Central & South America

Copa Libertadores, the most riveting club tournament on the planet, will decide on a new champion this Saturday. Although two-time winners Palmeiras is out of the picture this time, two Brazilian teams will be determining the title for the third year straight.

The contenders? Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense.

Flamengo, the favorite

Considering their history and the players in the team, the Rio de Janeiro giants are the big favorites in the final. 

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Argentina World Cup preview who'll play in Group C against Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

World Cup Appearances: 18th

Best Finish: Champions (1978, 1986)

Brazilian wonderkid Endrick is starting to live up to the hype built around him. The teenage prodigy bagged his first goal as a professional on Tuesday night, becoming the youngest player to do it in Palmeiras' history at 16 years, three months and four days.

Endrick came off the bench in the second half during Palmeiras' visit to Athletico Paranaense and changed the game's narrative, going from a painful 0-1 defeat to a thrilling 3-1 victory that practically secured a new title for the Verdão — one more win over the next four games and they'll be champions.

A news crew from Teleamazonas Ecuador experienced a terrifying moment while covering the upcoming Copa Libertadores final between Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense.

Reporter Vanessa Robles was on live TV reporting outside of the Monumental Stadium in Guayaquil, the host city of Saturday's final, when two men on a motorcycle approached her and her team, attempting to steal phones, cameras and other electronic devices. 

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here's the Costa Rica World Cup 2022 preview. Los Ticos will play in Group E against Spain, Germany and Japan.

Costa Rica World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup appearances: 6th

Best finish: Quarterfinals (2014)  

Former Chelsea and Arsenal player David Luiz experienced a night of contrasting emotions last Wednesday. The defender led Flamengo over Corinthians to claim the fourth Brazilian Cup in the club's history but, seconds later, had to deal with disturbing news about his family, who had suffered a car accident just before the game. 

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This is the preview for Group A's Ecuador.

Ecuador World Cup 2022 Preview

World Cup Appearances: Fourth 

Best Finish: Round of 16 (2006) 

How They Got Here: Fourth-place in Conmebol 

Coach: Gustavo Alfaro (Argentine) 

Costa Rica midfielder Orlando Galo has tested positive for a prohibited substance following a random test carried out in September, the country's football federation (FCRF) said on Tuesday.

Galo, who has played nine times for Costa Rica and helped them qualify for the World Cup, tested positive for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) after his sample was among 15 randomly taken during their friendly tour of South Korea last month.

Weird, weird scenes coming from the Colombian First Division, where Independiente Santa Fe's defender Geisson Perea decided to pull down his pants and show his genitals in the middle of the game of his team vs. Jaguares. 

Yes, you read that right.

Why did he do that? Nobody really knows.