Copa Sudamericana Group Betting (2026 Season)

The Copa Sudamericana groups are set with the group stage starting on Tuesday, April 7. Lanus is the defending champion of the competition from last season and the competition has been dominated by clubs from Argentina in recent years. An Argentinian club has won this competition the last 2 straight seasons as well as 3 of the last 6 and an Argentinian club has also made the Final in 4 of the last 7 seasons as well. Copa Sudamericana is also a competition that, due to the Copa Libertadores drop downs, the winner might not even be in the competition right now. There are plenty of other ways to find value in the group stage though, so with the start of the group stage just around the corner now, it is time to see where the value in these groups are. 

Group A: Group A consists of America de Cali -125, Tigre +130, Macara +1600, and Alianza Atletico +2000. America de Cali is the favorite to win this group, but they are not the strongest team in this group. They play in a good league in Colombia, but they are by no means the dominant team in that league. Colombia has certainly gotten better as a league over the last 2 years and America de Cali actually won the league last season, but they lost a lot of that quality and are not nearly as good this season. They have a very good defense to lean on, but that actually became a problem for them last season in this competition. They do not have a lot of experience in this competition either as they have only played in it 1 time. They were in it last season and finished in 2nd place in their group, but they only won 1 of their 6 matches with 5 draws and drawing all of those matches is not going to get them the points needed to win the group as they ended up 6 points behind the club from Argentina that won the group. Tigre is also from Argentina and they have not been in great form recently coming into this 1st match in the group stage, but they were in great form to start the season and they have the quality to win this group. They actually have the best squad in this group as well and they also have a good defense that can match America de Cali. Tigre has not been in this competition since 2023 when they finished in 2nd place of their group behind a much bigger Brasilian club in Sao Paulo, but this is also their 1st time back in South American competition since then so they are going to be eager to perform well with the success that Argentinian clubs have had in recent years. Tigre at +130 to win Group A.

Group D: Group D consists of Santos -163, San Lorenzo +200, Deportivo Cuenca +650, and Deportivo Recoleta +7500. Santos is the favorite to win this group, but they do not have a great squad. They are the only team from Brasil in this group so they play in the strongest league, but they have struggled a lot in that league over the years. They are coming off of a season which they finished in the bottom half of the league and they have been relegated in the last 3 years as well. They are not off to a great start this season either and that could be a problem for them if they find themselves battling relegation, it will take away focus from this competition. This is not a competition that Santos has a lot of history in either, last playing in 2023 when they finished in 3rd place in their group. San Lorenzo is the stronger team of these 2 as well and San Lorenzo is from Argentina so they certainly do not play in a weak league. They have not been in great form to start the season, but they have not been in bad form either, not losing many matches with a very good defense that does not concede a lot. San Lorenzo is not a team that is in South American competitions a lot either, so they are going to be focused on making a deep run here as this could also be their ticket back into Copa Libertadores. San Lorenzo has the best squad in this group so this is good value for them to win the group as Santos is not a strong Brasilian club, and the other 2 will not be much of a threat either since Cuenca and Recoleta are both not dominant teams in their own domestic leagues and this is also the 1st time playing in this competition for both of those clubs. San Lorenzo at +200 to win Group D.

Group E: Group E consists of Racing Club -125, Botafogo -110, Caracas +10000, and Independiente Petrolero +10000. Racing Club is the favorite to win this group this season and they are the best team in the group. They have been in much better form since their poor start to the season and this is a competition that they have done very well. They were not in it last season due to winning it the year prior so they got an auto-bid to Copa Libertadores last season, and they still went on a deep run to the Semifinal, losing to the eventual champion Flamengo. They have been great in South American competitions over the last 2 years though and the last time they were in this competition when they won it back in 2024, they also won their group with 5 wins in the group stage. Botafogo is also a very strong team that comes from a stronger league in Brasil, but this is not the same Botafogo team that has dominated over the last few years. They lost a lot of their quality after last season and now they find themselves struggling in the Brasileirao this year. They have also won Copa Libertadores in the last few years so this is not a desired competition for them to win, and they will not be focused on it if their struggles in the Brasileirao continue. Caracas will not be much of a threat either as they have only been in this competition 1 other time, finishing in 3rd place of the group stage last season, and this is the 1st time in the competition for Independiente Petrolero. Botafogo does not have the quality of previous years and they are not going to be focused on this competition the way that Racing Club who won it the last time they were in it will be. Racing Club at -125 to win Group E.

