Who is most prestigious football tournaments in the world?

#5 

COPA LIBERATORS

·Winning the Final: US$2,300,000
·Current champion: Atlético Nacional (2nd title)
·Most successful club(s): Independiente (7 titles)
·Founded: April 19, 1960
·Number of teams: 47 (from 10 associations)

The Copa Libertadores is the UEFA Champions League equivalent of Latin American football. The literal translation of the name is ‘Liberators of the America Cup’ owing to the roots of its inception – the South American wars of independence. With 47 teams from eleven South American countries – and Mexico – the Copa Libertadores is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world. The qualification process for the competition varies from country to country but in summation, Brazil and Argentina get five teams to represent their leagues in competition while the rest of the participating countries get three each.

With over 135 countries capable of following the tournament through television deals, it’s no wonder there are a host of clubs fighting tooth and nail to win it. The 2009 edition of the tournament was the first one to break the 1 billion views mark – spanned over the course of the competition. The most successful Libertadores club is Argentina’s Independiente who have won it a total of seven times while the current champions are Atletico Nacional.