Copa Merconorte
The Copa Merconorte was a club soccer competition that was held from 1998 to 2001 by the South American continental association CONMEBOL . It was the antithesis of the Copa Mercosur , which was thematically aligned with the membership of their home countries in the participating clubs in the Mercosur trade pact . In contrast, a Merconorte did not exist. rsssf.com notes about the Copa Mercosur that the competition should mainly increase the television income of various South American top clubs. A similar approach could also be used here.
Initially, clubs from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia took part. Later on, clubs from the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico were added.
The successor to the never very popular competition was to be the Copa Panamericana , the first edition of which was postponed from 2002 to 2003 and which ultimately did not take place. The Copa Sudamericana has been taking place in its place since 2002 .
In 1998 and 1999, 12 teams took part in the competition. The clubs played in 3 groups. They qualified for the semi-finals together with the best second-placed team. The final, like the semi-finals, was played in home and return matches.
In 2000 and 2001 16 clubs took part, divided into 4 groups. The group winners qualified for the semi-finals.
The finals and winners
| year | winner | Results | finalist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |
 Atlético Nacional
|
3: 0/1: 1 |
Deportivo Cali
|
| 1999 |
America de Cali
|
1: 2/1: 0, 5: 3 i. E. |
Independiente Santa Fe
|
| 2000 |
Atlético Nacional
|
0: 0/2: 1 |
Millonarios FC
|
| 2001 |
Millonarios FC
|
1: 1/1: 1, 3: 1 i. E. |
 CS Emelec
|