The 2026 Copa Libertadores final is played on Saturday 28 November 2026 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, as a single match. Palmeiras (Brazil) meet Estudiantes de La Plata (Argentina). CONMEBOL has not announced the kick-off time. Official tickets go through libertadores.eleventickets.com; the press reports USD 340 for category 1, a price not confirmed on the CONMEBOL site.
Checked on against the official sources cited (CONMEBOL, Imply ElevenTickets, Government of Canada) and the sports press cited in the article.
On 28 November 2026, Montevideo hosts the Copa Libertadores final, in a stadium that was the venue of the first FIFA World Cup. This guide separates what is official from what comes from the press or from aggregators. It helps with three decisions: whether to buy a ticket, how to get from the airport, and what else is happening during the trip, including the Pope’s prayer vigil at the same stadium on 7 November.
Montevideo, a city to explore before the match
Montevideo has no metro and no tram service in operation. You get around by bus, taxi or ride-hailing apps, and most of city life happens between the old town, the seafront and the residential neighbourhoods of Pocitos and Punta Carretas. Uruguay stays on UTC-3 all year. In November, Montevideo is 3 hours behind London, 4 hours behind Paris and 2 hours ahead of New York, so check the time difference before you book a return flight or a transfer.
Montevideo and its rambla
The rambla runs from Pocitos to Punta Carretas, on foot or by bike. The old town, Ciudad Vieja, is home to Plaza Independencia, the Teatro Solís and the Mercado del Puerto. According to a cruise guide, the market is busy at weekends, with its parrillas, and it is best to arrive before 12:30 pm to avoid the crowds. That source is not official, but it matches what other guides describe.
Highlights
- A half-day city tour gives you a useful overview before or after the match.
- The rambla is best walked from Pocitos to Punta Carretas, with no car needed.
- The Mercado del Puerto makes an easy lunch, shared with other visitors.
If you arrive the day before the match, a half-day city tour gives you the basics. It lasts about 3 hours 30 minutes, and its guides speak Portuguese, English or Spanish, not French. The product does not list a departure time. The search found no Viator product on football or the Centenario; this tour, the most reviewed among those available on 27 and 28 November, is offered below.
The match: Palmeiras vs Estudiantes, both through on penalties
Palmeiras, the São Paulo club, and Estudiantes de La Plata, from Argentina, meet in the final. It is a single match, played on neutral ground. Both teams went through the penalty shootout after a two-leg semi-final. These results come from the sports press: they do not appear on an official site at the date of consultation.
| Stage | Palmeiras (Brazil) | Estudiantes de La Plata (Argentina) |
|---|---|---|
| First leg | Win 2-1 against Fluminense at the Maracanã, 14 October 2026 | 0-0 against Flamengo |
| Second leg | Loss 0-1 to Fluminense, 21 October 2026 | 0-0 against Flamengo, at the Maracanã |
| Aggregate and qualification | 2-2 over two legs, qualified 5-3 on penalties | 0-0 over two legs, qualified 3-2 on penalties, with three saves by Muslera |
Source: Primicias (Palmeiras) and Primicias (Estudiantes), press, checked 2 November 2026.
The press reports hotels in high demand and high prices in Montevideo for the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana finals (Riotimes, updated 23 October 2026). No figure was checked for 28 November (see the budget and accommodation section). Booking early is the safe choice, especially if you want to sleep near the stadium.
Match day
According to the Brazilian press, which cites a single source, each finalist would receive about 12,000 tickets, and the central mixed stands would hold about 21,000 seats. The Colombes stand, to the north, would be reserved for Palmeiras supporters, and the Amsterdam stand, to the south, for Estudiantes supporters. CONMEBOL had not confirmed these figures at the date of consultation.
Highlights
- A category 3 ticket cannot be bought freely: it is reserved for supporters of the two finalists and goes through the clubs.
- Quotas and stand allocation still need checking at the time of purchase.
- The stadium holds 60,235 seats according to Wikipedia. Demand for the final had not been quantified at the date of consultation.
