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Estudiantes de La Plata hosts Flamengo in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores 2026 semifinals on Thursday, October 15, with kickoff at 8:30 PM ET. In the United States, the match airs on beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español and streams on beIN Sports Connect. Estudiantes reached the last four by eliminating Corinthians in the quarterfinals, while the holders, Flamengo, beat Independiente del Valle to stay on course for back-to-back titles.
Watch Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo on Fubo | Start Free Trial
| Match | Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo |
| Date | Thursday, October 15, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 8:30 PM ET |
| Competition | Copa Libertadores 2026, Semifinal, First Leg |
| U.S. TV | beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Español |
| U.S. Stream | beIN Sports Connect, Fubo, Fanatiz, YouTube TV (Sports Plus add-on) |
| Venue | Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi (Estadio UNO), La Plata |
Is Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo on TV in the US?
Yes. The match is live on beIN Sports in English and beIN Sports en Español in Spanish at 8:30 PM ET, and both channels carry the full broadcast from La Plata, because beIN Sports holds the U.S. rights to the Copa Libertadores.
There is no second network involved and no Univision, Telemundo or FOX simulcast for this semifinal. If you are watching in the United States, you are watching on beIN, on television or through one of the streaming services that carries its channels.
Is Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo Free to Watch?
No confirmed free option exists for this match. beIN Sports is a pay channel, and beIN Sports Connect requires a subscription or a participating TV provider login, so every confirmed viewing path requires a paid TV package or subscription of some kind. Unlike some U.S. soccer broadcasts, this one cannot be watched free with a digital antenna, because it does not air on an over-the-air network.
Where to Find beIN Sports
beIN Sports is not as widely carried as the big U.S. sports networks, and that is the main hurdle for this match. Two of the biggest providers do not carry it at all: there is no beIN Sports on DirecTV and no beIN Sports on Xfinity. If either of those is your provider, the channels are not in your package at any price.
Traditional carriage does exist, just in patches. Dish, Spectrum, Verizon Fios and Optimum all carry beIN Sports, along with a group of smaller cable systems. Most U.S. viewers, though, reach beIN through streaming: Fubo and Fanatiz carry both beIN channels, YouTube TV has them in its Sports Plus add-on, and beIN Sports Connect carries them directly for $5.99 a month.
Is Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo on Fubo?
Yes. Fubo carries beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español, and this semifinal airs on both channels, so Fubo subscribers can watch it live in English or Spanish.
Every Confirmed Streaming Option
beIN Sports Connect. beIN’s own streaming service carries both beIN channels live, including this match. It is the cheapest confirmed option at $5.99 a month, and viewers with a participating TV provider can also sign in with those credentials.
Fubo. Fubo carries beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español, so the match streams live on Fubo for subscribers.
Fanatiz. Fanatiz carries the beIN Sports channels in its Front Row package, which also includes the rest of its South American soccer coverage.
YouTube TV. YouTube TV carries both beIN channels in its Sports Plus add-on, so subscribers with that add-on can watch the semifinal live there as well.
No other U.S. streaming option is confirmed for this match. If anything changes before kickoff, this article will be updated.
Match Preview
Estudiantes are the only club from outside Brazil in the semifinals, and they face the holders and the tournament’s top seed, a Flamengo side that has not lost a match in this competition all year.
The two clubs already know each other well. They shared Group A, and their meeting at this stadium in April finished 1-1, the only points Flamengo dropped in the entire group stage. Flamengo won the return 1-0 at the Maracana in May and finished top of the group unbeaten with 16 points. Estudiantes came second with nine.
These clubs also met in the 2025 quarterfinals, when Flamengo won 2-1 at the Maracana and Estudiantes won the second leg 1-0 in La Plata, only for Flamengo to advance 4-2 on penalties. Estudiantes are now in their first semifinal since 2009, the year they won their fourth Libertadores title, and both clubs are chasing a fifth.
