Discover More About Chile’s O’Higgins

O’Higgins will be the fifth Chilean club Millonarios faces in official competition. Discover more about Chile’s O’Higgins through its origins, achievements and recent form.

Founding and corporate change

The club was born on April 7, 1955. It emerged from a merger of América and O’Higgins Braden.

Francisco Rajcevich served as the first president. In late August 2005, the club’s assembly accepted a takeover offer.

The proposal came from a group led by Ricardo Abumohor. The organization became a Sociedad Anónima in the mid-2000s.

Colors and kit

The primary uniform features a sky blue shirt, black shorts and black socks. Club lore links the celeste color to a blend of yellow, green and white.

Another explanation ties the choice to Uruguay’s 1950 World Cup team. Supporters still refer to the sky blue as a defining emblem.

Domestic titles

O’Higgins has won the Chilean league once. Their sole league crown came in the Apertura 2013 tournament.

While that season took place, El Teniente stadium was under renovation for Copa América 2015. The team therefore played home fixtures in alternate venues.

The club secured the Supercopa in 2014. They beat Deportes Iquique on penalties to lift that trophy under coach Eduardo Berizzo.

Conmebol history

Their first continental outing came in the 1979 Copa Libertadores. Qualification arrived after winning the 1978 pre-Libertadores Liguilla.

Both Millonarios and O’Higgins competed in the 1979 Libertadores. In that campaign, O’Higgins celebrated its first official win abroad in Venezuela.

Best continental performance

O’Higgins reached the Copa Libertadores semifinals in 1980. They advanced past Colo Colo, Sol de América and Cerro Porteño in the group phase.

In the semifinal round, they were grouped with Nacional and Olimpia and finished last in that stage.

Overall, the club has five Libertadores appearances: 1979, 1980, 1984, 2014 and 2026.

Sudamericana appearances

This will be their fourth Copa Sudamericana. Previous participations occurred in 2012, 2016 and 2017.

• 2012: eliminated in the first phase by Cerro Porteño.
• 2016: knocked out on penalties by Montevideo Wanderers in the opening round.
• 2017: lost to Fuerza Amarilla of Ecuador in phase one.

Route into the current Sudamericana

The club reached this Sudamericana after falling in Libertadores qualifying. They eliminated Bahia of Brazil in phase two on penalties.

The tie with Bahia ended 2-2 on aggregate. In phase three, Deportes Tolima eliminated O’Higgins by a 2-1 aggregate score.

They won 1-0 at home but lost 2-0 away in Ibagué, which ended their Libertadores run.

Training complex

The club’s training base is the Monasterio Celeste. It sits in Requínoa, in the Las Mercedes sector, about 24 kilometers from Rancagua.

The site covers roughly 16,000 square meters. It was acquired in 2012 and inaugurated in 2014.

Facilities include a hotel for 35 people, seven pitches, a gym, a pool, press rooms, medical services and meeting spaces.

Players linked to Millonarios

Mario Fernández is a historical link between the clubs. He played for Millonarios from 1952 to 1954, scoring 16 goals and winning three titles.

Fernández later joined O’Higgins in 1957. In recent decades, Sebastián Pinto and Enzo Gutiérrez also crossed paths with both clubs.

Pinto joined Millonarios in 2014 and scored once. Gutiérrez represented the Bogotá side between 2016 and 2017, also with one goal.

Current form and management

O’Higgins sits fifth in the Chilean league. Their record shows four wins, one draw and three losses.

Since losing to Tolima in Libertadores qualifying, they have gone five matches unbeaten. The run includes two league games and three in the Copa de la Liga Chilena.

The team is led by Argentine coach Lucas Bovaglio. In 2024 he managed Palestino and helped secure qualification to this Sudamericana edition.

Reporting for Filmogaz.com. Discover more about Chile’s O’Higgins across its history, facilities and continental record.