Tickets: the official channel, the sales timetable and press prices
CONMEBOL asks fans to buy tickets only through the official platform, libertadores.eleventickets.com, run by Imply ElevenTickets, and warns against unauthorised sellers. Pixidia does not sell tickets and has no partnership with the ticketing platform: this guide is not a booking intermediary. To compare with another recent final, our guide to the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium covers tickets and access.
Sales timetable
| Step | Date and time | Audience | Status at consultation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard presale | Thursday 29 October 2026, 2 pm | Mastercard cardholders; eligibility described differently across sources | Reported open on 29 October by ABC do ABC (press), not confirmed by CONMEBOL |
| General sale | Monday 2 November 2026, 2 pm | General public, categories 1 and 2 | Announced by El Gráfico only, not confirmed on the CONMEBOL page read |
| Category 3 | Not announced | Supporters of the two finalists | Goes through the clubs, conditions not published |
| Purchase limit | Four tickets per person in presale | Presale buyers | One source (Brazilian press), to be confirmed |
Source: ABC do ABC and El Gráfico, press, checked 2 November 2026.
Price grid
| Category | Price (USD) | Audience | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 340 | General public | ABC do ABC, El Gráfico |
| Category 2 | 250 | General public | ABC do ABC, El Gráfico |
| Category 3 | 95 | Supporters of the two finalists | ABC do ABC, El Gráfico |
| Hospitality | 450 | Category 1 buyers | ABC do ABC |
| Agency package, category 2 | 690 minimum | General public, with transport voucher | Absolut Sport, reported by Riotimes |
Source: ABC do ABC, El Gráfico and Riotimes (agency package, 23 October 2026), press, checked 2 November 2026. These prices do not appear on the CONMEBOL site as read on that date.
Public prices stay below the cheapest agency package, at USD 690, which includes a transport voucher. Absolut Sport calls itself the « first and only official agency » for its packages. CONMEBOL does not repeat this claim and reminds buyers that purchases go through its platform, so treat the word « official » with caution when a third-party offer uses it.
Two points need checking before any purchase. First, the limit of four tickets per person in presale comes only from a Brazilian source, and CONMEBOL says it will publish its official conditions. Second, resellers list seats above the official price: one category is listed at £709 by a reseller. Fraud and fake tickets are described as a recurring risk around finals.
From Carrasco airport to Montevideo, and from Buenos Aires
Carrasco International Airport, run by Puerta del Sur S.A., is about 19 to 23 km from the city centre, according to information sites: the airport’s official page does not give this distance. The trip is by bus or taxi. The table below lists the options found, with their verification status.
| From | Mode | Duration | Indicative cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrasco airport | Cutcsa C1 or DM1 bus | About 45 min, a departure every 15 min | 61 to 100 Uruguayan pesos, depending on sources | Aggregator, fare to check |
| Carrasco airport | Official taxi | About 40 min | About 1,800 pesos (estimate) | Aggregator, fare not checked |
| Buenos Aires | Buquebus (ferry) | About 2 h 30 to 2 h 45, according to OpenFerry | USD 75 to 434, depending on class and season | Aggregator; carrier’s site not readable |
| Buenos Aires | Direct flight, Aerolíneas Argentinas | About 1 h | From about USD 315 return | Aggregator; lands at Aeroparque (AEP) |
| Paris | Flight with a connection | 14 to 20 h | Not checked: no named comparator for November | Aggregator; no direct flight |
Source: Airmundo, OpenFerry and Expedia, checked 2 November 2026; aggregators, not confirmed by the operators.
The trip from Paris always involves a connection: no direct flight links Paris and Montevideo. Depending on the airline, the stop can be in Madrid, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima or Bogotá. We did not check a November fare from a named comparator, so no Paris price is given here.
