1998 Copa Libertadores
The 1998 edition of the Copa Libertadores was the 39th in the tournament's history. It was held between February 25 and August 26. Mexican clubs participated in Copa Libertadores for the first time.[1] Vasco da Gama won the cup for the first time in the tournament's history, after defeating Barcelona of Ecuador in the final.
| Libertadores 1998 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 25 February – 26 August |
| Teams | 23 (from 11 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Vasco da Gama (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Barcelona |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 98 |
| Goals scored | 220 (2.24 per match) |
Pre-Libertadores
The 1998-I Pre-Libertadores tournament was played from 4 to 26 February 1998.[2]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GUA | AME | CAR | ZUL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guadalajara |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 10 | 1998 Copa Libertadores Group 2 | — | — | 4–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | América |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | — | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Caracas |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 5 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | — | ||
| 4 | Atlético Zulia |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 0 | 2–3 | 0–2 | — | — |
Teams
The following 21 teams from 10 associations (9 CONMEBOL members plus Mexico which obtained two slots via the Pre-Libertadores) qualified for the tournament:
- Defending champions
- All associations: 2 berths each
The entry stage is determined as follows:
- Final stage: 1 team (Defending champions)
- Group stage: 20 teams (two teams from each CONMEBOL association, and the top two teams from Pre-Libertadores tournament)
| Association | Team (Berth) | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|
 Argentina2 berths |
River Plate (Argentina 1) | 1996 Torneo Apertura and 1997 Torneo Apertura champions |
| Colón (Argentina 2) | 1996 Torneo Apertura runners-up and 1997 Torneo Apertura runners-up play-off winners | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bolivia2 berths |
Bolívar (Bolivia 1) | 1997 Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano champions |
| Oriente Petrolero (Bolivia 2) | 1997 Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano runners-up | |
| Brazil Brazil 2 + 1 berths |
Cruzeiro (Title holders) | 1997 Copa Libertadores champions |
| Vasco da Gama (Brazil 1) | 1997 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A champions | |
| Grêmio (Brazil 2) | 1997 Copa do Brasil champions | |
 Chile2 berths |
Universidad Católica (Chile 1) | 1997 Torneo Apertura champions |
| Colo-Colo (Chile 2) | 1997 Torneo Clausura champions | |
 Colombia2 berths |
América de Cali (Colombia 1) | 1996–97 Categoría Primera A season champions |
| Atlético Bucaramanga (Colombia 2) | 1996–97 Categoría Primera A season runners-up | |
| Ecuador 2 berths |
Barcelona (Ecuador 1) | 1997 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A champions |
| Deportivo Quito (Ecuador 2) | 1997 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A runners-up | |
| Mexico 3 berths |
Guadalajara (Mexico 1) | 1998-I Pre-Libertadores tournament winners |
| América (Mexico 2) | 1998-I Pre-Libertadores tournament runners-up | |
 Paraguay2 berths |
Olimpia (Paraguay 1) | 1997 Paraguayan Primera División season champions |
| Cerro Porteño (Paraguay 2) | 1997 Paraguayan Primera División season runners-up | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Peru 2 berths |
Alianza Lima (Peru 1) | 1997 Torneo Descentralizado champions |
| Sporting Cristal (Peru 2) | 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores winners | |
 Uruguay2 berths |
Peñarol (Uruguay 1) | 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores winners |
| Nacional (Uruguay 2) | 1997 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores runners-up |
Group stage
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The teams were ranked according to the following criteria: 1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss); 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored.
The winners, runners-up and third placed teams of each group advanced to the round of 16 of the final stages.
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AME | BSC | BUC | SDQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | América de Cali |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 11 | Round of 16 | — | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Barcelona |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 9 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Atlético Bucaramanga |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 7 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Deportivo Quito |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 5 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GRE | VAS | AME | GUA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grêmio |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 12 | Round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Vasco da Gama |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | América |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 8 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Guadalajara |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 6 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | OLI | C-C | CCP | UCA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Olimpia |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 13 | Round of 16 | — | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Colo-Colo |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 7 | 1–3 | — | 1–2 | 3–2 | ||
| 3 | Cerro Porteño |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 7 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 4 | Universidad Católica |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 7 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — |
Final stages
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Seeding
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Bracket
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Round of 16
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Quarter-finals
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Semi-finals
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Finals
1998 Copa Libertadores final stages
Champion
| Copa Libertadores 1998 Winners |
|---|
Vasco da Gama First title |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | GS1 | GS2 | GS3 | GS4 | GS5 | GS6 | ⅛F1 | ⅛F2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sérgio João |
Bolívar |
2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |||||||
| 2 | Juan Pablo Ángel |
River Plate |
1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||
| Luizão |
Vasco da Gama |
2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Luis Monzón |
Olimpia |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | Agustín Delgado |
Barcelona |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Donizete |
Vasco da Gama |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| José María Franco |
Peñarol |
4 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Guilherme |
Grêmio |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Broadcasting rights
Americas
Latin America: Sportsnet, TSN, TVC Sports, CMD and Best Cable Sports
References
- "Grêmio enfrenta mexicanos e maratona". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- Minniti, Javier. "Recuento histórico de la Liguilla entre Venezuela y México" [Liguilla history between Venezuela and Mexico] (in Spanish). University of the Andes. Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2023.