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Conmebol bets on innovation in its different club competitions, always trying to emulate the way of playing in European football. In this case, they have confirmed drastic changes in the game system of the Copa Sudamericana starting next year.
The first thing they did was to unify the match schedule so that it was played in the same weeks as the Copa Libertadores and thus not complicate the development of the local leagues and cups. Then come the strong changes.
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The South American Cup will now have a first regional qualifying round. That means that the teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia will have to play each other in the first round.
Of the four that qualify from each country, two will remain for the group stage of the new Copa Sudamericana. In this group stage, six clubs from Argentina, six from Brazil and four from the losers of the last preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores.
That way, although it seems disproportionate, it will be 32 clubs for the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana that will be played with six games and then there will be the round of 16, quarter-finals, semifinals and final.
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However, the group stage has a momentous change. Only the first of the 8 groups qualify for the round of 16, while the other eight classified to these round of 16 will be all third of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
In conclusion:
Phase 1: Regional
The 4 clubs from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia play against each other and have 16 qualified for the group stage.
Group stage:
16 qualifiers from phase 1, 6 teams from Brazil, 6 from Argentina and 4 from the previous phase of the Copa Libertadores.
Round of 16:
Only the leaders of the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana and the 8 teams that were third in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
