Liga de Quito Draws Palmeiras Again in Copa Libertadores 2026 Quarterfinals

Some series stick in the memory, and this is one of them. Liga de Quito now knows who it will face in the Copa Libertadores 2026 quarterfinals: Palmeiras, the same team that spoiled its party just a year ago in a semifinal that still stings in Ecuador.

A quick refresher: in 2025 Liga de Quito thrashed Verdão 3-0 in the first leg of the semifinal, a result that seemed to put the final within reach. But soccer has a way of turning things around, and Palmeiras answered with a decisive 4-0 in the second leg that flipped the entire tie and sent the Brazilians through to the final. Now, with the quarterfinal draw complete, there's a chance to settle the score.

A Palmeiras That Arrives Bruised, But Arrives

Abel Ferreira's side isn't going through its best stretch in terms of public criticism, though the numbers back it up well enough. It sits atop the Brasileirao with 51 points, six clear of Flamengo, which is second and has a game in hand. The problem isn't the results on the table, it's how the team got there: a string of draws and stumbles against lesser sides has set off alarm bells among a fan base used to demanding more.

In the Libertadores, it wasn't the overwhelming Palmeiras of past campaigns either. In the group stage it drew with Junior in Colombia, struggled to beat Sporting Cristal at the Allianz Parque, tied 1-1 with Cerro Porteño in Asuncion, and even lost to the Paraguayans back in Brazil, a result that put its qualification in doubt. It bailed itself out by thrashing Junior on the final matchday and finished second in the group.

In the round of 16 it crossed paths with Cerro Porteño again, and the tie was brutal. It won the first leg in Brazil with a goal from Flaco Lopez while playing a man down, but Cerro equalized in stoppage time on an own goal by goalkeeper Carlos Miguel. The second leg at La Nueva Olla was tightly contested, and there was even hope on the Paraguayan side, but Gustavo Gomez stepped up to seal Verdão's spot in the next round.

The Ace Up the Sleeve: Abel Ferreira's Experience

However much criticism he draws behind closed doors, Abel Ferreira remains a guarantee at this stage of the tournament. He's won the Libertadores twice and was a finalist in 2025, something no other coach on the continent can match with that kind of consistency. And as became clear last year, he knows how to flip a series that looked all but lost against this very opponent.

The first leg will be played at the Allianz Parque and the return match at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, since Liga de Quito topped its group in the opening phase. CONMEBOL has yet to confirm the exact fixture dates, but everything points to the quarterfinals being played between September 8 and 15, 2026. A year after that comeback that hurt so much in Quito, the albos will have a chance to write a different ending.