South American Championship of Champions
| Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones | |
|---|---|
Official poster | |
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | February 11 – March 14 |
| Teams | 7 (from 7 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | Santiago, Chile |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Vasco da Gama (1st title) |
| Runners-up | River Plate |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Goals scored | 75 (3.57 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Roberto Capparelli (7 goals) |
1960 → | |
The South American Championship of Champions (Spanish: Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones, Portuguese: Campeonato Sul-Americano de Campeões) was a football competition played in Santiago, Chile in 1948 and the first continental-wide clubs football tournament in South America. Hosted and organized by Chilean club Colo Colo with the aid of then president of CONMEBOL Luis Valenzuela, it was played between February 11 and March 17. Brazil's Vasco da Gama won the competition after earning the most points in the round-robin tournament.
The tournament was the first tournament ever played to determine the South American club champion, and thus is seen as the precursor to the Copa Libertadores and is considered, along with the Copa Aldao (also named "Copa Río de La Plata"), as an important stepping stone towards its creation.