# 2018 Copa Sudamericana

The 2018 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 17th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the Copa Sudamericana, or Portuguese: Copa Sul-Americana), 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
| Association | Team (Berth) | Qualification method |
| Argentina (6 berths) | San Lorenzo (Argentina 1) | 2016–17 Primera División best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Argentina (6 berths) | Lanús (Argentina 2) | 2016–17 Primera División 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Argentina (6 berths) | Newell's Old Boys (Argentina 3) | 2016–17 Primera División 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Argentina (6 berths) | Defensa y Justicia (Argentina 4) | 2016–17 Primera División 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Argentina (6 berths) | Colón (Argentina 5) | 2016–17 Primera División 5th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Argentina (6 berths) | Rosario Central (Argentina 6) | 2016–17 Primera División 6th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Bolivia (4 berths) | Blooming (Bolivia 1) | 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Bolivia (4 berths) | Guabirá (Bolivia 2) | 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Bolivia (4 berths) | San José (Bolivia 3) | 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Bolivia (4 berths) | Nacional Potosí (Bolivia 4) | 2016–17 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | Atlético Mineiro (Brazil 1) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | Botafogo (Brazil 2) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | Atlético Paranaense (Brazil 3) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | Bahia (Brazil 4) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | São Paulo (Brazil 5) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 5th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Brazil (6 berths) | Fluminense (Brazil 6) | 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 6th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Chile (4 berths) | Unión Española (Chile 1) | 2017 Primera División runners-up playoff losers |
| Chile (4 berths) | Everton (Chile 2) | 2017 Transición best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Chile (4 berths) | Audax Italiano (Chile 3) | 2017 Transición 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Chile (4 berths) | Deportes Temuco (Chile 4) | 2017 Transición 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Colombia (4 berths) | Independiente Medellín (Colombia 1) | 2017 Primera A aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Colombia (4 berths) | América de Cali (Colombia 2) | 2017 Primera A aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Colombia (4 berths) | Deportivo Cali (Colombia 3) | 2017 Primera A aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Colombia (4 berths) | Jaguares (Colombia 4) | 2017 Primera A aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Ecuador (4 berths) | Barcelona (Ecuador 1) | 2017 Serie A aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Ecuador (4 berths) | El Nacional (Ecuador 2) | 2017 Serie A aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Ecuador (4 berths) | Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador 3) | 2017 Serie A aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Ecuador (4 berths) | LDU Quito (Ecuador 4) | 2017 Serie A Copa Sudamericana playoff winners |
| Paraguay (4 berths) | Sol de América (Paraguay 1) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Paraguay (4 berths) | General Díaz (Paraguay 2) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Paraguay (4 berths) | Sportivo Luqueño (Paraguay 3) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Paraguay (4 berths) | Nacional (Paraguay 4) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Peru (4 berths) | UTC (Peru 1) | 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Peru (4 berths) | Sport Huancayo (Peru 2) | 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Peru (4 berths) | Sport Rosario (Peru 3) | 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Peru (4 berths) | Sporting Cristal (Peru 4) | 2017 Descentralizado aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Uruguay (4 berths) | Cerro (Uruguay 1) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Uruguay (4 berths) | Boston River (Uruguay 2) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Uruguay (4 berths) | Rampla Juniors (Uruguay 3) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Uruguay (4 berths) | Danubio (Uruguay 4) | 2017 Primera División aggregate table 4th best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Venezuela (4 berths) | Mineros de Guayana (Venezuela 1) | 2017 Copa Venezuela champions |
| Venezuela (4 berths) | Estudiantes de Mérida (Venezuela 2) | 2017 Clausura classification table best team not qualified for 2018 Copa Libertadores |
| Venezuela (4 berths) | Caracas (Venezuela 3) | 2017 Apertura runners-up |
| Venezuela (4 berths) | Zamora (Venezuela 4) | 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
* Banfield
* Third-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.
| Stage | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| First stage | 20 December 2017 (Luque, Paraguay) | 13–15 & 20–22 February 201810–12 & 18 April 2018 | 6–8 March 20188–10 & 23 May 2018 |
| Second stage | 4 June 2018 (Luque, Paraguay) | 17–19, 25–26 July 20181–2 August 2018 | 24 & 31 July 20181–2, 7–9 & 14–16 August 2018 |
| Round of 16 | 4 June 2018 (Luque, Paraguay) | Week 1: 21–23 August 2018Week 2: 18–20 September 2018Week 3: 25–27 September 2018Week 4: 2–4 October 2018 | Week 1: 21–23 August 2018Week 2: 18–20 September 2018Week 3: 25–27 September 2018Week 4: 2–4 October 2018 |
| Quarterfinals | 4 June 2018 (Luque, Paraguay) | 23–25 October 2018 | 30 October – 1 November 2018 |
| Semifinals | 4 June 2018 (Luque, Paraguay) | 7–8 November 2018 | 28–29 November 2018 |
| Finals | 4 June 2018 (Luque, Paraguay) | 5 December 2018 | 12 December 2018 |

