CONMEBOL is studying a proposal that could bring Liga MX and MLS clubs back to the Libertadores in future editions, with four North American places under discussion. The plan being examined would split those spots between two Mexican teams and two teams from the United States.
That is why Central vs Corinthians is drawing interest now: the competition could be heading toward a format change that alters who gets into South America’s top club tournament. One of the models on the table would give each country two places, with one place by invitation and one place by sporting merit, a structure that would also be considered for MLS clubs.
The potential return matters because Mexican clubs were not strangers to the Libertadores. For years, they took part regularly, and they reached finals and semifinals before the relationship was broken off mainly by calendar changes and the difficulty of fitting CONMEBOL and CONCACAF competitions into the same schedule. An eventual comeback would revive a setup that was already part of the competition’s recent history.
It would also require more than a simple invitation. Adding clubs from outside the tournament’s traditional South American base would force changes to the format, the calendar and the match logistics. The first question is the simplest one: whether CONMEBOL wants to expand the field or redistribute existing places to make room.
That is where the proposal still stops short of certainty. CONMEBOL has not given official confirmation that the format will be adopted, and the exact method for selecting the clubs remains under discussion. If the idea moves forward, the next answer readers will want is whether the four spots are filled by invitation, merit, or some mix of both.
