By Bill Turianski on the 3rd of April 2022; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2022 Copa Libertadores/Group Stage (en.wikipedia.org).
-Copa Libertadores (worldfootball.net).
-Summary – CONMEBOL Libertadores [2022 Group Stage] (soccerway.com).
The Group Stage (of 32) begins on 5-7 April (1st game-week).
The group stage, consisting of 6 match-weeks, will last 8 weeks. Two-weeks gaps: after the 2nd game-week, and after the 4th game-week. The 6th and final game-week is 24-26 May. The Round of 16 is in late June & early July. The Final is in October, in Guayaquil, Ecuador: on 29 October 2022 at Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, which is owned and operated by Barcelona SC.
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The map…
Teams are shown in the two flanking sections on either side of the map, organized by country. Shown there in the country-groupings are each team’s all-time total Libertadores appearances (in the tan-colored column), and Libertadores titles (in the pale-blue-colored column). At the far left of the map-page is the Libertadores titles list by club (25 clubs have won a Libertadores title). At the far right is the Libertadores titles list by country (of the 62 Libertadores titles, 25 have been won by Argentine teams, and 21 have been won by Brazilian teams).
Teams which had to play in the 3 Preliminary Stages [19 teams] are shown in italics (lowest-ranked qualifiers). From these 19 teams, only 4 qualified for the Group Stage of 32:
América Mineiro (BRA), Estudiantes (ARG), Olimpia (PAR), The Strongest (BOL). Those four teams remain on the map here, while the other 15 preliminary-round teams who were eliminated are no longer on the map here.
So that makes the breakdown for the 2022 Libertadores Group Stage the following…
• Brazil, 8 teams (6 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries] + the Cup Holder: Palmeiras + the Copa Sudamericana winner: Athletico Paranaense).
• Argentina, 6 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries].
• Paraguay, 3 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries].
• Bolivia, 3 teams [including 1 team from the preliminaries].
• Uruguay, 2 teams.
• Colombia, 2 teams.
• Chile, 2 teams.
• Ecuador, 2 teams.
• Peru, 2 teams.
• Venezuela, 2 teams.
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- Below: The 4 clubs making their Copa Libertadores Group Stage debuts in 2022
• América Mineiro (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state, Brazil)
América Mineiro are the third-largest club in Belo Horizonte, behind two-time Libertadores winners Cruzeiro, and one-time Libertadores winners Atlético Mineiro. Belo Horizonte is the 7th-largest city in South America, with a metro-area population of around 5.8 million. Belo Horizonte is situated inland, and is located, by road, 438 km (272 mi) N of Rio de Janeiro. América Futebol Clube (MG), est. 1912, have played 18 seasons in the Brazilian top-flight, starting in 1971. América Mineiro wear green-and-black vertically-striped jerseys. In the last decade-and-half América Mineiro have moved out of the third tier and have become a Série A/Série B yo-yo club. In 2009, América Mineiro were promoted to Série B. In the following year of 2010, América Mineiro were promoted again, to Série A. That same year of 2010 saw the club renovating their ground. But in 2011, América Mineiro were relegated back to the 2nd tier. Three years later, in 2015, they were promoted back to Série A, only to go back down to Série B again in 2016. Then América Mineiro did it again: up to the top flight in 2017; down once again to the 2nd division in 2018. In 2019, though, they remained in Série B. In 2020, they were promoted once again to Série A. And in 2021, América Mineiro finished in 8th place in the Brasileiro, which was good enough for Brazil’s final Libertadores preliminary-round spot. In the 2022 Libertadores preliminaries’ 2nd round in February, América Mineiro beat Guaraní (of Paraguay), on penalties. Then in the preliminaries’ 3rd round in March, América Mineiro beat Barcelona SC (of Ecuador), on penalties. So in the 2022 Libertadores Group Stage, América Mineiro make their Libertadores group stage debut, playing in a group that includes local rivals Atlético Mineiro. América Mineiro play at the 23-K-capacity Estádio Independência, which is a rather decent four-stand arena that was opened in 1950, and extensively renovated in 2010-12. América Mineiro’s pre-COVID attendance figures were: 6,479 per league match in Série A in 2018, and 3,907 per league match in Série B in 2019.
