Copa Libertadores Final 2026: Date, Time, TV and Tickets

SPORTS · COPA LIBERTADORES · GUIDE

Updated 23 October 2026

The Copa Libertadores final is one match on Saturday 28 November at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, and it decides the club champion of South America. Palmeiras of Brazil play Estudiantes of Argentina.

CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body, has not announced the kick-off time. For US viewers, beIN SPORTS holds exclusive US rights to the competition for 2023 to 2026, and packages that include a ticket are on sale now through the travel agency ABSOLUT Sport, while CONMEBOL’s own ticket sale had not opened as of 21 October.

In Spanish this match is la final de la Copa Libertadores 2026, the title game of the Conmebol Libertadores.

Date, Time and Venue

CONMEBOL confirmed on 19 March that the final will be played in Montevideo on Saturday 28 November, as a single match with no second leg. It is the second single-match final in the Uruguayan capital, after Palmeiras beat Flamengo 2–1 there in 2021 with a goal five minutes into extra time.

More than 55,000 people watched that 2021 final at the Estadio Centenario, which also staged the first leg of the first Libertadores final, Peñarol against Olimpia, on 12 June 1960. Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), has called this the last final in the stadium’s original 1930 form, before remodelling for the 2030 World Cup.

CONMEBOL has not published a kick-off time, and the fixture page for the final still lists it as to be confirmed. Montevideo stays on UTC−3 all year, so on 28 November it is two hours ahead of New York, three hours ahead of Chicago and five hours ahead of Los Angeles.

US clocks go back on Sunday 1 November, so the final is played after the change to standard time. That is why a 21:30 kick-off in Brazil was 8:30 p.m. in New York in October but would be 7:30 p.m. there after the change.

What It Means for You

The kick-off time and CONMEBOL’s own ticket prices are still unknown, so there is little reason to commit to non-refundable travel yet. ABSOLUT’s packages carry published prices, so compare them with CONMEBOL’s sale once it opens, and register on the official ticketing page.

The final falls on the Saturday after US Thanksgiving, which is Thursday 26 November, so check return-flight availability for that weekend early. In late November Montevideo is only two hours ahead of New York, so East Coast fans face little time-zone change.

The Finalists

Palmeiras, from São Paulo, have won the Libertadores three times and reach their eighth final, a year after losing the 2025 final to Flamengo. Estudiantes de La Plata, from the city of La Plata south-east of Buenos Aires, are four-time champions and are back among the last four after 17 years.

Palmeiras lost the return leg 1–0 to Fluminense at Nubank Parque on Wednesday 21 October through a late goal from Hércules, but their 2–1 win at the Maracanã on 14 October left the tie level at 2–2 and they won the shoot-out 5–3. Estudiantes drew 0–0 with Flamengo at the Maracanã on Thursday 22 October after a 0–0 draw in La Plata, and won the shoot-out 3–2 after Baltasar Rodríguez was sent off.

Fernando Muslera, the 40-year-old Uruguayan goalkeeper of Estudiantes, saved three Flamengo penalties in the shoot-out. He now plays a final in Uruguay, at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

Where to Watch in the United States

beIN SPORTS announced in 2022 exclusive US and Canadian rights to the Copa Libertadores for 2023 to 2026. The channel listed the Palmeiras vs Fluminense return leg on Wednesday 21 October as live on beIN SPORTS.

beIN SPORTS has not yet published a listing for the final, and the 2022 announcement does not say which of its channels will carry it. Check its TV guide for the final, and confirm that your cable, satellite or streaming package includes the channel.

Tickets and Prices

ABSOLUT Sport, a travel agency that describes itself as the first and only official agency of packages for the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana finals, was selling final packages on its US site when we read it on 23 October. Each package bundles a match ticket with extras.

Stock changes fast, and the page marked several packages as sold out when we read it. A package with a hotel adds two nights with breakfast, 27 to 29 November, and ABSOLUT says CONMEBOL links each ticket to the buyer’s account, so tickets cannot be freely transferred.

CONMEBOL says tickets must be bought only through the official platform it announces, and it advises fans not to buy from unauthorised sellers or websites. The start date of its sale will be announced on its official channels and by email to people who have registered.

