| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 24 – July 27 |
| Teams | 21 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Olimpia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Boca Juniors |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 75 |
| Goals scored | 212 (2.83 per match) |
The 1979 Copa Libertadores represented the 20th edition of the tournament, which saw Olimpia of Paraguay win the title for the first time. They defeated the defending champions, Boca Juniors of Argentina. Olimpia's title was the first instance of a team from a country other than Uruguay, Argentina or Brazil winning Copa Libertadores. This allowed the Paraguayan side to play the Intercontinental Cup against Malmö FF of Sweden, in which the South American side won.