans, was in the last knockout series: Stage 2 of the 2022 edition x Olimpia.
- Nacional have won seven of their last nine home games in the CONMEBOL Libertadores (1D and 1L). Furthermore, if they don’t concede a goal in the game against Atlético Nacional, they will achieve their longest unbeaten run in the competition as host, equaling their record from April to July 2014 (3W).
- Atlético Nacional reached Stage 2 in three of their last four CONMEBOL Libertadores appearances. Verdolaga have qualified for the group stage once (2021), advanced to Stage 3 once (2019) and were eliminated in the second stage on the last occasion (2022).
In Valencia: Puerto Hair Academy (VEN) x National (URU)
Stadium: Misael Delgado Sports Center
Time: 6:00pm (local time) – 10:00pm (GMT)
Referee: Braulio Machado (BRA)
WAS: Wagner Reway (BRA)
Background:
- Puerto Cabello and Nacional have never faced each other in CONMEBOL competitions. The Venezuelan team will face its second opponent in CONMEBOL Libertadores. The first was also from Uruguay (Defensor Sporting).
- Clubs from Venezuela and Uruguay have already faced each other three times in the CONMEBOL Libertadores qualifiers. The only time the Venezuelan team reached the next stage was in the current edition, with Puerto Cabello itself eliminating Defensor Sporting.
- This will be Nacional’s 28th consecutive participation in CONMEBOL Libertadores. It is the longest series of participations in the history of the tournament. The last edition without Bolso took place in 1996. Only the 2015 edition did not feature Nacional in the group stage.
– Thursday, February 22:
In Asunción: Trinidad (PAR) x El Nacional (EQU)
Stadium: Defenders of the Chaco
Time: 19h00 (hora local) – 22:00h (GMT)
Referee: Roberto Perez (PER)
WAS: Joel Alarcón (PER)
Background:
- Trinidense is the only team in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 qualifiers that has never played games in continental competitions.
- El Nacional’s last four appearances in the CONMEBOL Libertadores have all ended in the preliminary stages. The Ecuadorian team failed to advance to the groups in 2009, 2012, 2017 and 2023.
- The last two Paraguayan teams that debuted in CONMEBOL Libertadores did so in the preliminary phase. Tacuary were eliminated by Palmeiras on their debut in 2005 and Deportivo Capiatá managed to advance to the third stage in 2017, eliminating Deportivo Táchira and Universitario, before losing to Athletico Paranaense.
In Mendoza: Godoy Cruz (ARG) x Colo-Colo (CHI)
Stadium: Argentine Falklands
Time: 9:30 p.m. (local time) – 12:30 a.m. (GMT)
Referee: Flavio De Souza (BRA)
WAS: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
Background:
- Godoy Cruz and Colo-Colo have not yet played in CONMEBOL tournaments. The Argentine team has already hosted Chilean teams twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, losing to Universidad de Chile in 2012 (0-1) and beating Universidad de Concepción in 2019 (1-0).
- Godoy Cruz is competing in the CONMEBOL Libertadores for the fifth time, the first time he has not qualified directly for the group stage. In their last two appearances in the tournament (2017 and 2019), the Argentine team reached the round of 16.
- Colo-Colo is in the CONMEBOL Libertadores qualifiers for the fourth time. Cacique did not qualify for the group stage on any of the previous occasions (2005, 2006 and 2017).
CONMEBOL.com / OPTA