2026 Copa Libertadores: Who has qualified and who impressed in the qualifiers?

New writer Louis Smith enlightens us on the Continental Band 1 competition full of potential GBE-qualifying talent

Andy Watson: I have been wanting a South American specialist writer for some time, so when Louis agreed to start writing, I immediately wanted him to cover the opening stages of this season’s Copa Libertadores. But, why?

Mainly because the Libertadores is granted the same level of status within the GBE regulations as the UEFA Champions League. Therefore, a participation in this competition, especially if in combination with domestic minutes in Argentina (Band 3), Brazil (B3), and Colombia (B4), means an almost certain GBE pass for those players.

Therefore, the question is, who should we be watching out for? Where does the value lie?

It should also be stated that any player who has played in the qualification rounds of the competition is also ESC eligible, so there are interesting recruitment options here everywhere you look.

Louis has been specializing in South American football for some time now and is well placed to give us some valuable information ahead of the group stages and the summer window.