10 Facts About the Copa Libertadores Final: Discover the Main Records of South America’s Biggest Match!

Played since 1960 and about to reach its 66th edition, the Copa Libertadores Final is one of the most historic matches in world football. And if you’re counting the seconds to watch the clash between Flamengo and Palmeiras this Saturday, November 29, we totally understand — and this moment isn’t just about preparing your Sports Bets for the duel that will determine which Brazilian team has the most titles in the competition.

Seven countries have won the Libertadores, with 27 clubs lifting the Eternal Glory. CONMEBOL has changed the format several times, as earlier editions featured up to three final matches, home-and-away legs, and eventually the current format of a single match at a neutral venue.

We’ve selected ten curiosities about the Copa Libertadores Final to warm you up for the experience as we look forward to crowning the South American champion. Ready to learn everything about this match full of grit, technique, and rivalry?

1. Brazil is hegemonic in the single-match Libertadores Final

Since 2019, the Copa Libertadores Final has been played as a single match at a neutral venue — just like UEFA tournament finals. And so far, only Brazilian clubs have lifted the trophy under this new format.

Flamengo is the club that has reached the single-match final the most, with the 2025 edition being its fourth. The Rubro-Negro won the first single-match Libertadores Final by beating River Plate 2–1 at the Estadio Monumental in Lima and also defeated Athletico Paranaense 1–0 at the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Palmeiras, which beat Flamengo 2–1 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo in 2021, is the second team with the most neutral-venue finals. The Verdão also defeated rivals Santos 1–0 in the 2020 final at the Maracanã and is chasing its fourth title.

Botafogo, meanwhile, got the better of Atlético Mineiro: it won 3–1 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires and ended its top-tier title drought. In other words: only Athletico Paranaense has reached the final in the current format without ever winning the Libertadores.

Additionally, only two single-match finals have not been between two Brazilian teams: besides the 2019 final, the 2023 edition saw Fluminense defeat Boca Juniors 2–1 to lift the trophy for the first time at the Maracanã.

2. Argentina is about to lose its status as the top champion on neutral ground

If you think the Libertadores was never decided at a neutral venue before 2019, think again. In older formats, the title could require a third match if neither finalist won the trophy — which happened in 14 editions.

If we include those matches, Brazil is set to take the outright lead in 2025. Santos, Cruzeiro, and Flamengo won titles in 1962, 1976, and 1981 via a third match — and this Saturday’s final at the Monumental will bring the total to nine.

Until then, Argentina is tied with its biggest rival, with eight neutral-ground titles. Independiente won in 1965, 1973, 1974, and 1975, while Racing, Estudiantes, and Boca Juniors won the 1967, 1968, and 1977 editions.

Uruguay remains third in the ranking with three neutral-ground titles: two for Peñarol (1966 and 1987) and one for Nacional (1971).

3. Boca Juniors is the club with the most penalty shootout titles

But if you want a statistic that still favors Argentina, the country continues to dominate when it comes to keeping composure in penalty shootouts: it has won the title five times this way — thanks largely to Boca Juniors, the club with the most shootout championships. The Xeneizes beat Cruzeiro in 1977, Palmeiras in 2000, and Cruz Azul in 2001.

Their compatriots Argentinos Juniors and Vélez Sarsfield won their only titles via penalty shootouts. Argentinos beat América de Cali in 1985, while Vélez became champions in 1994 by defeating São Paulo at the Morumbi.

The second team with the most shootout wins is Olimpia, which defeated Atlético Nacional in 1989 and São Caetano in 2002. Curiously, Paraguay is not the second country with the most shootout titles because Olimpia lost the 2013 final to Atlético Mineiro — giving Brazil the runner-up position in the category, with that title joining São Paulo’s 1992 win over Newell’s Old Boys and Palmeiras’ 1999 victory over Deportivo Cali.

Additionally, two teams won the Libertadores Final through penalty shootouts: Once Caldas defeated Boca Juniors in 2004, and LDU beat Fluminense in 2008.

4. But Boca is also the biggest runner-up in Libertadores history!

Despite having six Libertadores titles, Boca Juniors leads an unfortunate statistic: it is the club with the most runner-up finishes, with six final defeats. The Xeneizes finished second in 1963, 1979, 2004, 2012, 2018, and 2023 — followed closely by Peñarol, which has five runner-up finishes (1962, 1965, 1970, 1983, and 2011).

In third place is a team that has never won the tournament: Deportivo Cali, which finished second four times (1985, 1986, 1987, and 1996). Tied with the Colombians, Olimpia returned home with silver medals in 1960, 1989, 1991, and 2013.

The country with the most runner-up finishes in Libertadores history is Brazil: it has lost 44.44% of the finals it played, finishing second 20 times. Next is Argentina, with a 34.21% runner-up rate — 13 finals lost — while Uruguay ranks third, having lost half of the finals it played, with eight runner-up finishes.

5. Only eight coaches have also won the tournament as players

If Flamengo win the 2025 Libertadores, Filipe Luís will become the ninth manager to win the tournament after having already won it as a player — since he was part of the Rubro-Negro squad in the 2019 and 2022 titles. His compatriot Renato Portaluppi is the only Brazilian to achieve this feat, having won the competition on the field with Grêmio in 1983 and on the touchline in 2017.

Argentina is the country most accustomed to having Libertadores champions who won both as players and as coaches, with five names. Roberto Ferreiro was champion with Independiente in 1964 and 1965 and led the seven-time champions to the 1974 title — taking over after the 1973 trophy won under Humberto Maschio, who had played for Racing when they won in 1967.

