The 1963 Copa de Campeones de América was the fourth season of South America's premier club football tournament. Nine teams entered with Bolivia and Venezuela not sending a representative.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 7 – September 11 |
| Teams | 9 (from 8 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Santos (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Boca Juniors |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 19 |
| Goals scored | 63 (3.32 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | José Sanfilippo (7 goals) |
← 1962 1964 → | |
This competition was notable for the participation of many world class stars such as José Sanfilippo, Pelé, Garrincha, Antonio Rattín, Alberto Spencer, Jairzinho, among others. The Alvinegro da Vila, usually regarded as the greatest football club team ever, defeated their semifinal and final opponents in stylish fashion which included a 0–4 victory over Botafogo in the fable Estádio do Maracanã, and a 1–2 win in La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors. In a classic South American match-up, defending champions Santos defeated the Xeneixes on both legs of the final to retain the title.
| Country | Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|
| CONMEBOL 1 berth |
Santos | 1962 Copa de Campeones winners |
| Argentina 1 berth |
Boca Juniors | 1962 Primera División champion |
| Brazil 1 berth |
Botafogo | 1962 Taça Brasil runner-up |
 Chile1 berth |
Universidad de Chile | 1962 Primera División champion |
 Colombia1 berth |
Millonarios | 1962 Campeonato Profesional champion |
 Ecuador1 berth |
Everest | 1962 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol champion |
 Paraguay1 berth |
Olimpia | 1962 Primera División champion |
 Peru1 berth |
Alianza Lima | 1962 Primera División champion |
 Uruguay1 berth |
Peñarol | 1962 Primera División champion |
Due to the uneven number of teams, the first round became a group stage with two groups of three and one group of two. The format for the semifinals and the finals remained the same as the previous season.
At each stage of the tournament teams receive 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria will be applied to determine the ranking in the group stage:
Eight teams were drawn into two groups of three and one group of two. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top team in each group advanced to the Semifinals. Santos, the title holders, had a bye to the next round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botafogo
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 8 |
| Alianza Lima
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| Millonarios
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 1 |
| Alianza Lima | 0–0 | Millonarios |
|---|---|---|
| Millonarios | 0–1 | Alianza Lima |
|---|---|---|
Zegarra  |
| Alianza Lima | 0–1 | Botafogo |
|---|---|---|
| Fensterseifer |
| Millonarios | 0–2 | Botafogo |
|---|---|---|
| Antoninho Rildo |
| Botafogo | [A] | Millonarios |
|---|---|---|
| Botafogo | 2–1 | Alianza Lima |
|---|---|---|
| Jairzinho Santos |
Tenemás |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | 4 |
| Everest
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 0 |
| Everest | 0–5 | Peñarol |
|---|---|---|
| Sasía Rocha |
| Peñarol | 9–1 | Everest |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer Matosas Rocha Abbadie |
Gandó |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Juniors
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 |
| Olimpia
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 4 |
| Universidad de Chile
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Olimpia | 1–0 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Ferreira |
| Boca Juniors | 5–3 | Olimpia |
|---|---|---|
| Valentim Menéndez Corbatta |
Zárate Segovia |
| Boca Juniors | 1–0 | Universidad de Chile |
|---|---|---|
| González |
| Universidad de Chile | 4–1 | Olimpia |
|---|---|---|
| Alvarez Marcos Musso |
Arámbulo |
| Olimpia | 2–1 | Universidad de Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Núñez |
Sepúlveda |
| Universidad de Chile | 2–3 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Campos |
Sanfilippo |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| Peñarol
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Boca Juniors
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Boca Juniors
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
 Santos
| 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||
| Santos
| 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||
| Botafogo
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
Four teams were drawn into two groups. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top team in each group advanced to the Finals.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Juniors |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| Peñarol |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
| Peñarol | 1–2 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Magdalena 80' |
Valentim 26', 88' |
| Boca Juniors | 1–0 | Peñarol |
|---|---|---|
| Sanfilippo 47' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santos |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| Botafogo |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| Santos | 1–1 | Botafogo |
|---|---|---|
| Pelé 90' |
Jairzinho 60' |
| Botafogo | 0–4 | Santos |
|---|---|---|
| Pelé 11', 15', 33' Lima 82' |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santos |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 |
| Boca Juniors |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0 |
| Santos | 3–2 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Coutinho 2', 21' Lima 28' |
Sanfilippo 43', 89' |
Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Marcel Albert Bois (France)
| Boca Juniors | 1–2 | Santos |
|---|---|---|
| Sanfilippo 46' |
Coutinho 50' Pelé 82' |
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Marcel Albert Bois (France)
| Copa Libertadores de América 1963 Champion |
|---|
 Santos Second Title |
| Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Sanfilippo
|
Boca Juniors
|
7 |
| 2 | Pelé
|
Santos
|
5 |
| Alberto Spencer
|
Peñarol
|
5 | |
| 4 | Paulo Valentim
|
Boca Juniors
|
4 |
| 5 | Coutinho
|
Santos
|
3 |
| José Francisco Sasía
|
Peñarol
|
3 |