View source for Copa Merconorte

{{infobox football tournament
| name                 = Copa Merconorte
| image                = Logo da Copa Merconorte.png
| imagesize            = 180
| alt                  =
| caption              =  
| organiser            = [[CONMEBOL]]
| founded              = 1998
| abolished            = {{Start date and age|2001}}
| region               = South America <br /> North America
| number of teams      = 16
| qualifier for        =
| related comps        = [[Copa Mercosur]]
| domestic cup         =
| confed cup           =
| current champions    =
| most successful club = {{flagicon|COL}} [[Atlético Nacional|Atl. Nacional]]<br /> (2 titles)
| broadcasters         =
| motto                =
| website              =
| current              =
| American             = yes
}}

The '''Copa Merconorte''' ({{IPA|es|ˈkopa meɾkoˈnoɾte}}) was an international [[Association football|football]] competition organized by [[CONMEBOL]] from 1998 to 2001 by clubs from [[Bolivia]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]], and [[Venezuela]] and starting in 2000 clubs from the [[CONCACAF]] confederation were invited including [[Costa Rica]], [[Mexico]], and the United States. The competition ran alongside the [[Copa Mercosur]]—based on the actual [[Mercosur]] economic pact between [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]].<ref name=merconorte>{{cite web|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|title=Copa Merconorte|url=https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/merconorte.html |website=The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation |access-date=20 June 2013}}</ref> 

Teams did not directly qualify for this competition. Instead, the aim was to generate profits through the television contracts by inviting the most marketable clubs from each country.<ref name="other copas">{{cite web|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|title=South America – "Other Copas"|url=https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/samisc.html|website=The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=20 June 2013|archive-date=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807191558/http://www.rsssf.com/sacups/samisc.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  Therefore, participation was based on invitation of individual clubs.

The competition—along with the [[Copa Mercosur]]—was discontinued following the conclusion of 2001. A football competition to be called the Copa Pan-Americana would replace these two competitions for the 2002 season featuring clubs from both [[CONMEBOL]] and [[CONCACAF]]. The competition was postponed, with plans to be played in 2003. Instead, a [[CONMEBOL]] competition was founded dubbed as the [[Copa Sudamericana]] in [[2002 Copa Sudamericana|2002]]. The Copa Pan-Americana was never organized in the immediate future and leaving the Sudamericana as the successor of the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur.<ref name=panamericana>{{cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Miguel|title=Copa Pan-Americana 2003|url=https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/panamcup02.html |website=The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation |access-date=20 June 2013}}</ref>

All four editions were won by a Colombian club. [[Atlético Nacional]] won it on two occasions (1998 and 2000). All the finalists in the first three editions were Colombian. In the fourth edition, [[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]] became the first and only non-Colombian club to reach the finals of the Copa Merconorte.<ref name=merconorte />

==Format==

===Qualification===
Teams did not directly qualify for this competition through their national leagues. Participation was based solely on invitation.<ref name=merconorte /><ref name="other copas" />

===Tournament===
The 1998 and 1999 editions were played with twelve teams of the five corresponding [[CONMEBOL]] nations. The twelve teams were divided into three groups and each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The group winners and the best runner-up advanced to a semifinal stage. The semifinals were played over two legs and the winners advanced to the finals which were also played over two legs. In 1999, the Bolivian teams played a qualifying playoff before the first phase of Copa Merconorte.

The 2000 and 2001 editions were expanded to sixteen teams and divided into four groups. With the expansion of another group, only the group winners advanced to the semifinals.

