They are fighting for a second chance
Alianza Lima, habiendo tropezado en la fase de grupos de la Copa Libertadores, no abandona el escenario continental sino que desciende a él: el club limeño se incorpora a la Copa Sudamericana como uno de los ocho equipos que buscan redención en una repesca diseñada para los que casi llegaron. El 2 de junio, en Asunción, un sorteo determinará el rival que se interponga entre Alianza y los octavos de final, recordándonos que en el fútbol sudamericano, el camino de regreso es tan exigente como el camino hacia adelante.
- Alianza Lima empató con Libertad de Paraguay en la última fecha y se aferró al tercer lugar del grupo, evitando por poco la eliminación total del torneo continental.
- El formato de Conmebol no perdona: los terceros de la Libertadores deben enfrentarse a los segundos de la Sudamericana en una ronda de repechaje que filtra sin piedad antes de los octavos de final.
- Los posibles rivales van desde Guaraní y Cerro Largo hasta Vasco da Gama y Fluminense, con tres grupos aún sin definir sus clasificados, lo que mantiene el panorama en suspenso.
- El sistema de emparejamiento por ranking añade otra capa de incertidumbre: la posición final de Alianza entre los ocho terceros determinará contra quién jugará.
- El sorteo del 2 de junio en Asunción cerrará todas las incógnitas y marcará el inicio de una batalla en la que Alianza ya no compite en la élite, sino por el derecho a seguir compitiendo.
La clasificación de Alianza Lima a los playoffs de la Copa Sudamericana llegó por la puerta estrecha: un empate ante Libertad de Paraguay en la última jornada del grupo de la Libertadores fue suficiente para terminar terceros y conservar la vida continental. No es el camino soñado, pero es un camino.
El formato de Conmebol para 2025 establece una ronda de repechaje en la que los ocho terceros de la Libertadores se miden contra los ocho segundos de la Sudamericana. Es una lógica que premia la consistencia y castiga el tropiezo: los mejores entre los que fallaron contra los subcampeones del torneo secundario.
Los posibles rivales de Alianza ya asoman en el horizonte: Guaraní, Cerro Largo, América de Cali, Palestino y Vasco da Gama están entre los candidatos de los grupos ya definidos. Sin embargo, tres grupos de la Sudamericana aún no cierran, y de ellos podrían surgir equipos como Grêmio, Fluminense, Atlético Mineiro o incluso el peruano Cienciano.
El emparejamiento no será aleatorio en su totalidad: Conmebol ordenará a los clasificados por ranking antes de cruzarlos, buscando equilibrar los cruces. Así, la posición final de Alianza entre los terceros de la Libertadores influirá directamente en quién le toque enfrentar.
El 2 de junio, a las 10 de la mañana hora peruana, el sorteo en Asunción despejará todas las dudas. Para entonces, los grupos habrán concluido y los ocho ganadores del repechaje sabrán también su siguiente rival. Alianza tiene una misión concreta: superar esa ronda y alcanzar los octavos. El rival importa menos que el objetivo.
Alianza Lima's path to continental glory just got narrower. The Lima club secured a spot in the Copa Sudamericana playoffs after drawing with Paraguay's Libertad in their final Copa Libertadores group-stage match, finishing third in their bracket and earning a second-chance berth in South America's second-tier club competition. Now comes the waiting—and the strategizing.
Under Conmebol's 2025 format, the structure is deliberately unforgiving to those who stumble in the Libertadores. The eight third-place finishers from that competition must face off against the eight second-place teams from the Sudamericana groups in a knockout round designed to thin the field before the round of 16. It's a pairing logic that rewards consistency: the best of the also-rans against the runners-up of the secondary tournament.
Alianza's potential opponents remain partially unsettled. From the completed Sudamericana groups, the club could draw Paraguay's Guaraní, Uruguay's Cerro Largo, Colombia's América de Cali, Chile's Palestino, or Brazil's Vasco da Gama. Two groups remain in flux. In Group D, either Argentina's Godoy Cruz (sitting first with 11 points) or Brazil's Grêmio (second with 9) will emerge as the second-place finisher. Group F could send either Colombia's Once Caldas (leading with 12 points) or Brazil's Fluminense (10 points) into the playoff draw. Group H, still incomplete, presents three scenarios: Peru's own Cienciano, Brazil's Atlético Mineiro, or Venezuela's Caracas could claim the second-place slot.
The seeding matters. Conmebol has structured the matchups so that the highest-ranked third-place team from the Libertadores faces the eighth-ranked second-place team from the Sudamericana, and so on down the line—a deliberate effort to balance the brackets. Alianza's final opponent will depend both on how it ranks among the eight third-place finishers and which teams ultimately secure their positions in the remaining Sudamericana groups.
The draw itself will settle everything on June 2 in Asunción, Paraguay, at 10 a.m. Peruvian time. Conmebol will convene representatives from all qualified clubs and conduct the random pairing that determines who faces whom in the round of 16. By that point, all group stages will be complete, all playoff positions locked, and the eight victors from the repechage round will know their next opponents.
For Alianza, the immediate task is clear: survive the playoff round and reach the round of 16. The identity of the opponent remains secondary to that fundamental objective. But the structure of the draw—and the range of possible rivals—underscores the reality facing the club. They are no longer competing at the Libertadores' top table. They are fighting for a second chance.
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
So Alianza finished third in their Libertadores group. Does that automatically send them to the Sudamericana playoffs, or did they have to do something else to get there?
They're in the playoffs by virtue of finishing third. That's the format—the third-place teams from each Libertadores group get a second life in the Sudamericana. It's a safety net, but it's also a step down.
And they're facing second-place teams from the Sudamericana groups. Why that pairing? Why not third-place against third-place?
It's Conmebol's way of creating a filter. The Sudamericana is the secondary tournament, so its second-place finishers are considered stronger than the Libertadores' third-place teams. It's meant to be competitive but also to reward consistency in the bigger competition.
So Alianza could face Vasco da Gama or Fluminense—teams from Brazil's top league. That seems like a big step up.
It could happen, yes. The draw is random once all the groups are settled. But the seeding system tries to balance it—the best third-place team gets the weakest second-place team, and vice versa. Alianza's ranking among the eight third-place finishers will matter.
When do they know who they're actually playing?
June 2, in Asunción. That's when Conmebol does the full draw for the round of 16. By then, all the Sudamericana groups will be finished, and all eight playoff winners will be known.
So there's still a lot of uncertainty—both about who Alianza faces in the playoff and who they'd face after that.
Exactly. Right now, they're in a holding pattern. The playoff is the immediate hurdle. Everything else depends on clearing that first.