Latin America Sports Daily for Friday, March 20, 2026

01

Copa Libertadores 2026 Draw: Boca Land Group of Death, Flamengo Lead Group A

Football

CONMEBOL conducted the Copa Libertadores 2026 group stage draw on Thursday evening in Luque, Paraguay, with legends Felipe Melo and Oscar Ruggeri pulling the bolillas. The 32-team field was divided into eight groups, with the top two from each advancing to the knockout rounds and third-placed sides dropping into the Sudamericana playoffs. The final will be held at the Centenario in Montevideo, with a record $25 million winner’s prize.

Defending champions Flamengo landed in Group A alongside Estudiantes de La Plata, Independiente Medellin and Cusco FC. The most treacherous draw fell to Boca Juniors in Group D, where they will face two-time champions Cruzeiro, Chile’s Universidad Catolica and Barcelona SC of Ecuador — a quartet immediately dubbed the group of death. Palmeiras, runners-up last year, drew Group F with Cerro Porteno, Junior de Barranquilla and Sporting Cristal. Peñarol and Corinthians headline Group E, while Fluminense face Bolivar in Group C. The group stage begins the first week of April. For our previous coverage of the Libertadores qualifying rounds, see The Rio Times’ Libertadores tracker.

02

Chivas Crush Leon 5-0 to Reclaim Liga MX Summit on 27 Points

Liga MX

Chivas delivered the most dominant performance of the Liga MX Clausura 2026, dismantling Leon 5-0 at the Estadio Akron in a postponed Jornada 9 fixture to reclaim the league leadership with 27 points — one clear of Cruz Azul and two above Toluca. Gabriel Milito’s side were relentless from the opening whistle, forcing goalkeeper Oscar Garcia into a string of saves before Brian Gutierrez broke the deadlock at the 36th minute with a thunderous right-footed strike from outside the box that flew into the top corner.

Santiago Sandoval doubled the lead seconds into the second half with a curling left-footed finish at the near post. The rout accelerated when Jordi Cortizo was sent off after a VAR review in the 60th minute, leaving Leon with ten men. Armando “La Hormiga” Gonzalez converted from the penalty spot at 66 minutes for his ninth goal of the tournament — one behind Liga MX top scorer Joao Pedro. Angel Sepulveda added the fourth in the 90th minute after a rebound off the post, and substitute Hugo Camberos sealed the manita in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Leon, who sacked manager Ignacio Ambriz last week, sit 16th with just 10 points.

03 Messi Scores 900th Career Goal but Nashville Eliminate Inter Miami

Messi Scores 900th Career Goal but Nashville Eliminate Inter Miami

Concacaf

Lionel Messi became only the second man in football history to reach 900 career goals on Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale, but the milestone could not save Inter Miami from elimination in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16. Messi opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a clinical left-footed strike after a Sergio Reguilon assist, putting Miami ahead 1-0 on aggregate after a goalless first leg in Nashville.

But Cristian Espinoza equalized for Nashville in the 74th minute with a half-volley inside the box, and the visitors held firm for the final 16 minutes to advance on the away-goals rule. Messi, 38, reached 900 goals in 1,142 official matches — nearly 100 fewer than the 1,238 it took Cristiano Ronaldo to hit the same mark. The match also served as Inter Miami’s farewell to Chase Stadium before moving to their new 26,700-seat venue next month. For our coverage of Messi’s impact in MLS, see The Rio Times’ MLS tracker.

04

Tigres Score in 98th Minute to Complete Epic 5-1 Comeback Against Cincinnati

Concacaf

Tigres produced the greatest comeback in Concacaf Champions Cup history at the Estadio Universitario, storming back from a 0-3 first-leg deficit to beat FC Cincinnati 5-1 on the night and advance 5-4 on aggregate with Fernando Gorriaran’s 98th-minute winner. The Volcán erupted from the opening whistle as Rodrigo Aguirre headed home in the 5th minute and Ozziel Herrera made it 2-0 just five minutes later.

Herrera struck again at 46 minutes and Aguirre doubled his tally at 49 to level the aggregate at 4-4. Kevin Denkey’s 65th-minute away goal for Cincinnati appeared to shift the tie back to the visitors on the tiebreaker, but Gorriaran unleashed a stunning strike from the edge of the box deep into added time to seal the miracle. Tigres face Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals.