===Distribution===
The invitations and distribution of berths over the four seasons were as follows.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Association !! 1998 !! 1999 !! 2000 !! 2001
|-
| {{flagicon|BOL}} [[Bolivian Football Federation|Bolivia]]
|
*[[The Strongest]]
|
*[[The Strongest]]
|
*[[Oriente Petrolero]]
|
*[[Club Blooming|Blooming]]
|-
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Colombian Football Federation|Colombia]]
| 
*[[América de Cali]]
*[[Atlético Nacional]]
*[[Deportivo Cali]]
*[[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]
|
*[[América de Cali]]
*[[Atlético Nacional]]
*[[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]
*[[Club Santa Fe|Santa Fe]]
|
*[[América de Cali]]
*[[Atlético Nacional]]
*[[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]
|
*[[América de Cali]]
*[[Atlético Nacional]]
*[[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ECU}} [[Ecuadorian Football Federation|Ecuador]]
|
*[[Barcelona Sporting Club|Barcelona]]
*[[Club Deportivo El Nacional|El Nacional]]
*[[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]]
|
*[[Barcelona Sporting Club|Barcelona]]
*[[Club Deportivo El Nacional|El Nacional]]
*[[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]]
|
*[[Barcelona Sporting Club|Barcelona]]
*[[Club Deportivo El Nacional|El Nacional]]
*[[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]]
|
*[[Sociedad Deportiva Aucas|Aucas]]
*[[Barcelona Sporting Club|Barcelona]]
*[[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]]
|-
| {{flagicon|PER}} [[Peruvian Football Federation|Peru]]
|
*[[Alianza Lima]]
*[[Sporting Cristal]]
*[[Club Universitario de Deportes|Universitario]]
|
*[[Alianza Lima]]
*[[Sporting Cristal]]
*[[Club Universitario de Deportes|Universitario]]
|
*[[Alianza Lima]]
*[[Sporting Cristal]]
*[[Club Universitario de Deportes|Universitario]]
|
*[[Alianza Lima]]
*[[Sporting Cristal]]
*[[Club Universitario de Deportes|Universitario]]
|-
| {{flagicon|VEN}} [[Venezuelan Football Federation|Venezuela]]
|
*[[Caracas FC|Caracas]]
|
*[[Caracas FC|Caracas]]
|
*[[Estudiantes de Mérida]]
|
*[[Deportivo Petare|Deportivo Italchacao]]
|-
| {{flagicon|Costa Rica}} [[Costa Rican Football Federation|Costa Rica]]
|
*''No invitations''
|
*''No invitations''
|
*[[Liga Deportiva Alajuelense|Alajuelense]]
|
*''No invitations''
|-
| {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Mexican Football Federation|Mexico]]
|
*''No invitations''
|
*''No invitations''
|
*[[C.D. Guadalajara|Guadalajara]]
*[[Club Necaxa|Necaxa]]
*[[C.F. Pachuca|Pachuca]]
*[[Deportivo Toluca F.C.|Toluca]]
|
*[[C.D. Guadalajara|Guadalajara]]
*[[Club Necaxa|Necaxa]]
*[[Club Santos Laguna|Santos Laguna]]
|-
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States Soccer Federation|United States]]
|
*''No invitations''
|
*''No invitations''
|
*''No invitations''
|
*[[Sporting Kansas City|Kansas City Wizards]]
*[[New York Red Bulls|NY/NJ MetroStars]]
|}

