Success of Brazilians in the round of 16 of Libertadores has almost doubled since the redesign of the tournament

The round of 16 of the Libertadores da América starts this Tuesday (28). In all, six Brazilian clubs go to the field in search of classification in the most important tournament on the continent.

Athletico Paranaense, Atlético Mineiro, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fortaleza and the defending champion Palmeiras represent Brazil in the international competition. The recent retrospective plays in favor of the Brazilians.

Five years ago, in 2017, a new Libertadores dispute system came into force, which extended the preliminary phase of the competition. With the change, the number of places in the tournament that Brazil has went from five to seven.

Since then, the number of Brazilian clubs that have surpassed the round of 16 of the competition and reached the quarterfinals has almost doubled.

Brazilians dominate acute phases of Libertadores

The clashes of the round of 16, which start this Tuesday, will define how many Brazilians advance to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Libertadores.

During the other four seasons in which the new vacancy system was in effect – from 2018 to 2021 – in 15 opportunities clubs in Brazil surpassed the round of 16.

In the four years prior to the reformulation – from 2014 to 2017 – in only eight times Brazilian clubs advanced to the quarterfinals. In other words, the change leveraged 87% of the green and yellow success in this stage of the competition.

The positive results do not end on Wednesdays. In the four years that followed the creation of the “G6”, Brazilians advanced to the semifinals on nine occasions. In the previous period, only three had qualified. A three times higher success rate.

If you look at the Libertadores finals, the increase in dominance is even sharper. Among the vacancies of the last four continental decisions, five were occupied by teams from Brazil. In the previous period, only Grêmio, in 2017, advanced to the final stage. The number of Brazilian finalists increased fivefold.

Brazil and Argentina polarize continent

The redesign of the tournament not only leveraged the performance of Brazilians. Argentine teams, likewise, have increased the frequency with which they visit the high stages of Libertadores since the move.

In the last four years, 24 places in the quarterfinals of Libertadores were occupied by Brazilian or Argentine teams. From 2014 to 2017, there were 18.

Since the remodeling, no club from outside the “Brazil and Argentina axis” has reached the final of the tournament. The last to reach the Libertadores final was Atlético Nacional, from Colombia, in 2016, when they won the title.

It is not possible to guarantee the existence of a relationship between the two vacancies that Brazil received after the reformulation and this success. This is because the clubs that conquer these positions enter the preliminary stages of the competition, which even precede the group stage.

Brazil was also not the only beneficiary of the change in the tournament’s dispute formula. Argentina and Colombia were others that received two new spots for the continental competition. Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru won one.

the clashes

Among the six Brazilians classified for the round of 16 of Libertadores 2022, three are already on the field this Tuesday (28). Check out the matches and dates below:

• Atlético Mineiro X Emelec (EQU) – George Capwell Stadium, Ecuador – Tuesday
  (28), at 7:15 pm;
• Athletico Paranaense X Libertad (PAR) – Arena da Baixada, Paraná – Tuesday
  (28), at 9:30 pm;
• Corinthians X Boca Juniors (ARG) – Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo – Tuesday
  (28), at 9:30 pm;
• Palmeiras X Cerro Porteño (PAR) – La Olla Stadium, Paraguay – Wednesday (29),
  at 7:15 pm;
• Flamengo X Tolima (COL) – Manuel Murillo Toro Stadium, Colombia – Wednesday
  (29), at 9:30 pm;
• Fortaleza X Estudiantes (ARG) – Castelão, Ceará – Thursday, at 21:30.

(Posted by Carolina Farias)