Sporting Cristal has confirmed the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, known as Matute, as its new venue for the debut in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores. This change comes after the closure of the National Stadium by the Municipality of Lima, which created uncertainty about the location where the match against Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño would take place.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, at 9:00 p.m. (Peruvian time) and will be broadcast on ESPN. This will be the second consecutive year that the beer team competes in the group stage against rivals such as Brazil’s Palmeiras and Cerro Porteño.
The fixture for Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores is as follows:
- Matchday 1: Sporting Cristal vs Cerro Porteño | April 8
- Matchday 2: Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal | April 16
- Matchday 3: Sporting Cristal vs Junior | April 28
- Matchday 4: Sporting Cristal vs Palmeiras | May 5
- Matchday 5: Junior vs Sporting Cristal | May 20
- Matchday 6: Cerro Porteño vs Sporting Cristal | May 28
The selection of Matute as the venue has been confirmed by an official letter from Conmebol, ensuring the match will take place at this location. For more details on other Peruvian clubs in the tournament, you can check our article on the prizes in the Copa Libertadores.