Two traps to avoid. First, direct flights from Buenos Aires land at Aeroparque, not Ezeiza, according to Expedia. Second, Colonia Express runs from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento in about 1 h 15, but that is not the crossing to Montevideo. For the Uruguayan capital, the relevant service is the Buquebus ferry: according to the aggregator OpenFerry, the crossing takes about 2 h 30 to 2 h 45, a figure the carrier’s own site did not let us confirm. For a longer trip around the match in Argentina, our guide to day trips from Buenos Aires covers the options.
Budget, accommodation and weather
No 2026 accommodation rate for Montevideo could be verified at the date of consultation. Compare offers directly, and remember that the papal vigil on 7 November may add pressure on demand.
Choosing a neighbourhood
- Parque Batlle: next to the stadium and well served by buses. The most practical choice on match evening.
- Pocitos and Punta Carretas: seafront and rambla, pricier than the centre, with more comfort.
- Ciudad Vieja: ideal for a first visit to the city, with a quiet nightlife and caution after dark.
- Centro: cheaper, practical hotels, a few minutes from the buses to the stadium.
- Cordón and Parque Rodó: student neighbourhoods, more affordable, with a local feel.
Budget items to know
- Tickets: USD 340 in category 1 and USD 250 in category 2 according to the press, USD 95 in category 3 for finalists’ supporters.
- Flight from Paris: no November fare checked from a named comparator. The trip always involves a connection.
- Airport transfer: bus at about 61 to 100 pesos, taxi estimated at 1,800 pesos. The bus is much cheaper.
- Exchange rate: the latest BCU rate found dates from 21 May 2026, about 39.92 Uruguayan pesos to USD 1. No November rate was found, so do not convert prices without a dated rate.
Weather at the end of November
Weather sites show an average temperature of about 19 °C, with highs around 22 to 23 °C. Uruguay’s national weather service, INUMET, counts about seven rainy days in November. These are multi-year averages, not forecasts for 28 November: pack a light jacket for the evenings and a compact umbrella.
What other guides don’t tell you
The guides we checked date from March to October 2026, or are older. The points below rest on an official source, a named aggregator or dated press.
- A prayer vigil at the Centenario on Saturday 7 November at 7 pm. It takes place three weeks before the final, and free tickets reportedly sold out in about three hours. Source: Primicias (programme) and Uruguayan press reports on tickets, consulted 2 November 2026.
- A stadium closure reported after the final. It is linked to the works planned from 2027 for the 2030 World Cup. Source: Primicias, updated 27 October 2026, consulted 2 November 2026. One source so far.
- An agency package presented as « official ». Absolut Sport, at USD 690 minimum, calls itself an official agency, a claim CONMEBOL does not repeat: it reminds buyers that purchases go through its platform. Source: CONMEBOL, consulted 2 November 2026.
- The kick-off time is still not announced. CONMEBOL has confirmed the date of 28 November, not the time. Source: CONMEBOL, announcement of 19 March 2026, and Riotimes, updated 23 October 2026.
- Direct flights from Buenos Aires land at Aeroparque. Many guides mention Ezeiza. Source: Expedia, an aggregator to confirm with the airline, consulted 2 November 2026.
- Colonia Express does not serve Montevideo. The service goes to Colonia del Sacramento in about 1 h 15, according to the operator’s site, read in a test version. The crossing to Montevideo is by Buquebus, in about 2 h 30 to 2 h 45 according to the aggregator OpenFerry, checked 2 November 2026.
Practical information to check before you travel
For UK passport holders, the UK government’s advice (FCDO) says that tourist visits of up to 90 days need no visa. The passport must be valid for the whole stay and have at least one blank page. For other nationalities, check with the Uruguayan consulate before you go.
The currency is the Uruguayan peso. The press publishes the final’s ticket prices in US dollars; urban fares are paid in pesos. Visa and Mastercard cards are common in the centre.
No requirement was found for a traveller arriving from Europe. According to PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), in an undated source, a yellow fever vaccination may be required depending on where the traveller comes from (endemic areas or active outbreak); check the rule in force before departure.
The language is Spanish, with the Rioplatense usage in which « vos » is common. Many Brazilians and Uruguayans understand Portuguese, but this is not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 Copa Libertadores final?
