The 2020 Copa Libertadores final was the final match which decided the winner of the 2020 Copa Libertadores, the 61st edition of the Copa Libertadores, South America's top-tier continental club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The match was played on 30 January 2021 at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Brazilian teams Palmeiras and Santos.
The final was originally scheduled to be played on 21 November 2020. However, as the tournament had been interrupted since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CONMEBOL announced on 10 July 2020 that the final would be rescheduled to be played in late January 2021, with 23, 24 or 30 January being the possible dates. Eventually, on 23 November 2020, CONMEBOL confirmed that the final would be played on 30 January 2021.
Palmeiras defeated Santos 1–0 to win their second Copa Libertadores title. As champions, Palmeiras qualified for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2020 Copa Sudamericana in the 2021 Recopa Sudamericana. They also automatically qualified for the 2021 Copa Libertadores group stage.
As of 2025, this was the only Copa Libertadores final decided in a Brazilian derby (Clássico da Saudade), as both clubs represent the state of São Paulo.
Due to pandemic precautions, attendance was limited to 5,000 spectators.
Venue
The second Copa Libertadores final played as a single match at a pre-determined venue was held at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the 34th Copa libertadores final match to take place in Brazil, and the fifth to took place in Rio de Janeiro, four of them at Maracanã and one at Estádio São Januário. The Maracanã had previously hosted the first leg of the 1963 and 1981 finals and the second leg of the 2008 finals.
Host selection On 15 October 2019, CONMEBOL announced eight venues from three national associations that reached the final stage of the bidding process to host the 2020 final:
+AssociationStadiumCityCapacityNotesEstadio Mario Alberto KempesCórdoba57,000Also bid and selected to host the 2020 Copa Sudamericana final.MineirãoBelo Horizonte61,846Arena do GrêmioPorto Alegre55,662Estádio Beira-Rio50,128Estádio do MaracanãRio de Janeiro78,838Estádio do MorumbiSão Paulo67,052Arena Corinthians49,205Estadio NacionalLima50,000Also bid to host the 2020 Copa Sudamericana final. On 17 October 2019, CONMEBOL announced that Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was chosen as the 2020 final venue during a meeting of its Council. The Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba, Argentina ended up being selected to host the 2020 Copa Sudamericana final.
Teams TeamPrevious finals appearances (bold indicates winners) Palmeiras4 (1961, 1968, 1999, 2000) Santos4 (1962, 1963, 2003, 2011)
Road to the final
Note: In all scores below, the score of the home team is given first. PalmeirasRound SantosOpponentVenueScoreOpponentVenueScoreByeQualifying stagesByeGroup BGroup stageGroup G TigreAway0–2 Defensa y JusticiaAway1–2 GuaraníHome3–1 DelfínHome1–0 BolívarAway1–2 OlimpiaHome0–0 GuaraníAway0–0 DelfínAway1–2 BolívarHome5–0 OlimpiaAway2–3 TigreHome5–0 Defensa y JusticiaHome2–1Seed 1Final stagesSeed 2 Delfín(won 8–1 on aggregate)Away1–3Round of 16 LDU Quito(tied 2–2 on aggregate, won on away goals)Away1–2Home5–0Home0–1 Libertad(won 4–1 on aggregate)Away1–1Quarter-finals Grêmio(won 5–2 on aggregate)Away1–1Home3–0Home4–1 River Plate(won 3–2 on aggregate)Away0–3Semi-finals Boca Juniors(won 3–0 on aggregate)Away0–0Home0–2Home3–0
Pre-match
Opening ceremony Sam Alves and Mariana Rios from Brazil along with Porno Graffitti, Superfly, fripSide, Takanori Nishikawa, Raychell, and One Ok Rock from Japan were part of a major live performance in a thirty-minute virtual show before the kick-off.
Setlist "Mugen" (performed by Porno Graffitti) "Tamashii Revolution" (performed by Superfly) "Only My Railgun" (performed by fripSide) "Kakumei Dualism (革命デュアリズム)" (performed by Takanori Nishikawa with Raychell) "We Are" (performed by One Ok Rock with Sam Alves and Mariana Rios)
Match Summary The most memorable moment is the last 8 minutes of added time in the second half. The Santos manager, Cuca, was sent off at 90+6th minute for hassling the ball to delay Palmeiras' throw-in. The only goal of the game came in the 9th minute of second-half stoppage time, from substitute Breno Lopes, scoring with a looping header to the top right corner of the net from seven yards out after a cross from the right by Rony.
Details
GK 1 WevertonRB 2 Marcos Rocha CB 13 LuanCB 15 Gustavo Gómez (c) LB 17 Matías Viña DM 28 DaniloRM 25 Gabriel Menino LM 8 Zé Rafael AM 23 Raphael Veiga CF 10 Luiz AdrianoCF 11 Rony Substitutes:GK 22 JailsonDF 3 Emerson SantosDF 4 Benjamín KuscevicDF 6 Alan Empereur DF 12 MaykeDF 26 RenanDF 30 Felipe Melo MF 5 Patrick de Paula MF 14 Gustavo ScarpaMF 20 Lucas LimaFW 19 Breno Lopes FW 29 WillianManager: Abel Ferreira GK 24 JohnRB 4 Pará CB 28 Lucas Veríssimo CB 14 Luan PeresLB 3 Felipe Jonatan CM 18 Sandry CM 21 Diego Pituca CM 5 Alison (c) RF 11 MarinhoCF 19 Kaio Jorge LF 10 Yeferson Soteldo Substitutes:GK 1 VladimirGK 30 João PauloDF 2 Luiz FelipeDF 13 Madson DF 20 LaércioDF 27 Wellington Tim MF 17 Jean MotaMF 22 Guilherme NunesMF 26 Vinicius BalieiroFW 23 Arthur GomesFW 33 Bruno Marques FW 36 Lucas Braga Manager: Cuca
Assistant referees: Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina) Diego Bonfa (Argentina) Fourth official: Darío Herrera (Argentina) Fifth official: Julio Fernández (Argentina) Video assistant referee: Mauro Vigliano (Argentina) Assistant video assistant referees: Jhon Ospina (Colombia) Juan Belatti (Argentina) Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Twelve named substitutes. Maximum of five substitutions.
See also 2020 Copa Sudamericana final 2021 Recopa Sudamericana Clássico da Saudade
References
External links CONMEBOL Libertadores 2020, CONMEBOL.com