On 17 October 2019, CONMEBOL announced that the final would be played at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba, Argentina with the final originally scheduled to be played on 7 November 2020.[2] Argentine club Defensa y Justicia defeated fellow Argentine club Lanús by a 3–0 score in the final to win their first tournament title.[3] As champions, Defensa y Justicia earned the right to play against the winners of the 2020 Copa Libertadores in the 2021 Recopa Sudamericana. They also automatically qualified for the 2021 Copa Libertadores group stage. Independiente del Valle were the defending champions, but did not play this edition as they qualified for the 2020 Copa Libertadores group stage as Copa Sudamericana champions and later advanced to the knockout stage.
On 21 May 2019, CONMEBOL announced that clubs must pass certain eligibility requirements in order to compete in the 2020 Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.[4] One of the original requirements was that teams must be in the top division of their member association, but this was removed after many associations stated that they had not adapted the regulations of their qualifying competitions for the 2020 Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.[5]
The tournament was suspended after its first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed on 27 October 2020. It ended with the final on 23 January 2021.[6][7]
Teams
The following 44 teams from the 10 CONMEBOL associations qualified for the tournament, entering the first stage:[8]
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[19][20]
On 17 April 2020, CONMEBOL announced that the tournament would be suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and no date had been set for its resumption.[21] On 10 July 2020, CONMEBOL announced the new schedule for the remainder of the competition.[6][22]
Location of teams of the 2020 Copa Sudamericana. (L) Teams transferred from the 2020 Copa Libertadores
The draw for the first stage was held on 17 December 2019, 20:30 PYST (UTC−3), at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.[25][26][27] For the first stage, the teams were divided into two pots according to their geographical zones:[28]
Pot A (South Zone): 22 teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay
Pot B (North Zone): 22 teams from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
The 44 teams were drawn into 22 ties (E1–E22) between a team from Pot A and a team from Pot B, with the teams from Pot B hosting the second leg in odd-numbered ties, and the teams from Pot A hosting the second leg in even-numbered ties. This distribution ensured that teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same tie.
The draw for the second stage was held on 23 October 2020, 12:00 PYT (UTC−3).[29] For the second stage, the teams were allocated to two pots according to their previous results in this season:[30]
Pot 1: 10 teams transferred from the Copa Libertadores and six best winners of the first stage from the Copa Sudamericana
Pot 2: 16 remaining winners of the first stage from the Copa Sudamericana
The 32 teams were drawn into 16 ties (O1–O16) between a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, with the teams from Pot 1 hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could be drawn into the same tie.
In the first stage, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule was used. If still tied, extra time was not played, and a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.2).[1]
In the second stage, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule was used. If still tied, extra time was not played, and a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.2).[1]
In the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg (Regulations Article 2.2.2). If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule will be used. If still tied, extra time will not be played, and a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.2).
The final is played as a single match at a venue pre-selected by CONMEBOL, with the higher-seeded team designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes (Regulations Article 2.2.2.3). If tied after regulation, 30 minutes of extra time will be played. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (Regulations Article 2.4.3).
Seeding
Starting from the round of 16, the teams are seeded according to the second stage draw, with each team assigned a "seed" 1–16 corresponding to the tie they win (O1–O16) (Regulations Article 2.2.2.1).[1]
Bracket
The bracket was decided based on the second stage draw, which was held on 23 October 2020.