Estudiantes got here the hard way. They beat Universidad Catolica 4-1 on aggregate, drawing 1-1 at home and winning 3-0 in Santiago with two goals from Guido Carrillo. In the quarterfinals they drew 1-1 with Corinthians in La Plata, then won 1-0 in Sao Paulo on a late goal from Alexis Castro.
Flamengo’s road was smoother. They beat Cruzeiro 3-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, then saw off Independiente del Valle 3-1 in the quarterfinals, winning 2-0 in Quito and drawing 1-1 at the Maracana, where Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s late equalizer settled the tie.
Recent Form
All competitions. Estudiantes’ league season has been a struggle: they sit ninth in their Clausura group with 14 points from 12 matches, outside the playoff places, and they have won once in their last six matches in all competitions. That win was a 3-0 home victory over Gimnasia Mendoza on October 5, and on Saturday they drew 2-2 at Central Cordoba.
Their cup form is another story. Estudiantes are unbeaten in the knockout rounds, and both of their ties followed the same pattern: a 1-1 draw in the home leg, then the decisive win on the road. In the quarterfinal second leg in Sao Paulo they also survived a missed stoppage time penalty from Corinthians forward Memphis Depay.
Flamengo arrive unbeaten in six matches in all competitions and unbeaten in all ten of their matches in this tournament. They lead the Brasileirao with 64 points, and on Sunday they beat Fluminense 1-0 in the Rio derby, although that win came at a cost.
Team News
Estudiantes have a crisis at center back. Both first-choice defenders, Leandro González Pirez and Tomás Palacios, are suspended for this first leg after accumulating yellow cards, and neither can play in La Plata.
Estudiantes moved fast to cover the gap, signing Marcos Rojo from Racing Club on October 9 and bringing the 36-year-old back to the club where he came through the academy. He is expected to start alongside Santiago Núñez, subject to final confirmation of his registration for the competition. Gabriel Neves is out with a broken arm and Jalil Elías is also unavailable, while Eric Meza is a doubt. Alexis Castro, the quarterfinal match winner, is expected to play despite a back complaint.
Flamengo’s problems are just as real. Defender Danilo had surgery on Monday for two jaw fractures suffered in a collision with Fluminense goalkeeper Fábio in Sunday’s derby, and he is expected to miss about a month. Giorgian de Arrascaeta is out after wrist surgery and is not expected back until the second half of November.
Midfielder Jorginho is suspended after being sent off in the quarterfinal second leg against Independiente del Valle, and Ayrton Lucas and Evertton Araujo are not expected to travel.
The goals, then, have to come from what is left, and Flamengo still have plenty. Bruno Henrique is their top scorer in this tournament with five goals, and Pedro, who scored the winner in the group meeting at the Maracana, gives Leonardo Jardim a second proven option up front.
Key Storylines
Marcos Rojo has six days to learn a new defense. Rojo signed on October 9 and is in line to start a Libertadores semifinal six days later, against the best attack left in the tournament. He knows this opponent well: he started both legs of Racing Club’s semifinal against Flamengo just last year, and he played in the 2023 semifinal with Boca Juniors.
Estudiantes have to win this leg, not just survive it. Their whole run has been built on drawing at home and winning away, but this time the second leg is at the Maracana, against the top seed. A third straight 1-1 home draw would leave them needing to beat Flamengo in Rio, something no team has done in this tournament.
Flamengo’s depth gets its hardest test. No Arrascaeta, no Jorginho, no Danilo, and a defense reshuffled on the road. Flamengo have covered absences all season, and their ten-match unbeaten run in this competition says the system matters more than any one player. Estudiantes will test whether that holds in La Plata.
When is the second leg of Estudiantes de La Plata vs Flamengo?
The second leg is on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, with kickoff at the same time, 8:30 PM ET. The winners of the tie advance to the final on November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, against Fluminense or Palmeiras. Palmeiras won the first leg of that semifinal 2-1 at Fluminense on Wednesday.
