Recoleta FC: The small Paraguayan club with a 51-year-old president ready to face Boca in the Sudamericana

Boca Juniors secured a tense penalty shootout win over O’Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoffs, setting up a round-of-16 tie against Paraguay’s Recoleta FC. The first leg will be at La Bombonera on August 12, with the return at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asunción on August 21. Exact kickoff times are yet to be confirmed by CONMEBOL.

Recoleta FC is not a typical continental opponent. The club, based in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Asunción, has only three seasons in Paraguay’s top division despite being founded 95 years ago. Its nickname “Funebreros” (Undertakers) comes from the nearby cemetery. The team’s budget is roughly $70,000 per month, according to club president Luis Vidal, and the club has only 1,200 registered members.

Rise from the lower divisions

Recoleta spent most of its history in the amateur and lower divisions of Paraguayan football. It first reached the top flight in 2001 but could not stay up. By 2015 the club was playing in the fourth division. A group of investors, led by Luis Vidal, took over in 2019 and rebuilt the club from the third tier. Recoleta returned to the first division in 2025 and finished eighth in the 2026 Apertura with 28 points.

The club’s international journey began in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana preliminary round, where it eliminated Nacional – a side that had been runner-up in the 2014 Copa Libertadores. Recoleta then won a group that included Santos (with Neymar), Deportivo Cuenca, and San Lorenzo. The key result was a 1-0 win away at San Lorenzo on May 26, with a goal from Allan Wlk.

President played at 51

Luis Vidal, 52, is the club’s president and also a former player. In November 2025, at age 51 years, 11 months and 20 days, he came on as a substitute in a Clausura match against Nacional, becoming the oldest player to appear in Paraguay’s top division. He said the opportunity arose naturally because many of his teammates were former colleagues.

Vidal briefly considered playing in the Sudamericana group stage but has not yet taken the field in the competition. He remains the club’s most visible figure, having steered it from the third division to continental football.

Key facts

Boca’s challenge

Boca Juniors, under coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, struggled past O’Higgins. Lautaro Blanco’s decisive penalty in the shootout was the difference. The Argentine side will be favourites on paper, but Recoleta has already shown it can upset higher-profile opponents. The small stadium in Recoleta’s neighbourhood is not approved for CONMEBOL matches, so the home leg will be played at the Defensores del Chaco.

The tie presents a financial boost for Recoleta. The club earned $250,000 for the preliminary round, $300,000 per group-stage home match, $125,000 per group win, and $600,000 for reaching the round of 16. For a club operating on a $70,000 monthly budget, those sums are transformative.

What to watch

Boca’s squad includes several Argentine players in Recoleta’s ranks: Andrés Marsengo, Nicolás Marotta, Lucas Monzón, and Paul Charpentier. Former Boca youth product Marcelo Cañete is also a key figure for the Paraguayan side. Cañete debuted for Boca in 2010 and later played for Universidad Católica and São Paulo.

The angle for FootballGames10 readers is the contrast between a traditional South American giant and a minnow with a remarkable story. The match is also a test of whether Boca’s recent form can hold against a well-organised, low-budget team that has already proved it can handle the continental stage.

Source: Ole – Con un presidente que jugó a los 51 años: tres datos del Recoleta FC, rival de Boca en octavos de la Sudamericana (https://www.ole.com.ar/boca-juniors/datos-recoleta-fc-rival-boca-copa-sudamericana-octavos-final_0_CQeHRjLbyT.html)