Boca to face São Paulo in Copa Sudamericana 2026 quarterfinals

Boca now knows its quarterfinal opponent in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026, and it's no easy draw: São Paulo, which knocked out Bolívar with a 4-2 aggregate score and arrives at this stage with a striking detail attached to its name: it hasn't lost a single match in the entire tournament.

Dorival Júnior's team is living a season of contrasts. In the Brasileirão it never found its footing, and in the Copa do Brasil it was eliminated in the round of 16. But in the Sudamericana it's been a different team altogether, solid on defense and lethal at home, at the MorumBIS. That's no coincidence: when things aren't working domestically, some squads find a kind of refuge in continental competition, and that seems to be exactly what's happened with São Paulo.

The series against Bolívar sums up that mindset well. After a 1-1 draw at altitude in La Paz, the Tricolor won 3-1 at home to seal qualification, snapping a stretch in which it had won just one of its previous 15 matches. Luciano opened the scoring, Dairon Asprilla equalized for the Bolivians, but Jonathan Calleri (yes, the same one who played for Boca) converted from the penalty spot, and Sabino sealed it with a header.

An unbeaten run that started in the group stage

São Paulo finished first in Group C, which it shared with Millonarios, O'Higgins and Boston River, with 12 points out of a possible 18: three wins and three draws, six goals scored and just one allowed. It kept a clean sheet in five of its six group matches, which says a lot about its defense. At no point across its eight matches in the tournament did it trail on the scoreboard. That record also let it skip the playoff round entirely and go straight into the round of 16.

That's where the MorumBIS comes in, Boca's opponent's great fortress. In this edition, São Paulo won three of its four matches at home and drew the other, scoring eight goals and allowing just two. And looking further back, the number is even more overwhelming: São Paulo has played 23 second legs at home in Sudamericana history and has never lost one.

How Dorival's team plays

The style is classic Brazilian soccer: patient with the ball, fullbacks who push forward often, and short passing to break down opponents. In its home matches it averaged 58% possession. Luciano plays loose behind Calleri, looking for pockets of space between the lines to shoot from distance, while Artur brings speed and unpredictability out wide, though he also cuts inside to combine with teammates. Calleri, for his part, doesn't just finish plays: he also drops back to touch the ball, offer an outlet, and help build attacks when the team gets stuck at the back. His two assists against O'Higgins showed that side of his game.

That said, when it can't find space to push the tempo, the team loses fluidity. Three straight draws in the group stage exposed that, and Bolívar also managed to unsettle São Paulo by pressing high and attacking down the flanks.

Calleri, a name that stands out

The 32 year old forward played for Boca between 2014 and 2015, scored 23 goals and won the domestic league title and the Copa Argentina before leaving for Brazil. Across his two stints wearing the São Paulo jersey he's racked up 262 appearances, 91 goals and 30 assists, and today he's one of the squad's captains. He recently renewed his contract through December 2028. He arrives at this matchup having recovered from the serious knee injury he suffered in 2025, and he's already left his mark on this Sudamericana campaign: two assists against O'Higgins and a penalty goal against Bolívar.

The history between the two clubs

Boca and São Paulo have met 12 times in international competition, with five wins for the Xeneize, three draws and four Brazilian victories. The only previous meeting specifically in the Sudamericana came in the round of 16 in 2007: Boca won 2-1 in Buenos Aires, but São Paulo took the second leg 1-0 in Brazil and advanced on the away goals rule. A year earlier the two had faced off in the 2006 Recopa Sudamericana, with Boca winning at the Bombonera and a draw at the Morumbí that handed the title to the Argentine club.