Flamengo and Fluminense can replace up to three players on their CONMEBOL list for the 2026 Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. The official deadline is Friday, September 4, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Paraguay time. Because Paraguay uses UTC-3 in 2026, that is also 6:00 p.m. in Brasília.
The rule does not create three extra roster spots: these are replacements on the Good Faith List, which can contain up to 50 players. For every player added, another leaves the list. The procedure uses Form 6, submitted to CONMEBOL through the club's member association. The Club Manual also requires the incoming player to be correctly registered in the COMET System for the club and to have “VERIFIED” status by the deadline.
What is the deadline and how many players can be added?
| Stage | Replacement limit | Deadline | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinals | Up to 3 players | 9/4/2026, 6:00 p.m. Paraguay time | Form 6 |
| Semifinal, if the club advances | Up to 3 players | 10/9/2026, 6:00 p.m. Paraguay time | Form 6 |
| Final | No ordinary list replacements | — | — |
The Key Dates table in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores Club Manual expressly sets the quarterfinal limit at three changes. The same manual states that CONMEBOL updates the list in COMET after the form is processed through the member association.
The CBF transfer window and the CONMEBOL list have different deadlines
Brazil's second 2026 transfer window runs from July 20 to September 11, according to the official CBF calendar. A Brazilian club can therefore still complete a domestic registration after September 4 and before September 11.
That, however, does not make the player eligible for the Libertadores quarterfinals. To play in that stage, the player must complete CONMEBOL's specific process within the continental deadline. Put simply: the domestic window determines how late a transfer can be registered in Brazil; the CONMEBOL list determines how late the player's name can be included for that stage of the tournament.
There is another important detail: for the quarterfinals, the manual provides for a regular replacement through Form 6. Provisional registration is provided for the round of 16, but not as an additional shortcut for the quarterfinals. For a last-minute signing, the practical requirement is therefore to reach the deadline with the player registered in COMET for the club and with the status required by the competition.
How the list replacement works
- The club can replace up to three players from its competition list.
- The incoming player normally takes the shirt number of the player being replaced.
- If a number from 1 to 99 is free at the time of the change, the new player may use that available number.
- The form must be signed and routed through the member association before reaching CONMEBOL.
- The player's COMET registration must be correct and in “VERIFIED” status within the deadline.
For that reason, announcing a signing, signing a contract or even publishing the player's name in Brazil's registration system should not, by itself, be confused with completing the continental procedure. For the quarterfinals, what matters is that the full set of CONMEBOL requirements is completed on time.
Flamengo: what must happen with the new signings
As of September 1, Flamengo was working to complete the arrivals of Anthony Valencia and Joaquín Freitas. ge reported on August 31 that Valencia was already in Rio de Janeiro and Freitas was also arriving for medical tests, contract signing and registration steps, with the club racing to make both available for the quarterfinals.
For either player to face Independiente del Valle in this stage, a transfer agreement is not enough: Flamengo must have the player properly registered and include him among the up to three replacements submitted by September 4 at 6:00 p.m. Recent departures from the squad create obvious candidates to be removed, but who officially enters and leaves is only confirmed when the competition registration is updated.
If a signing is completed between September 5 and 11, it may still fall within Brazil's transfer window, but it will be too late for the quarterfinal list. If Flamengo advances, there will be another opportunity for up to three replacements for the semifinal, with the deadline on October 9.
Fluminense: the five round-of-16 changes do not erase the three quarterfinal changes
Fluminense used the five-change limit allowed for the round of 16. On August 8, ge reported the additions of Thiago Silva, Hulk, Zafir, Richard Wendell and Andrey in place of Kelwin, Agner, Davi Schuindt, Terans and Antonio Carlos.
That does not consume the quarterfinal allowance. The 2026 Manual establishes a new phase-specific quota: up to three replacements. Fluminense can therefore also change up to three names for the tie against Platense, provided the entire procedure is completed by the same September 4 deadline.
In the most recent public source used for this report, CONMEBOL's own Fluminense page, updated after the round of 16, already reflected the main names added for that stage. As of September 1, that source did not confirm a new quarterfinal-specific list. Any later changes should therefore be treated as confirmed only when they appear in an official club communication, a CONMEBOL publication or the competition's updated list.
When do Flamengo and Fluminense play their quarterfinals?
CONMEBOL scheduled Fluminense vs. Platense for September 8 at the Maracanã, with the return leg on September 15 in Argentina. Flamengo visits Independiente del Valle on September 10 and hosts the return leg at the Maracanã on September 17. The schedule was published by CONMEBOL.
The list cutoff therefore comes before either Rio club plays its first quarterfinal match. For supporters, the correct reading is simple: up to three changes, a September 4 deadline at 6:00 p.m., and the continental registration completed in time. Brazil's transfer window remaining open until September 11 does not extend that limit.
Practical summary
- Flamengo: can make up to three quarterfinal list replacements; negotiated signings can only play this stage if registration and inclusion are completed by September 4 at 6:00 p.m.
- Fluminense: also has the right to up to three changes, even after using five changes in the round of 16.
- CBF window: stays open until September 11, but that is a different deadline from CONMEBOL's.
- After September 4: a new signing may still be registered in Brazil, but cannot enter the quarterfinal list; if the club advances, the next Libertadores list-change window is for the semifinal, through October 9.