Group G: Group G consists of Vasco da Gama -188, Olimpia Asuncion +375, Audax Italiano +600, and Barracas Central +1200. Vasco da Gama is the favorite to win this group, but they do not have a very strong squad and they struggle in their own domestic league. They have finished in the bottom half of the table over the last few seasons and this is not a competition they have a lot of experience in either. They have only been in this competition 1 other time and they finished in 2nd place of their group last season with 8 points. Even if they find a way to win this group, they are not going to dominate it so this is not a good price to lay with them. Olimpia is a much better option to go with here as they have a good squad with a great defense that is not going to concede many goals. This is actually their 1st time playing in Copa Sudamericana, but they are going to be focused on the competition after a poor showing in Copa Libertadores last year, finishing at the bottom of their group. They did win their Copa Libertadores group back in 2023 though and they have experience playing in South American competitions. They are also one of the better teams in their own domestic league. Audax Italiano is a good team from their league, but they do not have a lot of experience playing in these competitions. They have only been in Copa Sudamericana 1 other time which was back in 2023, and they have never been in Copa Libertadores. Barracas Central is not a bad team either and they play in a stronger league being from Argentina, but they are very inconsistent in their own domestic league as well as not having the experience in these competitions either. This is a ridiculous price for Vasco da Gama as the favorite, so there is a lot of value in Olimpia to win this group as they have the quality to be the best team in this group. Olimpia at +375 to win Group G.

Group H: Group H consists of River Plate -154, RB Bragantino +110, Carabobo +12500, and Blooming +15000. River Plate is the favorite to win this group and for good reason as they are one of the favorites to win this competition. They have the best squad in this group with the potential to get even better as well and it is not even close. They did not have a great start to their own domestic league, but they have been rounding into great form recently and they are going to dominate this group with the quality that they have. Normally this would not be a competition that they are focused on, but they have not won a trophy in any competitions over the last 3 years, so this is a great opportunity for them to get back on track. RB Bragantino is next on the list in this group since they are the club from Brasil, but they are not a good team this season. They are not off to a great start in the Brasileirao and they were projected to be one of the worst teams in the league this season as well. They do not have the quality to compete with a club like River Plate, and the other 2 clubs in this group come from much weaker leagues so they do not have the quality to compete either. River Plate is by far the strongest team in this group and it is their group to lose. River Plate at -154 to win Group H. 

Botafogo No +700: Botafogo is one of the favorites to win their group and the whole competition this season, but there is some value in them failing to qualify out of the group altogether. They are not the same team that has dominated the Brasileirao and Copa Libertadores over the years. They lost a lot of quality at the end of last season and they have not played well to start this season as they are in line to take a step back. This is not a competition that they are going to be highly focused on either, especially if they are struggling in the Brasileirao, so there is some value at this price for Botafogo to be a surprise team that fizzles out in the group stage. Botafogo at +700 to not qualify from the group. 

Palestino Yes +100: Palestino is coming off of a good season in their domestic league and they have been a good team in that league over the last few years, finishing in the top 5 consistently. They also have experience playing in this competition and qualified out of their group last season in 2nd place. Gremio is the dominant team in their group and they will likely win the group, but they certainly are not a powerhouse team from Brasil so they could trip up in some of these matches. The other 2 teams in this group do not have that experience either, Torque playing in this competition just 1 other time in 2021 which they did not do well and this being Deportivo Riestra’s 1st time in the competition as well. Palestino has the potential to win this group as well, but they are the 2nd best team in this group with experience on their side, so this is some good value for a team that will likely make it out of the group stage. Palestino at +100 to qualify out of the group. 

Olimpia Asuncion Yes -110: Olimpia was already mentioned earlier as a possible group winner so for all of the same reasons here, they have a very good chance to qualify out of the group, even if it is in 2nd place. Olimpia at -110 to qualify out of the group.