| Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021 | |
|---|---|
 The Estadio Centenario in Montevideo hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 16 March – 20 November 2021 |
| Teams | 44+12 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Athletico Paranaense (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Red Bull Bragantino |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 157 |
| Goals scored | 389 (2.48 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Agustín Álvarez Martínez (10 goals) |
The 2021 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 20th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the Copa Sudamericana, or Portuguese: Copa Sul-Americana), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.[1]
Starting from this season, teams must be in the top division of their member association to play in South American club competitions,[2] except for teams which are champions of the qualifying tournaments or cups.[3]
On 14 May 2020, CONMEBOL announced the candidate venues for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 club competition finals.[4][5] On 13 May 2021, CONMEBOL announced that the final would be played at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay on 6 November 2021,[6] but on 27 July 2021 the final was eventually confirmed to have been rescheduled to 20 November 2021.[7]
Brazilian club Athletico Paranaense defeated fellow Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino by a 1–0 score in the final to win their second tournament title.[8] As winners of the 2021 Copa Sudamericana, Athletico Paranaense earned the right to play against the winners of the 2021 Copa Libertadores in the 2022 Recopa Sudamericana. They also automatically qualified for the 2022 Copa Libertadores group stage.
Defensa y Justicia were the defending champions, but did not play this edition since they qualified for the 2021 Copa Libertadores group stage as Copa Sudamericana champions and later advanced to the knockout stage.
- ^ "Manual de Clubes / Reglamento CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2021" (PDF). CONMEBOL.com.
- ^ "CONMEBOL actualiza criterios de elegibilidad de clubes para sus torneos del 2020". CONMEBOL.com. 22 May 2019.
- ^ "CONMEBOL recuerda los requisitos exigibles para participar en la Libertadores y Sudamericana 2021". CONMEBOL.com. 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Ciudades postulantes para las Finales Únicas de los próximos tres años". CONMEBOL.com. 14 May 2020.
- ^ "POSTULANTES A LAS FINALES 2021, 2022 Y 2023" (PDF). CONMEBOL.com.
- ^ "El Estadio Centenario de Montevideo será la sede de las finales de CONMEBOL Libertadores y Sudamericana". ESPN Argentina. 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Fechas confirmadas para las Finales Únicas". CONMEBOL.com. 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Athletico Paranaense, bicampeón de la CONMEBOL Sudamericana" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 20 November 2021.