05

Brasileirao Round 7: Palmeiras Overtake Sao Paulo, Flamengo Enter G-4

Brasileirao

The seventh round of the Brasileirao Serie A reshuffled the top of the table across Wednesday and Thursday. Palmeiras beat Botafogo 2-1 at the Allianz Parque — Allan and Arias scored for the hosts after Medina’s first-half red card left Botafogo with ten men, and Danilo pulled one back for the visitors. The win moved Palmeiras to 16 points on superior goal difference over Sao Paulo, who slipped from the summit after losing 1-0 to Atletico-MG at the Arena MRV (Ivan Roman header).

On Thursday, Flamengo hammered Remo 3-0 at the Maracana through Leo Ortiz, Samuel Lino and Luiz Araujo to climb to fourth with 13 points — their fourth straight win. Gremio beat Vitoria 2-0 in Porto Alegre via a Camutanga own goal and an Amuzu finish, though the match was overshadowed by captain Marlon’s horrific ankle fracture. Chapecoense and Corinthians drew 0-0 in the first goalless match of the entire campaign. In other Round 7 results, Vasco overturned a 0-2 deficit to beat Fluminense 3-2 at the Maracana, Santos lost 1-2 to Internacional at the Vila Belmiro despite a Neymar penalty equalizer, Bahia beat Bragantino 2-0, Athletico-PR edged Cruzeiro 2-1 and Coritiba won 1-0 at Mirassol.

06

Copa Sudamericana Draw: River in Group H, Gremio and Sao Paulo Seeded

Football

The Sudamericana draw preceded the Libertadores ceremony in Luque. River Plate, competing in the second-tier continental cup after missing out on a Libertadores berth, were placed in Group H alongside Red Bull Bragantino, Blooming of Bolivia and Carabobo of Venezuela. Sao Paulo landed in Group C with Millonarios, Boston River and O’Higgins, while Gremio will face Palestino, Montevideo City Torque and Deportivo Riestra in Group F.

Other notable draws include Atletico Mineiro in Group B with Cienciano, Santos in Group D with San Lorenzo, and Racing in Group E with Caracas and Botafogo. Olimpia and Vasco da Gama were paired in Group G. The Sudamericana final will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia, with a $10 million winner’s prize — a record for the competition. Group play begins in the first week of April alongside the Libertadores.

07

Liga MX Clausura Standings: Chivas Lead, Jornada 12 Opens Friday

Liga MX

With the Jornada 9 makeup complete, the Liga MX Clausura 2026 table now reads: Chivas 27 points (9W-2L), Cruz Azul 26, Toluca 25, Pachuca 19, Pumas 18. Chivas have scored the second-most goals in the league and conceded among the fewest, a testament to Milito’s tactical balance. The Hormiga Gonzalez leads the Chivas scoring charts on nine goals — one behind Liga MX top scorer Joao Pedro of Atletico San Luis.

Jornada 12 kicks off Friday night with Mazatlan hosting Cruz Azul and Necaxa facing Tijuana. Saturday’s marquee fixture pits Monterrey against Chivas in Nuevo Leon, while the Clasico Capitalino between Pumas and America takes place the same evening. Pachuca versus Toluca rounds out the weekend on Sunday. One Jornada 7 fixture remains pending: Queretaro vs Juarez, postponed due to security concerns.

08

MotoGP Returns to Brazil This Weekend After 22-Year Absence

Motorsport

The MotoGP Brazil Grand Prix takes place this weekend (March 20-22) at the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania — Ayrton Senna, marking the return of premier-class motorcycle racing to the country after a 22-year hiatus. The second round of the 2026 season, the event will feature Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira competing on home soil.

Practice sessions begin today, with qualifying on Saturday and the main race on Sunday. The Goiania circuit, renovated for the occasion, last hosted a MotoGP round in 2004. The return is part of a broader push by Dorna Sports to expand the calendar into Latin American markets, complementing the existing Argentina round. For LATAM motorsport enthusiasts, the weekend also features Liga MX Jornada 12 and Brasileirao Round 8 action.