Barcelona SC's Wild Road to the 2026 Copa Libertadores Group Stage: Penalties, Then Botafogo
No team had a wilder route to the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage than Barcelona Sporting Club. Ecuador's most decorated club needed a penalty shootout just to survive Qualification Round 2, then knocked out Brazilian giants Botafogo in Round 3 — a run that deserves its own story.
Round 2: Barcelona SC Survive Argentinos Juniors on Penalties
Barcelona SC lost the first leg 1-0 at home in Guayaquil to a Diego Porcel goal. In the return leg at Argentinos' Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, Jhonny Quiñónez's 66th-minute goal forced a 1-1 aggregate tie, sending the match to penalties — where Barcelona SC held their nerve to win the shootout 5-4.
Round 3: Eliminating Brazilian Giants Botafogo
Barcelona SC's reward was a tie against Botafogo — a club with a massive recent continental pedigree. A 1-1 draw at home in Guayaquil set up a trip to Rio de Janeiro, where Milton Céliz scored in the 8th minute and Barcelona SC held on for a 2-1 aggregate win, eliminating Botafogo before the group stage had even begun.
What Happened Next
Barcelona SC's run came back down to earth in the group stage itself: drawn into Group 2 alongside Cruzeiro, Boca Juniors and Universidad Católica (Chile), they finished last and were eliminated — but reaching the group stage at all, through two of the toughest ties of the qualifying rounds, was an achievement in its own right.