BRAZIL · ARGENTINA · FOOTBALL
Key Facts
- —The matches Fluminense vs Palmeiras on Wednesday 14 October; Estudiantes vs Flamengo on Thursday 15 October.
- —Kick-off 21:30 local time on both nights, which is 8:30 p.m. US Eastern Time (ET) and 5:30 p.m. Pacific.
- —Venues The Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, then the Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi in La Plata, Argentina.
- —How to watch in the US beIN SPORTS holds the exclusive US rights through 2026, with streaming on beIN SPORTS CONNECT.
- —Team news Palmeiras play without coach Abel Ferreira, who is suspended for the first leg.
- —Next legs Palmeiras vs Fluminense on Wednesday 21 October in São Paulo; Flamengo vs Estudiantes on Thursday 22 October at the Maracanã; both 8:30 p.m. ET.
- —The final Saturday 28 November at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket showed Flamengo at 46% to win the title, Palmeiras at 29% and Estudiantes at 10% (11:17 a.m. ET, 14 October); it has no Fluminense market.
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
Brazil Runoff 2026: Lula vs Flávio
Date, polls, debates, odds and how the runoff works, updated every day.
Brazil runoff polls · Polymarket and Kalshi odds · When results come
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 85.5% · Lula 14.5% (US$181 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 86% · Lula 16%
As of 14 October, 11:20 am ET (16:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
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.
The Copa Libertadores semi-finals start on Wednesday 14 October, when Fluminense host Palmeiras at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro at 8:30 p.m. ET. Estudiantes host Flamengo in La Plata, Argentina, at the same US time on Thursday 15 October, and beIN SPORTS holds the US rights to both games.
The Copa Libertadores is South America’s top club competition, the region’s equivalent of Europe’s Champions League. All four semi-finalists have won it before, and the two winners meet in a one-match final at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Saturday 28 November.
The Matches
Fluminense and Palmeiras, two Brazilian clubs, open the semi-finals at the Maracanã, officially the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho. Fluminense, from Rio de Janeiro, won the trophy in 2023, while Palmeiras, from São Paulo, have won it three times, most recently in 2021.
Fluminense reached this stage by beating Argentina’s Platense 3-2 on aggregate, while Palmeiras knocked out Ecuador’s Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito on penalties. Argentina’s Facundo Tello referees in Rio, and Paraguay’s Juan Gabriel Benítez takes charge in La Plata, according to CONMEBOL, South America’s football confederation.
Estudiantes de La Plata, four-time champions from the city south-east of Buenos Aires, host Flamengo at the Estadio UNO Jorge Luis Hirschi. Flamengo, from Rio de Janeiro, are the holders after beating Palmeiras 1-0 in last year’s final in Lima, their fourth title.
The clubs meet for the third time this season, after a 1-1 draw in La Plata in April and a 1-0 Flamengo win at the Maracanã in May. Last year Flamengo knocked Estudiantes out in the quarter-finals, winning 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Kick-Off Times in US Eastern
Both first legs kick off at 21:30 local time, according to CONMEBOL, and Rio de Janeiro and La Plata both run three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. That makes kick-off 8:30 p.m. in New York, 7:30 p.m. in Chicago and 5:30 p.m. in Los Angeles.
The second legs keep the same local time a week later. Palmeiras host Fluminense on Wednesday 21 October at Nubank Parque in São Paulo, formerly called Allianz Parque, and Flamengo host Estudiantes on Thursday 22 October at the Maracanã.
US clocks stay on daylight time until Sunday 1 November, so the second legs also start at 8:30 p.m. ET. In London, every semi-final kicks off at 1:30 a.m. the following morning.
How to Watch in the US
beIN SPORTS holds the exclusive US and Canadian rights to the Copa Libertadores for the 2023 to 2026 seasons, under a renewal announced in December 2022. The deal covers beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español and the beIN SPORTS CONNECT streaming service.
beIN’s US website lists Fluminense against Palmeiras as live on beIN SPORTS on Wednesday night. Check the beIN SPORTS guide on Thursday for the channel carrying Estudiantes against Flamengo.
Team News
Palmeiras play the first leg without coach Abel Ferreira, who serves a one-match ban after his red card in the quarter-final second leg in Quito. Brazilian media report that assistant João Martins is expected to lead the team, and Ferreira returns for the second leg in São Paulo.
Fluminense are coached by Marcão, and CONMEBOL singles out Hulk and Lucho Acosta among the players behind their run. For Flamengo, CONMEBOL highlights striker Bruno Henrique, who has scored five goals from 13 shots in this year’s competition.
What It Means for the Second Leg
CONMEBOL scrapped the away-goals rule from 2022, so a semi-final level on aggregate after the second leg goes straight to a penalty shoot-out. Palmeiras and Flamengo play the return matches at home, a week after the first legs.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, a betting platform where prices reflect traders’ odds, Flamengo were shown at 46% to win the 2026 Copa Libertadores at 11:17 a.m. ET on 14 October. Palmeiras stood at 29% and Estudiantes at 10%, and the platform has no market for Fluminense.
Only about US$4,900 had been traded on the three remaining clubs, and the gaps between buying and selling prices were wide, so the figures can move sharply. The prices are bets, not polls or forecasts by The Rio Times.
What Is Not Known
None of the four clubs had confirmed a starting line-up by Wednesday afternoon, and Brazilian media report that Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque is out with an ankle sprain. CONMEBOL’s semi-final schedule does not give a kick-off time for the final in Montevideo.
Our guide to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals lists all four fixtures, and our Copa Libertadores final guide covers the date, venue and tickets in Montevideo. More on the Brazilian clubs is on our Brazil page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Fluminense vs Palmeiras in Eastern time?
Fluminense vs Palmeiras kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday 14 October at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. Local kick-off is 21:30.
What channel is the Copa Libertadores on in the US?
beIN SPORTS holds the exclusive US rights to the Copa Libertadores through 2026. The deal covers beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español and the beIN SPORTS CONNECT streaming service.
When are the Copa Libertadores semi-final second legs?
Palmeiras host Fluminense on Wednesday 21 October at the Nubank Parque in São Paulo, and Flamengo host Estudiantes on Thursday 22 October at the Maracanã. Both start at 21:30 local time, which is 8:30 p.m. ET.
When and where is the 2026 Copa Libertadores final?
The final is a single match on Saturday 28 November 2026 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. CONMEBOL’s semi-final schedule does not give a kick-off time.
Sources: CONMEBOL, semi-final schedule; CONMEBOL, first legs and referees; CONMEBOL, Fluminense vs Palmeiras preview; CONMEBOL, how the semi-finalists play; CONMEBOL, Flamengo vs Estudiantes history; beIN SPORTS, US rights renewal (22 December 2022); beIN SPORTS, Fluminense vs Palmeiras listing; Terra / Esporte News Mundo, Abel Ferreira suspension; Portal do Palestra, Palmeiras team news;Polymarket, Copa Libertadores winner market
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