Boca Juniors booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana after a 1-1 draw away to Sao Paulo secured a 2-1 aggregate win in their quarter-final tie. The Argentine club, managed by Rodolfo Arruabarrena, will now face Vasco da Gama in the last four.
Leandro Lozano put Boca ahead in the 61st minute at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium, finishing off a swift counterattack. Domingos Duarte equalized for the hosts in the 89th minute, deflecting in a cross from Artur that came from a set piece.
The draw was enough for Boca Juniors to advance after they had won the first leg 1-0 at La Bombonera. Sao Paulo pushed for a winner in the closing stages of the second leg but could not find a way past the visitors again.
Key moments at the Morumbi
Boca were the more attack-minded side in the opening minutes, with Sao Paulo later committing more players forward to respond. The first half produced few clear chances for either side, with Boca managing just one shot on goal.
Sao Paulo had the game's best chance of the first half in the 37th minute, when Gustavo Santana struck the post from inside the penalty area. The hosts thought they had taken the lead in the 68th minute through Ryan Francisco, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The referee added seven minutes of stoppage time. Sao Paulo's Djhordney was booked in the 49th minute, and Boca's Angel Romero and Sao Paulo's Artur were both shown yellow cards in added time.
Sao Paulo made a series of second-half changes, bringing on Djhordney, Andre Silva, and a triple substitution of Victor Sa, Ferreira and Ryan Francisco for Gustavo Santana, Sabino and Lucas Ramon. Boca responded with substitutions of their own, sending on Sebastian Villa, Tomas Belmonte, Angel Romero and Enner Valencia over the course of the second half.
Confirmed lineups
Sao Paulo started with Rafael; Duarte, Arboleda, Sabino; Ramon, Danielzinho, Marcos Antonio, Borduchi; Artur, Santana and Luciano.
Boca Juniors lined up with Montero; Lozano, Di Lollo, Herrera, Blanco; Paredes, Delgado, Ascacibar; Velasco, Flores and Merentiel.
Recent form and head-to-head
Boca arrived on the back of a run that included a 3-1 win over Central Cordoba, the 1-0 first-leg win over Sao Paulo, a 2-2 draw with Gimnasia de Mendoza, a 0-0 draw with Velez Sarsfield and a 1-0 win over Lanus.
Sao Paulo, meanwhile, had lost 2-0 to Palmeiras and 1-0 to Boca in the first leg, sandwiched between wins over Atletico-MG (2-0) and Bragantino (2-1) and a 1-0 loss to Chapecoense.
The clubs' five most recent meetings before this tie were:
- Boca Juniors 1-0 Sao Paulo
- Sao Paulo 1-1 Boca Juniors
- Boca Juniors 2-1 Sao Paulo
- Sao Paulo 2-2 Boca Juniors
- Boca Juniors 2-1 Sao Paulo
Stadium, broadcast and betting
The match was played at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium, which holds around 66,000 spectators. It kicked off at 7:30 p.m. Peruvian time and 9:30 p.m. in Argentina and Brazil, with viewers elsewhere tuning in at different local times, including 6:30 p.m. in Costa Rica and Mexico, 8:30 p.m. in the United States, and 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in Spain. The game was broadcast on DSports and Paramount+.
Before kickoff, bookmakers had rated Sao Paulo as favorites, with odds for a home win ranging between roughly 2.15 and 2.35 across different providers, compared with odds of between 3.40 and 3.60 for a Boca Juniors win.
Club history
Sao Paulo's most recent international title came in the 2012 Copa Sudamericana, when they beat Tigre 2-0 on aggregate in the final. Boca Juniors' last international trophy was the 2008 Recopa Sudamericana, in which they defeated Arsenal de Sarandi 5-3 on aggregate.
What comes next
Boca Juniors will play Vasco da Gama in the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana. The final of the 2026 edition of the competition will be held at the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla, Colombia.