## Draws

The draw for the first stage was held on 20 December 2017, 20:00 PYST (UTC−3), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay. For the first stage, the teams were divided into two pots according to their geographical zones:
* Pot A (South Zone): 22 teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay
* Pot B (North Zone): 22 teams from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
The 44 teams were drawn into 22 ties (E1–E22) between a team from Pot A and a team from Pot B, with the teams from Pot B hosting the second leg in odd-numbered ties, and the teams from Pot A hosting the second leg in even-numbered ties. This distribution ensured that teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
The draw for the second stage was held on 4 June 2018, 20:00 PYT (UTC−4), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay. For the second stage, the teams were allocated to two pots according to their previous results in this season:
* Pot 1: 10 teams transferred from the Copa Libertadores and six best winners of the first stage from the Copa Sudamericana
* Pot 2: 16 remaining winners of the first stage from the Copa Sudamericana
The 32 teams were drawn into 16 ties (O1–O16) between a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, with the teams from Pot 1 hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.

## First stage

In the first stage, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 27).
The 22 winners of the first stage advanced to the second stage to join the 10 teams transferred from the Copa Libertadores (two best teams eliminated in the third stage of qualifying and eight third-placed teams in the group stage).
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Everton | 2–2 (a) | Caracas | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Estudiantes de Mérida | 1–3 | Deportes Temuco | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Lanús | 5–4 | Sporting Cristal | 4–2 | 1–2 |
| Deportivo Cali | 5–3 | Danubio | 3–0 | 2–3 |
| San Lorenzo | 1–0 | Atlético Mineiro | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| LDU Quito | 4–4 (a) | Guabirá | 2–1 | 2–3 |
| Nacional | 0–0 (4–3 p) | Mineros de Guayana | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Sport Rosario | 0–2 | Cerro | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Sol de América | 3–3 (a) | Independiente Medellín | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Barcelona | 1–2 | General Díaz | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Sportivo Luqueño | 2–2 (5–6 p) | Deportivo Cuenca | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| UTC | 2–4 | Rampla Juniors | 2–0 | 0–4 |
| Defensa y Justicia | 3–1 | América de Cali | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| Atlético Paranaense | 4–2 | Newell's Old Boys | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Unión Española | 0–3 | Sport Huancayo | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Jaguares | 2–4 | Boston River | 2–1 | 0–3 |
| Rosario Central | 0–1 | São Paulo | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| El Nacional | 4–3 | San José | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Blooming | 1–4 | Bahia | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Zamora | 0–3 | Colón | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Audax Italiano | 2–3 | Botafogo | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Fluminense | 3–2 | Nacional Potosí | 3–0 | 0–2 |

## Second stage

In the second stage, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 27).
The 16 winners of the second stage advanced to the round of 16 of the knockout stages.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| General Díaz | 1–5 | Millonarios | 1–1 | 0–4 |
| Nacional | 2–3 | Botafogo | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Sol de América | 0–1 | Nacional | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| São Paulo | 1–1 (3–5 p) | Colón | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Boston River | 1–2 | Banfield | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Fluminense | 3–0 | Defensor Sporting | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Atlético Paranaense | 6–1 | Peñarol | 2–0 | 4–1 |
| Deportivo Cali | 6–1 | Bolívar | 4–0 | 2–1 |
| LDU Quito | 3–2 | Vasco da Gama | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Caracas | 6–3 | Sport Huancayo | 2–0 | 4–3 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 4–4 (6–5 p) | Jorge Wilstermann | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Defensa y Justicia | 2–1 | El Nacional | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Lanús | 1–1 (2–3 p) | Junior | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| San Lorenzo | 3–1 | Deportes Temuco | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Bahia | 3–1 | Cerro | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Rampla Juniors | 0–2 | Santa Fe | 0–0 | 0–2 |

### Notes

* ^ CONMEBOL awarded San Lorenzo a 3–0 win as a result of Deportes Temuco fielding the ineligible player Jonathan Requena. The match originally ended 1–2.