The final takes place on Saturday 28 November 2026, as a single match, at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. CONMEBOL confirms the date but not the kick-off time, which had not been announced when we checked on 2 November 2026. Keep a full day free for the final, and wait for the official time before booking a late-evening return flight.
How much does a ticket cost?
According to the press, category 1 costs USD 340 and category 2 USD 250. Category 3, at USD 95, is reserved for supporters of the two finalists. These amounts were not found on the official site when we checked. Agency packages start at USD 690, including a transport voucher. Check the price shown at checkout.
When do ticket sales start?
According to ABC do ABC, a Mastercard presale opened on Thursday 29 October 2026 at 2 pm Montevideo time (press report, not confirmed by CONMEBOL). El Gráfico announces the general sale for Monday 2 November at 2 pm, but the search could not establish whether that general sale is open: check libertadores.eleventickets.com. Presale eligibility is described differently across sources. Check libertadores.eleventickets.com for the current status.
Do I need a visa?
For UK passport holders, no visa is needed for a tourist stay of up to 90 days, according to the UK government (FCDO). The passport must be valid for the whole stay and have at least one blank page. Some information sites add that a return ticket is needed; the FCDO page does not mention it. For other nationalities, check with the consulate before you go.
How do I get from Carrasco airport to the city centre?
The Cutcsa C1 or DM1 bus takes about 45 minutes, with a departure every 15 minutes according to aggregators, and serves the centre and Punta Carretas. According to Airmundo, an official taxi takes about 40 minutes. Fares have not been checked with the operators, so confirm them before you travel.
Is Montevideo safe?
The Government of Canada advises a high level of caution in Montevideo because of crime: bag and phone snatching, armed robbery. The areas it names are Avenida 18 de Julio, Ciudad Vieja, Plaza Independencia and the port. The UK government advises against walking alone in the downtown and port areas, especially at night and at weekends. Go out in daylight, carry little cash and keep a copy of your passport.
Sources
- CONMEBOL: announcement of the final in Montevideo : date, venue and line-ups (official, consulted 2 November 2026)
- Imply ElevenTickets: ticketing operator : platform designated by CONMEBOL (consulted 2 November 2026)
- Estadio Centenario: stadium history : opening, FIFA classification (consulted 2 November 2026)
- Wikipedia: Estadio Centenario : capacity of 60,235 seats (consulted 2 November 2026)
- Carrasco airport : operator and presentation (consulted 2 November 2026)
- Government of Canada: Uruguay travel advice : level of caution in Montevideo, updated 13 October 2026
- UK government (FCDO): Uruguay travel advice : safety and security, entry requirements (consulted 2 November 2026; no update date shown on the pages read)
- French Foreign Ministry: Uruguay advice : updated 10 September 2026
- BPS: November 2026 elections : date of 22 November, to be reconfirmed
- ACI Prensa: Pope Leo XIV’s trip : Holy See announcement of 5 August 2026
- Primicias: papal programme : article of 21 September 2026 (press)
- Primicias: Estadio Centenario and closure : updated 27 October 2026 (press)
- Primicias: Palmeiras qualification : semi-final against Fluminense (press)
- Primicias: Estudiantes qualification : semi-final against Flamengo (press)
- ABC do ABC: opening of sales and prices : presale of 29 October 2026 and price grid (press)
- El Gráfico: prices and where to buy tickets : general sale announced for 2 November (press)
- Riotimes: hotels, packages and kick-off time : updated 23 October 2026 (press)
- Airmundo: transport from Carrasco airport : aggregator, fares to check
- OpenFerry: Buenos Aires to Montevideo : Buquebus crossing time (aggregator)
- Expedia: flights Montevideo to Buenos Aires : airports served (aggregator)
- Weather Spark: Montevideo climate : multi-year averages (not forecasts)
Dossier checked 2 November 2026. Prices and times cited come from the press or from aggregators when no official source was available at the date of consultation.
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