The Copa Mercosur (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkopa meɾkoˈsuɾ], Portuguese: Copa Mercosul [ˈkɔpɐ meʁkoˈsuw], "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV money to the participating teams, but it went beyond and ended up, together with the Copa Merconorte, as natural replacement to the CONMEBOL Cup. These two, Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur, were replaced in 2002 by the Copa Sudamericana.
 The trophy awarded to champions | |
| Organizing body | CONMEBOL |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Abolished | 2001 |
| Region | South America |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Related competitions | Copa Merconorte |
| Most successful club(s) |  Palmeiras Flamengo Vasco San Lorenzo (1 title each) |
| Television broadcasters | PSN |
Format
editTwenty teams played in the tournament. The teams were divided in five groups of four teams each and the matches were played in two legs. The group winners and the best three runners-up qualified for the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals, the semifinals were played in two legs. In 1998 and 2000 the finals were played in three legs. In 1999 and 2001 the finals were played in two legs.
Final venues
editThroughout the brief history of the competition a total of five venues were used to host the final series:
| Belo Horizonte | São Paulo | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | Buenos Aires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineirão | Estádio Palestra Itália | Maracanã Stadium | Estádio São Januário | Estadio Pedro Bidegain |
| Capacity: 61,800 | Capacity: 27,600 | Capacity: 78,800 | Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 48,000 |
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Finals
edit| Year | Country | Champion | Runner-up | Country | 1st leg | 1st leg Venue |
2nd leg | 2nd leg Venue |
Playoff | Playoff Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | BRA |
Palmeiras | Cruzeiro | BRA |
1–2 |
Mineirão | 3–1 |
Palestra Itália | 1–0 |
Palestra Itália |
| 1999 | BRA |
Flamengo | Palmeiras | BRA |
4–3 |
Maracanã | 3–3 |
Palestra Itália | – |
–
|
| 2000 | BRA |
Vasco da Gama | Palmeiras | BRA |
2–0 |
São Januário | 0–1 |
Palestra Itália | 4–3 |
Palestra Itália |
| 2001 | ARG |
San Lorenzo | Flamengo | BRA |
0–0 |
Maracanã | 1–1 (4–3 p) |
Pedro Bidegain | – |
–
|
- Keys
- Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time
- Match playoff after the series ended tied on aggregate
Performances
editBy club
edit| Team | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras |
1 | 2 | 1998 | 1999, 2000 |
| Flamengo |
1 | 1 | 1999 | 2001 |
| San Lorenzo |
1 | 0 | 2001 | —
|
| Vasco da Gama |
1 | 0 | 2000 |
—
|
| Cruzeiro |
0 | 1 | — |
1998 |
By country
edit| Country | Won | Runners-Up | Winning Clubs | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
3 | 4 | Flamengo (1); Palmeiras (1); Vasco da Gama (1) | Palmeiras (2); Flamengo (1); Cruzeiro (1) |
| Argentina |
1 | 0 | San Lorenzo (1) | —
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Top scorers
edit| Year | Player (team) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Alex (Palmeiras) Fábio Júnior (Cruzeiro)
|
6 |
| 1999 | Romário (Flamengo)
|
8 |
| 2000 | Romário (Vasco da Gama)
|
11 |
| 2001 | Bernardo Romeo (San Lorenzo)
|
10 |