By Louis Smith.
The 2026 Copa Sudamericana final is almost set in stone. We head into the semi-final stage with four teams: Vasco da Gama, Atlético Mineiro, Montevideo City Torque and Boca Juniors, all gunning for a place in the final.
Vasco da Gama v Boca Juniors
We start with Vasco and Argentinian side Boca, where Vasco enjoyed a 1-0 victory in Argentina, giving them a huge advantage heading into the home leg.
It was a great cross by Andrés Gómez, who has been one of Vasco’s best players this season, which met the head of Adson, who headed past his fellow countryman Álvaro Montero to give Vasco an important 1-0 victory.
However, the disappointing thing for Vasco is that Gómez was later sent off after receiving two yellow cards, meaning they will be without a key asset for such a huge fixture.
Vasco’s last major trophy came in 2011, when they lifted the Copa do Brasil, and they haven’t won a continental trophy since 1998, when they lifted the Copa Libertadores.
Their last major final, excluding state championships, came last season in 2025, when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil.
They will be licking their lips at the prospect of booking their place in next month’s final.
For Boca, their last continental triumph came back in 2007, when they lifted the Libertadores. They have also tasted success in the Copa Sudamericana, winning the competition on two occasions, in 2004 and 2005.
However, since then, they have lost three Libertadores finals, including defeats to rivals River Plate in 2018 and, more recently, Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro after extra time in 2023.
Atlético Mineiro v Montevideo City Torque
Last season’s beaten finalists Atlético Mineiro enjoyed a fantastic 3-0 victory over Montevideo City Torque last week. Some patient play from Galo saw them take a 1-0 lead through Reinier before a lovely run, dribble and finish from Bernard saw them race into a 2-0 lead.
Then, to put the cherry on the cake, a lovely ground pass from Renan Lodi set up Thiago Borbas, who has been in good form in recent weeks, to make it 3-0.
Galo have not won a major continental title since lifting the Copa Libertadores in 2013 and have had rotten luck in recent finals. In 2024, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Botafogo despite playing the majority of the match with a man advantage.
Then, in 2025, they reached the Copa Sudamericana final, where they suffered penalty shootout heartbreak against Lanús in Asunción. It’s also worth noting that in 2024, they suffered defeat in the Copa do Brasil final.
Their opponents, Montevideo City Torque, have never featured in a continental final, having only been formed 18 years ago and since been taken over by the City Football Group.
In 2024, they were a second-division side before gaining promotion, making their run to the semi-finals even more impressive.
It’s going to be a difficult task for them to overturn a three-goal deficit. However, they can still see this season as a success, considering their small stature and relatively short history.
Despite the recent purple patch of the Uruguayan national team and the country’s continued production of talent, no Uruguayan club has reached a continental final since Peñarol did so in the Copa Libertadores in 2011.
It’s also worth noting that no Uruguayan side has ever reached a Copa Sudamericana final, so if Montevideo City Torque are to progress, they would become the first club from the country to do so.