Sao Paulo Winless in 12 Road Games Heads to La Bombonera for Copa Sudamericana Quarterfinal Clash with Boca

Twelve games. That's the number weighing on Sao Paulo every time it packs its bags for a road trip, and now it faces one of the toughest stadiums on the continent. On Tuesday, September 8, Boca will host the Tricolor at La Bombonera in the first leg of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, and the matchup arrives with a stat that paints a full picture of the Brazilian side's current form.

The last time Sao Paulo won on the road was April 7, against Boston River, in matchday 1 of Group C in this same Sudamericana. That narrow win was sealed by a goal from Damian Bobadilla. Five months have passed since then, and the Tricolor hasn't won away from home again: it has racked up 8 losses and 4 draws in that stretch, a run that's starting to look less like a rough patch and more like a structural problem.

What stands out is who took some of those points. Sao Paulo lost to three of the four teams currently sitting in the relegation zone of the Brasileirao: Chapecoense, Remo and Vasco da Gama. Those results have already raised eyebrows in Brazil, since they weren't stumbles against top-of-the-table opponents but points handed away to clubs fighting to avoid the drop. On top of that, Sao Paulo was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil, falling to Juventude in that competition.

Boca isn't exactly thriving at home either

That said, Sao Paulo's struggles don't tell the whole story. Boca, under Miguel Angel Russo, can't boast a strong run away from La Bombonera either, though this time the match is on their turf. Still, it's worth looking at how Boca has fared on the road in recent months, since it also helps explain where the team stands: just one road win, against Recoleta in this same Sudamericana, and the rest split between two losses (Riestra and O'Higgins) and four draws (Newell's, Platense, Racing and Gimnasia de Mendoza).

Given that backdrop, the quarterfinal matchup looks fairly even in terms of recent form, though with one key difference: Boca will be playing at home, in a stadium that has historically made life difficult for any South American visitor. For Sao Paulo, snapping its winless streak right at La Bombonera would send a powerful message ahead of the second leg. For Boca, home field could be the edge that tips the first leg in its favor before the trip to Brazil.