The 2018 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 17th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the Copa Sudamericana, or ), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.
Brazilian club Atlético Paranaense defeated Colombian club Junior by 4–3 on penalties in the finals after a 2–2 draw on aggregate score to win their first tournament title. As champions, Atlético Paranaense earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018 Copa Libertadores in the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana, and the winners of the 2018 J.League Cup in the 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship. They also automatically qualified for the 2019 Copa Libertadores group stage. Independiente were the defending champions, but did not play in this edition as they qualified for the 2018 Copa Libertadores group stage as Copa Sudamericana champions and later advanced to the knockout stage.
Teams The following 44 teams from the 10 CONMEBOL associations qualified for the tournament, entering the first stage: Argentina and Brazil: 6 berths each All other associations: 4 berths each
AssociationTeam Qualification method ArgentinaSan Lorenzo 2016–17 Primera División best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresLanús 2016–17 Primera División 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresNewell's Old Boys 2016–17 Primera División 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresDefensa y Justicia 2016–17 Primera División 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresColón 2016–17 Primera División 5th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresRosario Central 2016–17 Primera División 6th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores BoliviaBlooming 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresGuabirá 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSan José 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresNacional Potosí 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores BrazilAtlético Mineiro 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresBotafogo 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresAtlético Paranaense 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresBahia 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSão Paulo 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 5th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresFluminense 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 6th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores ChileUnión Española 2017 Primera División runners-up playoff losersEverton 2017 Transición best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresAudax Italiano 2017 Transición 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresDeportes Temuco 2017 Transición 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores ColombiaIndependiente Medellín 2017 Primera A aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresAmérica de Cali 2017 Primera A aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresDeportivo Cali 2017 Primera A aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresJaguares 2017 Primera A aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores EcuadorBarcelona 2017 Serie A aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresEl Nacional 2017 Serie A aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresDeportivo Cuenca 2017 Serie A aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresLDU Quito 2017 Serie A Copa Sudamericana playoff winners ParaguaySol de América 2017 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresGeneral Díaz 2017 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSportivo Luqueño 2017 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresNacional 2017 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores PeruUTC 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSport Huancayo 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSport Rosario 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresSporting Cristal 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores UruguayCerro 2017 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresBoston River 2017 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresRampla Juniors 2017 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresDanubio 2017 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores VenezuelaMineros de Guayana 2017 Copa Venezuela championsEstudiantes de Mérida 2017 Clausura classification table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa LibertadoresCaracas 2017 Apertura runners-upZamora 2017 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores
A further 10 teams eliminated from the 2018 Copa Libertadores were transferred to the Copa Sudamericana, entering the second stage.
Best teams eliminated in third stage Jorge Wilstermann BanfieldThird-placed teams in group stage Defensor Sporting Bolívar Peñarol Santa Fe Vasco da Gama Nacional Millonarios Junior
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows.
StageDraw dateFirst legSecond legFirst stage20 December 2017(Luque, Paraguay)Second stage4 June 2018(Luque, Paraguay)Round of 16Quarterfinals23–25 October 201830 October – 1 November 2018Semifinals7–8 November 201828–29 November 2018Finals5 December 201812 December 2018
Draws
First stage
Second stage
Final stages
Seeding
Bracket
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals
Statistics
Top scorers RankPlayerTeamTotal1 Nicolás Benedetti Deportivo Cali1111 15 Pablo Atlético Paranaense1 1 1 113 Diomar Díaz Caracas 13 4 Nicolás Fernández Defensa y Justicia 11x 2 Nikão Atlético Paranaense11x1 1 6 Juan Luis Anangonó LDU Quito 12 x3 Luis Díaz Junior 1 11 Teófilo Gutiérrez Junior 11x1 Emanuel Herrera Sporting Cristal21 Rodrigo Pimpão Botafogo1 11 José Sand Deportivo Cali1 1 1 Zé Rafael Bahia 2 1 Matías Zunino Nacional 1 11
Top assists RankPlayerTeamAssists1 Anderson Julio LDU Quito3 Pablo Atlético Paranaense Régis Bahia Renan Lodi Atlético Paranaense Junior Sornoza Fluminense
See also 2018 Copa Libertadores 2019 Recopa Sudamericana 2019 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship
References
External links
CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2018, CONMEBOL.com