## Final stages

Starting from the round of 16, the teams played a single-elimination tournament with the following rules:
* Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg (Regulations Article 22.d).
* In the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 27).
* In the finals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would not be used, and 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 28).

### Seeding

Starting from the round of 16, the teams were seeded according to the second stage draw, with each team assigned a "seed" 1–16 corresponding to the tie they win (O1–O16) (Regulations Article 22.c).

### Bracket

The bracket was decided based on the second stage draw, which was held on 4 June 2018.
| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 16 | Santa Fe (p) | 0 | 0 | 0 (5) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Millonarios | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Millonarios | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 16 | Santa Fe | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 8 | Deportivo Cali | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | LDU Quito | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 8 | Deportivo Cali | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Deportivo Cali (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Deportivo Cali (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | | | | | | 16 | Santa Fe | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 13 | Junior | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | |
| 13 | Junior | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | Junior | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Colón | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Colón | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | Junior (a) | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 12 | Defensa y Justicia | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Defensa y Justicia | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | Defensa y Justicia | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Banfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Banfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | Junior | 1 | 1 | 2 (3) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Atlético Paranaense (p) | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) |
| 15 | Bahia (p) | 2 | 1 | 3 (5) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Atlético Paranaense (p) | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) |
| 2 | Botafogo | 1 | 2 | 3 (4) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Botafogo | 1 | 2 | 3 (4) | 15 | Bahia | 0 | 1 | 1 (1) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | Atlético Paranaense (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Caracas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Atlético Paranaense (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Atlético Paranaense | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Atlético Paranaense | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | 7 | Atlético Paranaense | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Fluminense | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | |
| 11 | Deportivo Cuenca | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Fluminense | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Fluminense | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Fluminense | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Fluminense | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Nacional | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | San Lorenzo | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Nacional | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Nacional (a) | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Round of 16

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Santa Fe | 0–0 (5–3 p) | Millonarios | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Bahia | 3–3 (5–4 p) | Botafogo | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| San Lorenzo | 3–3 (a) | Nacional | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| Junior | 2–1 | Colón | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Defensa y Justicia | 2–0 | Banfield | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 0–4 | Fluminense | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Caracas | 1–4 | Atlético Paranaense | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| LDU Quito | 1–1 (1–3 p) | Deportivo Cali | 1–0 | 0–1 |

### Quarterfinals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Santa Fe | 3–2 | Deportivo Cali | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Bahia | 1–1 (1–4 p) | Atlético Paranaense | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Fluminense | 2–1 | Nacional | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Junior | 3–3 (a) | Defensa y Justicia | 2–0 | 1–3 |

### Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Santa Fe | 0–3 | Junior | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Atlético Paranaense | 4–0 | Fluminense | 2–0 | 2–0 |

### Finals

Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Atlético Paranaense won on penalties.

## Statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Team | 1S1 | 1S2 | 2S1 | 2S2 | ⅛F1 | ⅛F2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
| 1 | Nicolás Benedetti | Deportivo Cali | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | 5 |
| 1 | Pablo | Atlético Paranaense | 1 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Diomar Díaz | Caracas | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 3 | Nicolás Fernández | Defensa y Justicia | | 1 | 1 | x | | | | 2 | | | | | | 4 |
| 3 | Nikão | Atlético Paranaense | 1 | 1 | x | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 4 |
| 6 | Juan Luis Anangonó | LDU Quito | | 1 | 2 | | | x | | | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | Luis Díaz | Junior | | | | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | Teófilo Gutiérrez | Junior | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | x | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Emanuel Herrera | Sporting Cristal | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | Rodrigo Pimpão | Botafogo | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | José Sand | Deportivo Cali | 1 | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | Zé Rafael | Bahia | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| 6 | Matías Zunino | Nacional | | | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 |
Source: CONMEBOL.com

### Top assists

| Rank | Player | Team | Assists |
| 1 | Anderson Julio | LDU Quito | 3 |
| 1 | Pablo | Atlético Paranaense | 3 |
| 1 | Régis | Bahia | 3 |
| 1 | Renan Lodi | Atlético Paranaense | 3 |
| 1 | Junior Sornoza | Fluminense | 3 |
Source: CONMEBOL.com