All-time most successful clubs in CONMEBOL: Who has won the most Copa Libertadores trophies?
All-time most successful clubs in CONMEBOL: Who has won the most Copa Libertadores trophies?
The Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South America, has thrown up a blockbuster clash in the 2023 final, with Argentinian giants Boca Juniors taking on Fluminense of Brazil.
The showpiece will take place on home turf for the Rio club at the iconic Maracana and Fernando Diniz, who is also interim Brazil head coach at present, will aim to continue a period of dominance for his country in the Libertadores over recent years.
Qualification for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup is on the line, while the likes of Boca full-back Valentin Barco and Fluminense midfielder Andre Trindade are very much on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and Europe.
But first up is a shot at taking their place in history for both sides. Here, we look back over the most decorated teams in the 63-year history of the Libertadores.
Who has won the most Copa Libertadores?
Boca are aiming to become the joint-most successful team in the competition’s history.
Jorge Almiron’s club are on six wins, one shy of neighbours Independiente, who were a dominant force in the 1970s and won their most recent Libertadores in 1984. Incredibly, El Rojo boast a 100% record of seven appearances and seven success in finals.
By contrast, Boca have also finished as runners-up on five occasions, most recently and painfully when they lost to bitter rivals River Plate in 2018.
That was River’s fourth success in the tournament and they came agonisingly close to making it consecutive titles in 2019 when a last-gasp brace from Gabriel Barbosa gave Fluminense’s Rio rivals Flamengo a 2-1 win in Lima.
It was the first season that the competition reverted to a single-game final and clubs from Brazil have been utterly dominant since. Flamengo lifted their third Libertadores last year, having finished as runners-up to back-to-back winners Palmeiras in 2021.
Indeed, Boca have at least ensured that a run of three consecutive all-Brazilian finals have come to an end.
They must now seek to extend Argentina’s overall record on the all-time list of 25 winners to Brazil’s 22. The last time a club from outside of South America’s two heavyweight nations lifted the Libertadores was 2016 when Colombia’s Atletico Nacional beat Independiente del Valle of Ecuador.
Atletico account for two of Colombia’s three successes, alongside Once Caldas who beat Boca on penalties in 2004.
Uruguay has been home to the Libertadores winners eight times. Penarol were the inaugural champions and five-time winners between 1960 and 1987. Montevideo rivals Nacional won the last of their three titles the following year.
Copa Libertadores: Most successful teams in history
| Club | Country | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independiente | Argentina | 7 | 0 |
| Boca Juniors | Argentina | 6 | 5 |
| Penarol | Uruguay | 5 | 5 |
| River Plate | Argentina | 4 | 3 |
| Estudiantes | Argentina | 4 | 1 |
| Flamengo | Brazil | 3 | 1 |
| Santos | Brazil | 3 | 1 |
| Gremio | Brazil | 3 | 0 |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 3 | 0 |
| Olimpia | Paraguay | 3 | 0 |
| Nacional | Uruguay | 3 | 0 |
| Palmeiras | Brazil | 2 | 4 |
| Cruzeiro | Brazil | 2 | 4 |
| Internacional | Brazil | 2 | 1 |
| Atletico Nacional | Colombia | 2 | 1 |
| Corinthians | Brazil | 1 | 1 |
| Vasco da Gama | Brazil | 1 | 1 |
| Colo-Colo | Chile | 1 | 1 |
| LDU Quito | Ecuador | 1 | 1 |
| Racing Club | Argentina | 1 | 0 |
| Velez Sarsfield | Argentina | 1 | 0 |
| Argentinos Juniors | Argentina | 1 | 0 |
| Once Caldas | Colombia | 1 | 0 |
| San Lorenzo | Argentina | 1 | 0 |
| Atletico Mineiro | Brazil | 1 | 0 |
Henry
just love writing about football and playing video games, love my quiet time also. contact me @ [email protected]
