Copa Libertadores
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Copa Libertadores de America (Libertadores Cup or Copa Libertadores) is a football competition between the best club teams in South America and Mexico. The teams are qualified based on how well they did in the national tournament. The last year winner has assured participation. The tournament is run by Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL).
Copa Libertadores de America is played annually. It usually happens between the months of February and June (South American summer and fall). Its winner is qualified for the annual FIFA Club World Cup.
Libertadores starts in January with the worst classified team of each country playing for to be a part of the "Main Draw". In February, the Main Draw begins. It is made up of 8 groups with 4 clubs in each group. Each team plays 6 games. They play three home games and three away games. The top 2 clubs in every group advance to the next round. A total of 16 clubs play in the playoffs.
The better qualified clubs in the Main Draw take advantage of playing the second game of each round of the playoffs at home. Libertadores goes on with clubs playing home and away, round after round till the Finals.
Unlike European club competitions, the Copa Libertadores, in the past, did not use extra time or away goals to decide a tie. Starting with the 2005 event, CONMEBOL began to use the away goals rule, with the extra time used only in the final matches.
[change] Teams in 2007
The 2007 edition will have the competitors distributed this way:
- The 2006 winner: Internacional of Brazil
- 5 clubs from Argentina
- 5 clubs from Brazil
- 3 clubs from Bolivia
- 3 clubs from Chile
- 3 clubs from Colombia
- 3 clubs from Ecuador
- 3 clubs from Mexico
- 3 clubs from Paraguay
- 3 clubs from Peru
- 3 clubs from Uruguay
- 3 clubs from Venezuela
The lowest-ranked team from each country and the second lowest-ranked team from the country of the previous year's champion, will enter the preliminary round. The winners will join the other 26 teams in the Main Draw.
