03

Copa Sudamericana Playoff Draw: Boca Juniors vs O’Higgins, Vasco vs Medellín, Santos Face the Road to the Round of 16

Sudamericana

The Copa Sudamericana bracket was also determined Friday in Luque. The playoff round (first legs July 21-23, second legs July 28-30) pairs the eight Copa Sudamericana group runners-up against eight third-placed Copa Libertadores clubs. Boca Juniors, dropping from the Libertadores after their Group D elimination, were drawn against O’Higgins of Chile. Per beIN SPORTS, Boca enter as favourites on pedigree but will need genuine improvement to advance; the winner faces Paraguay’s Recoleta in the Round of 16. Vasco da Gama, in the Brasileirão relegation zone, will face Independiente Medellín (third in Libertadores Group A) in a tie that combines Brazilian domestic precarity with Colombian continental disappointment; two clubs with more at stake in the Copa Sudamericana than their current league form suggests they can deliver. Santos, Copa Sudamericana Group D runners-up, will face a third-placed Libertadores club (their opponent from the draw was not confirmed across all sources at publication time); the winner of that playoff enters the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 in mid-August. Other confirmed playoff ties include Sporting Cristal vs Bragantino and Lanús vs Cienciano.

The Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 draw takes place June 3 in Luque. The Copa Sudamericana final remains scheduled for November 21 at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia.

04

Ancelotti’s First Press Conference: Neymar Is “Part of the Plan,” Replacement Window Open Until June 12

Brazil WC

Carlo Ancelotti held his first formal press conference of the World Cup pre-tournament camp at Granja Comary on Friday morning, one day after CBF doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed Neymar’s Grade 2 calf injury publicly. Ancelotti’s position on Neymar, as summarised by multiple Brazilian media outlets, was consistent: the player remains in the 26-man squad, his recovery is being managed daily, and no decision about removal from the squad will be made before the FIFA deadline of June 12 (24 hours before Brazil’s opener against Morocco on June 13). Asked directly whether Neymar could play the June 13 game, Ancelotti said: “We hope so. We will see.” He declined to commit to a starting lineup or tactical system in the absence of Neymar, Marquinhos (absent at the UCL final with PSG on Saturday), and Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal, also absent Saturday).

On the broader squad picture: Ancelotti spoke positively about Estêvão, the 18-year-old Palmeiras winger who recently completed his move to Chelsea, noting that the teenager had “shown in training what we already knew.” Vinicius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Raphinha are available and training fully; the three form Brazil’s most likely first-choice attacking trident if Neymar misses the opener. Endrick, who scored at the Maracanã in the warm-up for the previous camp, is expected to feature against Panama on Sunday. The tactical question for Ancelotti is whether to play a front three without a specific 9 or use Endrick as a centre-forward — is unresolved publicly.

Marquinhos and Vitinha (both in PSG’s UCL final squad for Saturday’s match in Budapest) will travel directly from Hungary to join the Brazil squad on Monday June 1, when the delegation departs for the United States. Gabriel Martinelli, who starts for Arsenal in Saturday’s final, will similarly join the camp after the Budapest match, though his selection for Brazil’s squad is confirmed regardless of Arsenal’s result. Ancelotti was asked whether a Champions League winner’s medal might affect a player’s mindset entering the World Cup. His reply, translated by ESPN Brasil: “A trophy gives you confidence. That is never a problem.”

Brazil’s first warm-up match is Sunday May 31 against Panama at the Maracanã (18:30 local). The squad then travels to the United States for the Egypt friendly on June 6 in Cleveland, before relocating to the New York-New Jersey area for final preparations ahead of the June 13 opener at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

05

Tonight: NBA Game 7 Without Jalen Williams, Champions League Final in Budapest — Both Results Sunday

NBA

Two of the sporting calendar’s biggest fixtures collide on Saturday. At 6pm CET at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, PSG face Arsenal in the Champions League final, with three South American players in prominent roles: Willian Pacho (Ecuador, PSG centre-back), Luis Díaz (Colombia, PSG left wing), and Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil, Arsenal left wing, 6 UCL goals this season). PSG are going for back-to-back titles; Arsenal are in their first European Cup final since 2006. PSG have won their last 12 European matches; Arsenal were unbeaten in all eight league-phase games. Both clubs’ Brazilian internationals join the national team on Monday.

