Historic Clubs, Rising Teams, and Surprises in the Bracket

The 2025 Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 draw took place in Luque, Paraguay, and brought together a mix of tradition, strong campaigns, and surprise qualifiers. Fluminense, champions of the 2023 Copa Libertadores and four-time Brasileirão winners, will take on whoever advances from the tie between Brazil’s Bahia and Colombia’s América de Cali.

Ecuador’s Universidad Católica, who topped Group B without losing a match, will face the winner of Grêmio —a three-time Libertadores champion and second place in Group D— and Alianza Lima, who finished third in that same group in the Libertadores.

Among the Argentine sides, Lanús, 2013 Sudamericana champion and leader of Group G, will face the winner of the tie between fellow Argentine club Central Córdoba and Uruguay’s Cerro Largo.

Mushuc Runa, Godoy Cruz Await Playoff Winners

The biggest surprise of the group stage, Mushuc Runa of Ecuador, winners of Group E, will play the winner of the playoff between Independiente del Valle, two-time Sudamericana champions (2019 and 2022), and Brazil’s Vasco da Gama, who lifted the Libertadores title in 1998.

Godoy Cruz, who topped Group D, will go up against the winner of the tie between Atlético Mineiro (second in Sudamericana Group H) and Atlético Bucaramanga (third in Libertadores Group E). Meanwhile, other group winners like Independiente (ARG), Huracán, and Cienciano are also waiting to find out their Round of 16 opponents.

The playoffs between Sudamericana second-place finishers and Libertadores third-place teams will be played between July 15 and 24. The Round of 16 will kick off on August 12 with home-and-away fixtures.

Sudamericana Round of 16 Bracket

• Winner of Playoff A ( Alianza Lima vs Grêmio) vs Universidad Católica (ECU)
• Winner of Playoff D ( Bolívar vs Palestino) vs Cienciano (PER)
• Winner of Playoff B ( San Antonio vs Once Caldas) vs Huracán (ARG)
• Winner of Playoff E ( Bahia vs América de Cali) vs Fluminense (BRA)
• Winner of Playoff H ( Central Córdoba vs Cerro Largo) vs Lanús (ARG)
• Winner of Playoff F ( Independiente del Valle vs Vasco da Gama) vs Mushuc Runa (ECU)
• Winner of Playoff C ( Atlético Bucaramanga vs Atlético Mineiro) vs Godoy Cruz (ARG)
• Winner of Playoff G ( Universidad de Chile vs Guaraní) vs Independiente (ARG)