==Records and statistics==
===List of finals ===
{{small div|
;Keys
* aet: [[overtime (sports)|after extra time]]
* p: defined on [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]]
* {{colorbox|#d0e7ff|border=silver}} Match decided by a [[Penalty shootout (association football)|penalty shootout]] after extra time
* {{colorbox|#ccffcc|border=silver}} Match playoff after the series ended tied on aggregate
* {{colorbox|#BAF5FA|border=silver}} Defined on [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]] in the second leg
}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! Year
! Winners
! width= |1st.<br>leg
! width= |2nd.<br>leg
! width= |{{tooltip|Playoff/<br>Agg.|playoff match (if necessary) – since 1968, it was defined by average goal}}
! Runners-up
! width=| Venue <br>(1st leg)
! width=| City <br>(1st leg)
! width=| Venue <br>(2nd leg)
! width=| City <br>(2nd leg)
|-
|[[1998 Copa Merconorte|1998]] ||{{flagicon|COL}} '''[[Atlético Nacional]]''' ||align=center|3&ndash;1 ||align=center|1&ndash;0  || {{center|–}} || {{flagicon|COL}} [[Deportivo Cali]] || [[Estadio Atanasio Girardot|Atanasio Girardot]] ||[[Medellín]]||[[Estadio Pascual Guerrero|Pascual Guerrero]] || [[Cali]]
|-
|[[1999 Copa Merconorte|1999]] || {{flagicon|COL}} '''[[América de Cali]]''' ||align=center|1&ndash;2 ||align=center|1&ndash;0 || bgcolor=#BAF5FA| {{center|5–3 {{pso}} }} 
||{{flagicon|COL}} [[Club Santa Fe|Santa Fe]] ||[[Estadio Pascual Guerrero|Pascual Guerrero]] ||[[Cali]]||[[Estadio El Campín|Nemesio Camacho]] ||[[Bogotá]]
|-
|[[2000 Copa Merconorte|2000]] ||{{flagicon|COL}} '''[[Atlético Nacional]]''' ||align=center|0&ndash;0 ||align=center|2&ndash;1 || {{center|–}} ||{{flagicon|COL}} [[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]] ||[[Estadio El Campín|Nemesio Camacho]] ||[[Bogotá]] ||[[Estadio Atanasio Girardot|Atanasio Girardot]] ||[[Medellín]]
|-
|[[2001 Copa Merconorte|2001]] || {{flagicon|COL}} '''[[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]''' ||align=center|1&ndash;1 ||align=center|1&ndash;1 || bgcolor=#BAF5FA| {{center|3–1 {{pso}} }} 
||{{flagicon|ECU}} [[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]] ||[[Estadio El Campín|Nemesio Camacho]] ||[[Bogotá]]||[[Estadio George Capwell|George Capwell]] ||[[Guayaquil]]
|-
|}

===Performances by club===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope=col|Club
!scope=col|Titles
!scope=col|Runners-up
!scope=col|Seasons won
!scope=col|Seasons runner-up
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Atlético Nacional]]
|align=center|2||align=center|0||[[1998 Copa Merconorte|1998]], [[2000 Copa Merconorte|2000]]
||{{center|—}}
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Millonarios Fútbol Club|Millonarios]]
|align=center|1||align=center|1||[[2001 Copa Merconorte|2001]]||[[2000 Copa Merconorte|2000]]
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|COL}} [[América de Cali]]
|align=center|1||align=center|0||[[1999 Copa Merconorte|1999]]||{{center|—}}
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Deportivo Cali]]
|align=center|0||align=center|1||{{center|—}}||[[1998 Copa Merconorte|1998]]
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|ECU}} [[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]]
|align=center|0||align=center|1||{{center|—}}||[[2001 Copa Merconorte|2001]]
|-
!scope=row| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Club Santa Fe|Santa Fe]]
|align=center|0||align=center|1||{{center|—}}||[[1999 Copa Merconorte|1999]]
|}

===Performances by nation===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+
|-
!scope="col"|Nation
!scope="col"|Winner
!scope="col"|Runner-up
!scope="col"|Total
|-
!scope=row| {{flag|Colombia}}
|align=center|4
|align=center|3
|align=center|7
|-
!scope=row| {{flag|Ecuador}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|1
|align=center|1
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Copa Mercosur]]
* [[Copa Sudamericana]]
* [[Copa CONMEBOL]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/merconorte.html Copa Merconorte at RSSSF]
* [https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/sudamcup02.html Copa Sudamericana at RSSSF]
* [https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/panamcup02.html Copa Pan-Americana at RSSSF]
* [https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/samisc.html South America - Other Copas at RSSSF]

{{CONMEBOL tertiary tournaments}}{{International Club Football}}{{South American Football}}

[[Category:Copa Merconorte| ]]
[[Category:International club association football competitions in North America]]