Copa CONMEBOL

The Copa CONMEBOL (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkopa konmeˈbol], Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkɔ.pɐ kõ.mɛˈbɔw], both meaning CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contest, similar to the UEFA Cup. Clubs qualified for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. Teams that were not able to qualify for the Copa Libertadores would play in this tournament. The tournament was played as a knockout cup. The tournament ended in 1999, following the expansion of the Copa Libertadores to 32 teams. The Copa Mercosur and Copa Merconorte - which both started in 1998 - replaced the Copa CONMEBOL, and the merger of those 3 cups would later transformed in the current Copa Sudamericana. The last champion of the competition was Talleres, while Atlético Mineiro is the most successful club in the cup history, having won the tournament two times. The cup was won by seven different clubs but it was never won consecutively.