# 2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores

The 2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores (Spanish: Copa Libertadores Sub-20 2016) was the 3rd edition of the U-20 Copa Libertadores, South America's premier under-20 club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The tournament, which returned after a four-year hiatus having been temporarily discontinued since 2012, was held in the cities of Asunción and Luque, Paraguay, from 30 January to 14 February 2016.

## Teams

The competition was contested by 12 teams: the title holder, the champion club from each of the ten CONMEBOL member associations, and one additional team from the host association Paraguay.
Players must be born on or after 1 January 1996. However, each team may include a maximum of five players born on or after 1 January 1995.
| Association | Team | Qualifying method | Participation | Best result |
| Argentina | River Plate | Title holder (2012 champion) | 2nd | Champion (2012) |
| Argentina | Lanús | 2015 Torneo de Cuarta División champion | 1st | n/a |
| Bolivia | Bolívar | 2015 U-20 Torneo Nacional champion | 1st | n/a |
| Brazil | São Paulo | 2015 U-20 Copa do Brasil champion | 1st | n/a |
| Chile | Huachipato | 2015 U-19 National champion | 1st | n/a |
| Colombia | Cortuluá | 2015 U-20 Torneo Postobón champion | 1st | n/a |
| Ecuador | Independiente del Valle | 2015 U-18 Serie A champion | 3rd | Quarterfinals (2011) |
| Paraguay | Cerro Porteño | 2015 U-20 Torneo Apertura champion | 2nd | Quarterfinals (2012) |
| Paraguay | Libertad | 2015 U-20 Torneo Clausura champion | 2nd | Quarterfinals (2011) |
| Peru | Melgar | 2015 U-18 Copa Federación champion | 1st | n/a |
| Uruguay | Liverpool | 2015 U-19 Annual champion | 1st | n/a |
| Venezuela | Deportivo La Guaira | 2015 U-20 Torneo Venezolano champion | 2nd | Group stage (2012) |

## Venues

The tournament was played in four venues in two cities, all in the Metropolitan Area of Asunción:
* Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
* Estadio Dr. Nicolás Léoz, Asunción (home stadium of Club Libertad)
* Estadio Manuel Ferreira, Asunción (home stadium of Club Olimpia)
* Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luque (home stadium of Sportivo Luqueño)

## Group stage

The draw of the tournament was held on 15 January 2016, 12:00 local time, at the headquarters of the Paraguayan Football Association in Asunción. For the group stage, the 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four. The two teams from Paraguay (Cerro Porteño and Libertad) and the title holder (River Plate) were seeded.
In the group stage, the teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:
* Goal difference in all games;
* Goals scored in all games;
* Head-to-head result in games between tied teams;
* Penalty shoot-out (between two teams playing against each other in the last match of the group)
* Drawing of lots.
The winners of each group and the best runner-up among all groups advanced to the knockout stage.
All times local, PYST (UTC−3).

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Liverpool | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 6 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Lanús | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Knockout stage |
| 3 | Cerro Porteño (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Bolívar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 0 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | São Paulo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Libertad (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Independiente del Valle | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4 | |
| 4 | Melgar | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 1 | |

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cortuluá | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 6 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Huachipato | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | River Plate | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | Deportivo La Guaira | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | |

### Ranking of second-placed teams

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | A | Lanús | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | C | Huachipato | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | B | Libertad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |

## Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the winners of the semi-finals (Group A winner vs. Group C winner; Group B winner vs. Best runner-up) advanced to the final, while the losers played in the third place match. If tied after regulation time, the penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (no extra time was played).

### Bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| 11 February – Manuel Ferreira | 11 February – Manuel Ferreira |
| Liverpool (pen.) | 0 (7) |
| Liverpool (pen.) | 0 (7) | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco |
| Cortuluá | 0 (6) | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco |
| Cortuluá | 0 (6) | Liverpool | 0 |
| 11 February – Manuel Ferreira | 11 February – Manuel Ferreira | | Liverpool | 0 |
| 11 February – Manuel Ferreira | 11 February – Manuel Ferreira | São Paulo | 1 |
| São Paulo | 3 | São Paulo | 1 |
| Lanús | 2 | | |
| Lanús | 2 | Third place | Third place |
| | | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco | 14 February – Defensores del Chaco |
| | | Cortuluá | 1 |
| | | Lanús | 0 |

### Final
## Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | São Paulo | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 13 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 7 |
| Eliminated in the Semi-finals ||||||||||
| 3 | Cortuluá | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 10 |
| 4 | Lanús | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 |
| Eliminated in the First Stage ||||||||||
| 5 | Cerro Porteño | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 |
| 6 | Huachipato | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
| 7 | River Plate | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
| 8 | Libertad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 |
| 9 | Independiente del Valle | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 |
| 10 | Melgar | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 1 |
| 11 | Deportivo La Guaira | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 0 |
| 12 | Bolívar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 0 |