Marcelo Gallardo, meanwhile, coached River Plate to the 2015 and 2018 titles and was also part of the 1996 winning squad. And yes, Independiente is the club most accustomed to winning the Libertadores under the command of a former player who had already lifted the trophy: José Omar Pastoriza won as a player in 1972 and later coached the team to their last title, in 1984.

Two Uruguayans complete the list: Luis Cubilla was champion in 1960 and 1961 playing for Peñarol and again in 1971 with Nacional, and later won two titles as Olimpia’s coach in 1979 and 1990. Juan Mujica won the tournament with Nacional as a player in 1971 and as a coach in 1980.

6. The coach with the most titles is Argentine!

Retired since 2014, Argentine manager Carlos Bianchi is the coach who has won the Libertadores the most times: four. He led Vélez Sarsfield to the 1994 title and Boca Juniors to the trophies in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Known as “Mr. Libertadores,” he is also the coach who has reached the final the most times, having also lost the 2004 final with Boca.

But who has led the most different clubs to the final? Uruguayan Roberto Scarone took Peñarol to the finals in 1960 and 1961, Nacional in 1967 and Universitario in 1972 — winning only the first two. Renato Portaluppi has also taken three clubs to the final: he won with Grêmio in 2017, but finished runner-up with Fluminense in 2008 and Flamengo in 2021.

7. Only four European coaches have won the Libertadores

Who said the Libertadores is a tournament only for South American managers? Four coaches from outside the continent have won the title — a statistic that will not change in 2025. Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira may win his third trophy, having already taken Palmeiras to the 2020 and 2021 titles.

Portugal has had two other Libertadores-winning coaches: Jorge Jesus led Flamengo in 2019, and Arthur Jorge was Botafogo’s coach during their 2024 triumph. Yugoslavia also had one Libertadores-winning coach: Mirko Jozić, who led Colo-Colo to the title in 1991.

8. Four players from other continents have won the tournament

Europe has had four athletes win the Libertadores, starting with Czech midfielder Christian Rudzky, who was part of Estudiantes’ titles in 1969 and 1970. Two years later, Italian midfielder Dante Mircoli became champion with Independiente in 1972 — like Rudzky, he was an Argentine with dual nationality.

Players with passports from outside South America didn’t win the Libertadores again until 2019, when Spanish defender Pablo Marí was a starter throughout Flamengo’s campaign. The 2024 edition saw the first African player win the tournament: Angolan defender Bastos, who was part of the Botafogo squad.

And the list may continue to grow (especially if we consider dual-nationality players). If Flamengo win their seventh title, Spanish midfielder Saúl and Italian-Brazilian Jorginho will join the statistic — both defensive midfielders. But a Palmeiras victory would add Belgian-Brazilian midfielder Raphael Veiga to the list.

9. Argentine dominance also among the players with the most titles

Another statistic involving Argentina concerns the player with the most titles: former defender Francisco Sá won the tournament six times. Part of the Independiente squad that won the Libertadores from 1972 to 1975, the Argentine also won continental titles with Boca Juniors in 1977 and 1978.

Next is Uruguayan defender Ricardo Pavoni, who won the tournament five times with Independiente: in 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 — wearing the captain’s armband in the last four.

And to understand the strength of the greatest Libertadores champion of that era, eight other club players lifted the trophy four times: Argentines Miguel Ángel Santoro, Eduardo Commisso, Alejandro Semenewicz, Agustín Balbuena, Rubén Galván, Carlos Gay, Miguel Ángel López and Ricardo Bochini.

Tied with them is a quartet of Argentines who played for Boca Juniors. Hugo Ibarra, Guillermo Schelotto and Sebastián Battaglia won the titles in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007. Roberto Abbondanzieri was not part of the Xeneize squad for the last of those titles, although he was champion with Internacional in 2010.

10. Only seven teams have won the Libertadores undefeated

Regardless of the result in Lima, another statistic that will remain unchanged is the number of undefeated champions: seven. Flamengo is one of them, as they were the last club to win the Libertadores without losing a single match, in 2022.

Other teams that achieved such a difficult feat were Peñarol in 1960 and Pelé’s Santos in 1963. Estudiantes went undefeated in their 1969 and 1970 campaigns, making them the club with the most undefeated titles, and Boca Juniors can boast their undefeated triumph in 1978.

However, Corinthians can claim the undefeated title with the most matches: winning their first-ever championship in 2012, the Timão played 14 games in the tournament — including group stage and knockout rounds.

Bet on the 2025 Libertadores Final at Blaze!

We could spend hours talking about curious facts from the Libertadores Final, since the tournament has existed since 1960 and brings together the spirit so cherished by South American fans (and not so much by others, although the prestige of the competition is unanimous). But that can be saved for our warm-up for the 2026 final, still without a defined date and venue.

Stay tuned, because this Friday, November 28, we will release our special guide for the 2025 final to help you prepare. Palmeiras or Flamengo? Regardless of who becomes champion, we can guarantee one thing: you can bet on the tournament, since Ministerial Ordinance MESP No. 125/2024 authorizes wagering on professional football.

But if there is something as important as the Libertadores spirit, it is studying data, statistics and rules before placing any bet. This will help you bet more consciously and responsibly and, if you need more tips, take a look at our Sports Betting Encyclopedia.

Remember that the risks to your mental and financial health are high, and not preparing can be like facing an Argentine player in the Libertadores: the chances of collapsing are real. Bet for fun — we are talking about entertainment, not a source of income or investment!

Ready for the thrill of the biggest football match in South America? Then visit the 2025 Libertadores page at Blaze and good luck!