The Montevideo 2026 ticketing page lets fans register their interest with a name, email address, country of residence, birth date and the club they support. Registering is not a purchase or a reservation and does not guarantee a ticket, and the maximum number of tickets per person will be announced with the sale conditions.

CONMEBOL has not published prices for its own sale. As a guide only, its first general-sale lot for the 2021 final in the same stadium cost US$400 to US$650 a ticket, while each finalist sold seats to its own fans at US$200.

Category 3 is assigned to the two clubs’ supporters, and in 2021 each finalist sold its own allocation, so watch the official channels of Palmeiras and Estudiantes. CONMEBOL also plans a Libertadores Experience, a programme of activities beyond the stadium, but its page gives no location or dates.

What Is at Stake

CONMEBOL says the champion will receive US$25 million and the runner-up an additional US$7 million for the final stages, and that the prize totals will keep growing as the competition is decided. By 24 September Palmeiras had accumulated US$9.27 million and Estudiantes US$8.93 million.

The champion also takes a place in the 2027 Libertadores group stage and the 2027 Recopa, the annual tournament between the winners of CONMEBOL’s two club competitions, and gains access to competitions organised by FIFA. The final is also a test of Brazil’s run, as Brazilian clubs have won the last seven editions.

Flamengo beat Palmeiras 1–0 in Lima on 29 November 2025 and became the first Brazilian club with four titles. Estudiantes, four-time champions, can end the Brazilian run, which a Palmeiras title would extend to eight.

A week earlier, on Saturday 21 November, CONMEBOL’s second club competition, the Copa Sudamericana, holds its own single-match final in Barranquilla, Colombia, with US$10 million for the champion. Our Copa Sudamericana final 2026 guide covers that trip, and the two finals fall on consecutive Saturdays.

Travel to Montevideo From the United States

Carrasco International Airport is the main gateway. American Airlines runs the only nonstop route to the United States, from Miami, and restarts it on 3 December 2026, after the final, according to MercoPress, so US fans must connect. Copa Airlines flies nonstop from Panama City, and LATAM, Avianca, Iberia and Air Europa connect Montevideo with Santiago, São Paulo, Lima, Bogotá and Madrid.

Uruguay’s Ministry of the Interior lists US citizens travelling on an ordinary passport as not needing a visa. The tourism ministry says visitors from outside Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, and its associated states need a valid passport, and neither page states a maximum stay, so confirm the permitted length with Uruguay’s migration directorate.

We found no official figures on hotel occupancy or visitor numbers for 28 November. Tourism officials, the Montevideo city government, the tourism directors of Canelones and Maldonado and Carrasco airport joined the AUF at the Estadio Centenario to plan the reception of visitors, according to an AUF statement dated 13 October, so book early.

Uruguay’s tourism portal says foreigners who show an identity document issued abroad pay no VAT on hotel and lodging bills, all year round. Restaurants, bars, cafes and car rentals paid for by debit or credit card carry a nine-point VAT reduction until 30 April 2027.

Canada’s government rates Uruguay at normal security precautions overall, but asks travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in Montevideo because of crime, in advice updated on 13 October 2026. It says petty crime, muggings and armed robbery are more common on 18 de Julio Avenue, in the Old City, around Plaza Independencia and near the port, and that thieves on motorcycles snatch wallets, purses and phones.

US travellers should also read the State Department’s current Uruguay travel advisory before booking. The Canadian advice recommends carrying a photocopy of your passport, using ATMs inside a bank or business and carrying only small amounts of cash.

Our Montevideo city guide covers neighbourhoods and transport for visitors. Late November falls in late spring in Uruguay, ahead of the summer tourist season that runs from December to March.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, a betting platform where prices reflect traders’ odds, Palmeiras were shown at 67.0% to win the 2026 Copa Libertadores at 11:42 p.m. ET on 22 October, with Estudiantes at 28.5%. US$37,721 had been traded on the market, and the prices are bets, not polls or forecasts by The Rio Times.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

The kick-off time, the date and prices of CONMEBOL’s own ticket sale and the per-person ticket limit have not been announced. CONMEBOL says information on accessible tickets and the request process will be published with the sale conditions.

