1997 Supercopa Libertadores
1997 Supercopa Libertadores was the tenth and final edition of the tournament for clubs that had previously won the Copa Libertadores. Seventeen teams from six confederations participated. Vasco da Gama joined for the first time in recognition of Brazil’s 1948 South American Championship of Champions win; Argentinos Juniors did not participate.
River Plate won the title, defeating São Paulo 2–1 on aggregate in the final, to claim their first Supercopa trophy.
Format and progression:
- The first round used four groups of four teams, with home-and-away matches.
- Because there were 17 teams, a preliminary round eliminated one team to produce 16 for the group stage.
- After the group stage, the bottom team in each group was eliminated, leaving the four group winners to advance to the knockout rounds.
- The knockout rounds were two-legged ties (home and away).
Bottom teams eliminated: Vélez Sarsfield, Racing Club, Boca Juniors, and Grêmio.
Dates: The competition ran from 15 June to 17 December 1997.
Statistics: 60 matches were played and 187 goals were scored (about 3.12 per match). Top scorer: Ivo Basay with eight goals.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:05 (CET).