Ball IQCopa Libertadores Winners: Every Champion by Year (1960–2025)
66 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · from the Ball IQ football team
The Copa Libertadores is South America's premier club competition, the continental equivalent of Europe's Champions League. Contested since 1960 and named after the liberators who freed Latin America from colonial rule, it pits the best sides from CONMEBOL's ten member nations against each other every year, with the champion earning a place at the FIFA Club World Cup.
For its first four decades the trophy was an Argentine and Uruguayan preserve. Independiente of Avellaneda turned dominance into an art form, winning seven titles including four in a row from 1972 to 1975, a run that has never been matched. Boca Juniors, Peñarol, Estudiantes and Nacional built the tournament's early mythology, and the fierce two-legged finals became notorious for their intensity.
The balance of power has shifted decisively toward Brazil in the modern era. Since 2019 every final has been won by a Brazilian club, and in 2025 Flamengo beat Palmeiras in Lima to claim a fourth crown. The table below lists every champion, runner-up and winning nation across the full history of the competition.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Peñarol | Olimpia | Uruguay |
| 1961 | Peñarol | Palmeiras | Uruguay |
| 1962 | Santos | Peñarol | Brazil |
| 1963 | Santos | Boca Juniors | Brazil |
| 1964 | Independiente | Nacional | Argentina |
| 1965 | Independiente | Peñarol | Argentina |
| 1966 | Peñarol | River Plate | Uruguay |
| 1967 | Racing | Nacional | Argentina |
| 1968 | Estudiantes | Palmeiras | Argentina |
| 1969 | Estudiantes | Nacional | Argentina |
| 1970 | Estudiantes | Peñarol | Argentina |
| 1971 | Nacional | Estudiantes | Uruguay |
| 1972 | Independiente | Universitario | Argentina |
| 1973 | Independiente | Colo-Colo | Argentina |
| 1974 | Independiente | São Paulo | Argentina |
| 1975 | Independiente | Unión Española | Argentina |
| 1976 | Cruzeiro | River Plate | Brazil |
| 1977 | Boca Juniors | Cruzeiro | Argentina |
| 1978 | Boca Juniors | Deportivo Cali | Argentina |
| 1979 | Olimpia | Boca Juniors | Paraguay |
| 1980 | Nacional | Internacional | Uruguay |
| 1981 | Flamengo | Cobreloa | Brazil |
| 1982 | Peñarol | Cobreloa | Uruguay |
| 1983 | Grêmio | Peñarol | Brazil |
| 1984 | Independiente | Grêmio | Argentina |
| 1985 | Argentinos Juniors | América de Cali | Argentina |
| 1986 | River Plate | América de Cali | Argentina |
| 1987 | Peñarol | América de Cali | Uruguay |
| 1988 | Nacional | Newell's Old Boys | Uruguay |
| 1989 | Atlético Nacional | Olimpia | Colombia |
| 1990 | Olimpia | Barcelona | Paraguay |
| 1991 | Colo-Colo | Olimpia | Chile |
| 1992 | São Paulo | Newell's Old Boys | Brazil |
| 1993 | São Paulo | Universidad Católica | Brazil |
| 1994 | Vélez Sarsfield | São Paulo | Argentina |
| 1995 | Grêmio | Atlético Nacional | Brazil |
| 1996 | River Plate | América de Cali | Argentina |
| 1997 | Cruzeiro | Sporting Cristal | Brazil |
| 1998 | Vasco da Gama | Barcelona | Brazil |
| 1999 | Palmeiras | Deportivo Cali | Brazil |
| 2000 | Boca Juniors | Palmeiras | Argentina |
| 2001 | Boca Juniors | Cruz Azul | Argentina |
| 2002 | Olimpia | São Caetano | Paraguay |
| 2003 | Boca Juniors | Santos | Argentina |
| 2004 | Once Caldas | Boca Juniors | Colombia |
| 2005 | São Paulo | Atlético Paranaense | Brazil |
| 2006 | Internacional | São Paulo | Brazil |
| 2007 | Boca Juniors | Grêmio | Argentina |
| 2008 | LDU Quito | Fluminense | Ecuador |
| 2009 | Estudiantes | Cruzeiro | Argentina |
| 2010 | Internacional | Guadalajara | Brazil |
| 2011 | Santos | Peñarol | Brazil |
| 2012 | Corinthians | Boca Juniors | Brazil |
| 2013 | Atlético Mineiro | Olimpia | Brazil |
| 2014 | San Lorenzo | Nacional | Argentina |
| 2015 | River Plate | Tigres UANL | Argentina |
| 2016 | Atlético Nacional | Independiente del Valle | Colombia |
| 2017 | Grêmio | Lanús | Brazil |
| 2018 | River Plate | Boca Juniors | Argentina |
| 2019 | Flamengo | River Plate | Brazil |
| 2020 | Palmeiras | Santos | Brazil |
| 2021 | Palmeiras | Flamengo | Brazil |
| 2022 | Flamengo | Athletico Paranaense | Brazil |
| 2023 | Fluminense | Boca Juniors | Brazil |
| 2024 | Botafogo | Atlético Mineiro | Brazil |
| 2025 | Flamengo | Palmeiras | Brazil |
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