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• Fortaleza (Fortaleza, Ceará state, Brazil)
Fortaleza are from Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará, up in the northeast of Brazil. Fortaleza is the 11th-largest city in South America, with a metro-area population of around 3.9 million. Fortaleza Esporte Clube, est. 1918, have played 24 seasons in the Brazilian top-flight, starting in 1959, but had never played in the Copa Libertadores. Fortaleza had earned a Libertadores spot though, back in 1968, when they finished as runners-up in Brazil. But the Brazilian fútbol authorities decided to void their 1969 Copa Libertadores spots (2 spots), because that would (supposedly) come in conflict with the Brazilian national team’s preparations for the 1970 World Cup Qualifiers. Five years ago, in 2017, stuck in the third division, Fortaleza won promotion from Série C. Four years ago, in 2018, Fortaleza won their second-straight promotion, finishing in 1st in Série B and drawing a 2nd-tier-best 29,400 per league match. Then three years ago, in 2019, Fortaleza were finally back in Série A, and were one of the highest-drawing Brazilian clubs, drawing 33,800 per league match. They finished in a decent 9th place in 2019. But in their second season back in the top tier, in 2020, Fortaleza almost got relegated, finishing in 16th and only avoiding the drop on goal-difference. However, last year, in 2021, Fortaleza had an amazing turnaround and finished in 4th place in the 2021 Brasileiro. That was good enough for Fortaleza to win their first-ever Copa Libertadores spot: an automatic qualification for the 2022 Libertadores group stage. Fortaleza wear blue-and-red-horizontally-striped jerseys. They play at the 63-K-capacity Castelão, which they share with local rivals Ceará Sporting Club (who are also currently a top-flight club).
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• Independiente Petrolero (Sucre, Bolivia)
With a population of around 390,000, Sucre is the 6th-largest city in Bolivia, sitting 1.7 miles up in the thin air, 2,810 meters (9,220 ft) above sea level. Sucre is located, by road, 689 km (428 mi) SE of La Paz. Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, and the capital of the Chuquisaca Department. The club was established in 1932, as Independiente Sporting Club. In 1953, the club began to be administered by Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), and changed its name to Club Independiente Petrolero. The club have played 22 seasons in the Bolivian Primera División, starting in 1972. They won their first Bolivian title in 2021, one year after winning promotion back to the top tier. Independiente Petrolero wear red-and-white-vertically-striped jerseys. They share a 32-K-capacity ground, Estadio Olímpico Patria, with local rivals Universitario de Sucre.
Image credit above – Independiente Petrolero jersey badge via footballkitarchive.com.
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• Red Bull Bragantino (Bragança Paulista, São Paulo state, Brazil)
Red Bull Bragantino are owned by Austrian energy drink conglomerate Red Bull GmbH, and feature Red Bull’s logo, and, like the Bundesliga’s Red Bull Leipzig, and the Austrian Bundesliga’s Red Bull Salzburg, and Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, they wear white jerseys with red pants. They are located in the city of Bragança Paulista (population of 170,000), which is on the northern outer edge of the sprawling São Paulo metro-area, 67 km (42 mi) N of the São Paulo city-centre. Before April 2019, the club was called Clube Atlético Bragantino, and wore black-and-white. The club has played 12 seasons in the Brazilian top-flight, starting in 1990. Like Fortaleza, Red Bull Bragantino have recently won back-to-back promotions – they were promoted up to Série B in 2018, and then were promoted up to Série A in 2019. Red Bull Bragantino finished in 10th place in the Brasileiro in 2020. Then last year in 2021, they finished in 6th, which is Brazil’s last Libertadores group stage spot. Red Bull Bragantino play at the 17-K-capacity Estádio Nabi Abi Chedid. As one can see by that capacity figure, Red Bull Bragantino are not that large a club: pre-COVID [2019], Bragantino were drawing 6,200 per league match in Série B. But the club is able to compete at the top-flight level thanks to Red Bull’s financial clout.
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Thanks to all at the links below…
-Globe-map of South America by Luan at File:South America (orthographic projection).svg (en.wikipedia.org/[South America]).
-Blank map of South America by Anbans 585 at File:CONMEBOL laea location map without rivers.svg (en.wikipedia.org/[2018 Copa Libertadores]).
-Copa Libertadores 1960-2019 Club Histories (rsssf.com).
-Libertadores titles list {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Libertadores#Performances_by_club}.
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