| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 25 – July 30 |
| Teams | 21 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cruzeiro (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  River Plate |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 76 |
| Goals scored | 208 (2.74 per match) |
← 1975 1977 → | |
The Copa Libertadores 1976 was the 17th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. The tournament began on February 23 and ended on July 30.
Cruzeiro won the competition, being the first Brazilian team, after Pelé's Santos, to win the continental competition. During the tournament, Cruzeiro suffered a great setback: the loss of the player Roberto Batata, who died in a car crash.
Independiente, the defending champions who had won six consecutive titles till the 1975 edition of the tournament, were defeated in the semifinals by fellow Argentina club River Plate.