The group stage draw for the Copa Sudamericana, which will feature six Argentine teams, will be held this Thursday in Luque, Paraguay, where CONMEBOL is headquartered. This edition of the Copa Sudamericana will see the participation of several major Argentine teams, as River Plate, Racing, and San Lorenzo qualified through the annual standings, as did Deportivo Riestra, Tigre, and Barracas Central. For River Plate and Racing, qualification for this Copa Sudamericana is somewhat of a punishment for their poor 2025 season at the domestic level, as the main objective for both teams is the Copa Libertadores. The two teams have each won the Sudamericana once. River Plate did so in 2014 and Racing in 2024, to end a 36-year drought without international titles. San Lorenzo, for its part, is going through a serious institutional crisis, although with a very limited squad, they managed to achieve a notable qualification to the second most important club tournament in America. Deportivo Riestra and Barracas Central, for their part, will be playing in this competition for the first time after their historic qualifications. Finally, Tigre, which had a great start to 2026 and is fourth in Zone B of the Apertura Tournament, will seek revenge for what happened in 2012, when they lost in the final to São Paulo of Brazil. Argentina wants to extend its dominance in the Copa Sudamericana Argentine teams have shown great historical dominance in the Copa Sudamericana, a competition in which they are the most successful winners. Throughout history, the Argentine champions have been San Lorenzo in 2002, Boca in 2004 and 2005, Arsenal in 2007, Independiente in 2010 and 2017, Lanús in 2013 and 2025, River in 2014, Defensa y Justicia in 2020, and Racing in 2024. In this way, Argentina dominates the list of countries with the most Sudamericana titles with 11, surpassing Brazil's five and Ecuador's four.
