[3] The qualifying competitions of each association usually end late in the year (September to December).

The Colombian tournament finished last, in fact only a week after the final draw was made.

[21] The draw of the tournament was held on 16 November 2016, 19:30 UTC−3, at the headquarters of the Uruguayan Football Association.

The host teams Colon and Nacional and the title holder Ferroviaria were seeded to Group A, B and C respectively.

If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order (Regulations Article 17.1):[21] All times UYT (UTC−3).