No US listing for the final has been published, and we found no official figures on hotel occupancy or visitor numbers. The programme for the Libertadores Experience has not been detailed, and we will update this guide when CONMEBOL and beIN SPORTS publish these details.

More: Uruguay news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Related: Libertadores semi-finals 2026 guide · Semi-final return legs: times and US TV · Copa Sudamericana final 2026 · Montevideo city guide · What to do in Montevideo in October 2026

Palmeiras also chase the Brazilian cup: see our Copa do Brasil final 2026 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Copa Libertadores final 2026?

The final is at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Saturday 28 November 2026. It is a single match at a neutral venue, the second single-match final in the Uruguayan capital after 2021.

What time is the Copa Libertadores final 2026?

CONMEBOL has not announced the kick-off time, and its fixture page lists it as to be confirmed. Montevideo is two hours ahead of US Eastern time on 28 November.

Is the Libertadores final two games?

No, the final is a single match with no second leg. The 2021 final at the same stadium was settled by a goal five minutes into extra time.

Who is in the Copa Libertadores final 2026?

The finalists are Palmeiras of Brazil and Estudiantes of Argentina. They qualified on 21 and 22 October.

Where can I watch the Libertadores final in the US?

beIN SPORTS holds exclusive US rights for 2023 to 2026, on beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español and the CONNECT streaming service. It had not published a listing for the final as of 21 October.

How can I buy Copa Libertadores final tickets?

Packages with a ticket were on sale on ABSOLUT Sport’s US site on 23 October. CONMEBOL’s own sale had not opened on 21 October, and fans can register interest on its ticketing page.

How much are Copa Libertadores final tickets?

On 23 October ABSOLUT listed packages from US$690 for Category 2, US$1,435 for the Hospitality Club, US$2,120 for VIP and US$2,335 for a shared skybox seat. CONMEBOL has not published its own prices.

How much prize money does the Libertadores winner get?

CONMEBOL says the 2026 champion receives US$25 million and the runner-up an additional US$7 million for the final stages. The champion also enters the 2027 Libertadores group stage and the 2027 Recopa.

Do US citizens need a visa for Uruguay?

The Uruguayan Ministry of the Interior lists US citizens with an ordinary passport as not needing a visa. Check the permitted length of stay and the State Department advisory before you fly.

Sources: CONMEBOL, Montevideo 2026 ticketing page, read 21 October 2026 · CONMEBOL, final fixture page, read 21 October 2026 · CONMEBOL, final venue announcement, 19 March 2026 · CONMEBOL, semi-final schedule, 28 September 2026 · CONMEBOL, return legs and referees, 19 October 2026 · CONMEBOL, Palmeiras vs Fluminense preview, 19 October 2026 · CONMEBOL, Uruguayans in the semi-finals, 19 October 2026 · CONMEBOL, prize money, 24 September 2026 · CONMEBOL, Sudamericana fixtures, read 21 October 2026 · beIN SPORTS, US rights renewal, 22 December 2022 · beIN SPORTS, Palmeiras vs Fluminense listing, 21 October 2026 · Uruguayan Football Association, coordination meeting, 13 October 2026 · Montevideo Portal, 19 March 2026 · Uruguay, Ministry of the Interior, visa regime · Uruguay Natural (Ministry of Tourism), entry requirements · Uruguay Natural (Ministry of Tourism), benefits for non-resident tourists · Carrasco Airport, non-stop destinations · Government of Canada, Uruguay travel advice, 13 October 2026 · ESPN Argentina, 2021 final ticket prices, 19 October 2021 · Teletica, 29 November 2025 · La Razón, 29 November 2025 · Polymarket, Copa Libertadores winner market, 22 October 2026 · Palmeiras, Fluminense tie report, 21 October 2026 · Infobae, Flamengo vs Estudiantes, 22 October 2026 · Campo Grande News, Flamengo vs Estudiantes, 22 October 2026 · ABSOLUT Sport US, Libertadores 2026 packages, read 23 October 2026 · MercoPress, American Airlines Miami route, 11 August 2026 · beIN SPORTS, channels in the rights deal, read 23 October 2026

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief