Cerro Porteño’s Path to Copa Libertadores

Cerro Porteño’s chances of qualifying for the Copa Libertadores have taken a hit after their recent loss in the championship.

The team has two alternatives to make it to the continental competition, but only one guarantees direct entry into the group stage. To achieve this, Cerro must rely on Olimpia winning the Clausura tournament and surpassing Nacional in the annual table.

Alternative Scenarios

If Olimpia becomes the Clausura champion for a second time, the Paraguay 2 spot will be allocated to the team that finishes second in the overall standings. Currently, Nacional holds this position, six points ahead of Cerro Porteño.

This would make it easier for Cerro to qualify directly into the group stage by remounting those six points and ensuring Olimpia’s championship title.

However, if this path fails, Cerro must at least maintain its third position in the overall standings, aware of the gap with Nacional and knowing that Libertad is only one point behind them.

The last option for Cerro Porteño would be to win the Copa Paraguay, but this would result in a spot in the Fase 1 of the Libertadores, as they would be the last representative from Paraguay in the competition.