The 2021 Copa Libertadores group stage was played from 20 April to 27 May 2021.[1] A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the final stages of the 2021 Copa Libertadores.[2]
The draw for the group stage was held on 9 April 2021, 12:00 PYT (UTC−4), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.[3] [4]
Teams were seeded by their CONMEBOL Clubs ranking as of 1 February 2021 (shown in parentheses),[5] [6] taking into account the following three factors:[7]
For the group stage, the 32 teams were drawn into eight groups (Groups A–H) of four containing a team from each of the four pots. Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group, excluding the four winners of the third stage, which were seeded in Pot 4 and whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, and could be drawn into the same group with another team from the same association.
The following were the four winners of the third stage of qualifying which joined the 28 direct entrants in the group stage.
| Match | Third stage winners | |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | Atlético Nacional (7) | |
| G2 | Independiente del Valle (20) | |
| G3 | Junior (27) | |
| G4 | Santos (9) |
In the group stage, each group is played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The teams are 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; 4. Away goals scored; 5. CONMEBOL ranking (Regulations Article 2.4.2).[2]
The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16 of the final stages. The third-placed teams of each group entered the round of 16 of the 2021 Copa Sudamericana.
The schedule of each matchday was as follows (Regulations Article 2.2.2).[1] [2] [8] [9] [10] [11]
| Matchday | Dates | Matches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 20–22 April 2021 | Team 4 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 1 | |
| Matchday 2 | 27–29 April 2021 | Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 4 | |
| Matchday 3 | 4–6 May 2021 | Team 2 vs. Team 1, Team 4 vs. Team 3 | |
| Matchday 4 | 11–13 May 2021 | Team 3 vs. Team 2, Team 4 vs. Team 1 | |
| Matchday 5 | 18–20 May 2021 | Team 1 vs. Team 2, Team 3 vs. Team 4 | |
| Matchday 6 | 25–27 May 2021 | Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 4 |
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