Then at 8:00 PM ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, the Spurs face the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, winner to face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals beginning June 5. The critical update from Friday: Jalen Williams has been officially ruled out for Game 7 with his hamstring injury, his third absence of the series. Without Williams, OKC’s offensive variety is severely reduced; their entire secondary scoring option in half-court sets disappears, and SGA faces the same defensive doubling schemes the Spurs have run in each of the two San Antonio wins. Road teams in Conference Finals Game 7s have won six of the last nine; Wembanyama has scored 28+ in both Spurs road wins. Additionally, Mitchell Robinson of the Knicks had surgery on his fractured right pinkie Thursday and hopes to be available for the Finals; his timeline for return was set at “hoping to play” rather than confirmed.

Full results from both events appear in Sunday’s edition.

06

Copa Libertadores 2026 Round of 16: All Eight Ties at a Glance

Standings

*Corinthians hosted the second leg per draw seeding rules. Group-winner pairings are confirmed from CONMEBOL official draw. First legs: August 11-13 (group runner-up home). Second legs: August 18-20 (group winner home). Quarter-final first legs: September 8-10.

07

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

What are the Copa Libertadores 2026 Round of 16 fixtures?

The Copa Libertadores Round of 16 draw took place Friday May 29 in Luque, Paraguay. The eight ties are: Cruzeiro vs Flamengo (all-Brazilian; Flamengo host second leg); LDU Quito vs Mirassol (Mirassol host second leg as group winners); Fluminense vs Independiente Rivadavia (Rivadavia host second leg in Mendoza); Deportes Tolima vs Independiente del Valle (IDV host second leg in Quito); Estudiantes vs Universidad Católica (UC host second leg); Corinthians vs Rosario Central (Rosario Central host second leg); Palmeiras vs Cerro Porteño (Cerro Porteño host second leg in Asunción); and Nacional/Coquimbo Unido (Group B tie). First legs are August 11-13; second legs August 18-20. The quarter-final draw was also set on Friday; first legs are September 8-10. The Copa Libertadores final is Saturday November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.

What did Ancelotti say about Neymar at his first World Cup press conference?

Carlo Ancelotti gave his first press conference of the World Cup pre-tournament camp at Granja Comary on Friday May 29. On Neymar, confirmed with a Grade 2 calf tear on Thursday; Ancelotti said the player “remains part of the plan” and that a decision on removal from the squad would not be made before the FIFA replacement deadline of June 12, the day before Brazil’s opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium. Asked if Neymar would play June 13, Ancelotti said: “We hope so. We will see.” PSG’s Marquinhos and Vitinha, and Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli, are all absent from camp ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final in Budapest and will join the squad Monday June 1. Brazil play Panama at the Maracanã on Sunday May 31 (18:30 local); Estêvão and Endrick are expected to feature.

When is NBA Game 7 and who are the favourites?

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder is Saturday May 30 at 8:00 PM ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, broadcast on NBC and Peacock. OKC received the significant injury blow that Jalen Williams (hamstring) has been officially ruled out, making this his third absence of the series. Without Williams, Oklahoma City’s half-court offence loses its most important secondary ball-handler. The Spurs, who have won both previous games in OKC (Game 1 in double overtime, Game 4 in a 21-point blowout), travel as conference finals road underdogs, though road teams have won six of the last nine Conference Finals Game 7s in NBA history. Victor Wembanyama averages 30.5 points in the two San Antonio road wins this series. The winner faces the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals beginning June 5 in New York.