The Copa América—previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
, the sport's continental governing body. It is the oldest international continental football competition.
The current tournament format involves twelve teams competing at venues in a host nation over a period of about a month. The confederation has only ten members, so national teams from other FIFA confederations are invited to fill the other 2 places;
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
,
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
have been regular since being invited for the first time in 1993. In 43 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title.
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
is the current champion and the most successful team in the tournament, having won it fifteen times.
The Copa América is one of the world's most widely viewed sporting events. The highest finishing member of CONMEBOL has the right to participate in the next edition of the
FIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, but is not obligated to do so.
Beginnings
The first recorded association football match in South America was played in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1867 by British railway workers. The first association football team in South America, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata was created in Argentina in 1887, and the
Argentine Football AssociationThe Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
was founded in 1893. By the early 20th century, football was growing in popularity, and the first international competition held between national teams of the continent occurred in
1910The Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was a international football tournament. Hosted by Argentina from May 29 to June 12, 1910, it was the first international tournament in South America where more than two football nations participated...
when
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
organized an event to commemorate the centenary of the
May RevolutionThe May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
.
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
and
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
participated, but this event is not considered official by CONMEBOL. Similarly, for the centennial celebration of its independence, Argentina held a tournament between July 2 and July 17 of 1916 with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
being the first participants of the tournament. This so-called Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones would be the first edition of what is currently known as Copa América; Uruguay would triumph in this first edition after tying 0-0 with hosts Argentina in the deciding, last match held in
Estadio Racing ClubEstadio Racing Club was a multi-use stadium in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the home ground of Racing Club de Avellaneda before they moved to Estadio Juan Domingo Perón in 1950, and was located in the intersection of Colón and Alsina streets, hence been sometimes...
in
AvellanedaAvellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
.
Seeing the success of the tournament, a boardmember of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol or Uruguayan Football Association,
Héctor RivadaviaHéctor Rivadavia Gomez was responsible for first proposing the idea of a South American football confederation, the origins of CONMEBOL. An old personal project of Gómez, it became a distinct possibility during a South American Championship held in Buenos Aires between July 2 and July 17, 1916, as...
, proposed the establishment of a confederation of the associations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, and on July 9,
independence dayWhat today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. In reality, the congressmen that were assembled in Tucumán declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America, which is still today one of the legal names of the...
in Argentina, CONMEBOL was founded. The following year, the competition was played again, this time in Uruguay. Uruguay would win the title again to win their bicampeonato after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the last match of the tournament. The success of the tournament on Charrúan soil would help consolidate the tournament. After a
flu outbreakInfluenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
canceled the tournament in 1918,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
hosted the tournament in 1919 and was crowned champion for the first time after defeating the defending champions 1-0 in a playoff match to decide the title, while the
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an city of
Viña del MarViña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
would host the 1920 event which was won by Uruguay.
For the 1921 event,
ParaguayThe Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
participated for the first time after its football association affiliated to CONMEBOL earlier that same year. Argentina won the competition for the first time thanks to the goals of
Julio LibonattiJulio Libonatti , is a former Italian Argentine football forward.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Libonatti started his professional career with Newell's Old Boys in 1917. He would play with Newell's Old Boys until 1925 when he transferred to Torino F.C....
. In subsequent years, Uruguay would dominate the tournament, which at that time was the largest football tournament in the world. Argentina, however, would not be far behind and disputed the supremacy with the Charruas. After losing the 1928 final at the
1928 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
held in
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Argentina would gain revenge in the 1929 South American Championship by defeating the Uruguayans in the last, decisive match. During this period, both
BoliviaThe Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
and
PeruThe Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
debuted in the tournament in 1926 and 1927, respectively.
Disorganization and intermittency
After the first
World CupThe 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
held in Uruguay in 1930, the enmity between the football federations of Uruguay and Argentina prevented the competition from being played for a number of years. Only in 1935 was it possible to dispute a special edition of the event to be officially reinstated in 1939.
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
became the host nation of the 1939 edition and won the competition for the first time ever after a 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
EcuadorThe Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
made their debut at that tournament.
In 1941, Chile hosted that year's edition in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santiago for which the capacity of the newly built
Estadio NacionalThe Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago). It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 47,000, and is part of a 62 ha sporting complex which also features tennis courts, an aquatics center, a...
was expanded from 30,000 to 70,000 spectators. Despite the large investment and initial success of the team, the Chileans would be defeated in the last match by eventual champions Argentina. Uruguay hosted and won the 1942 edition. Chile would host again in 1945 only to come agonizingly close to disputing the title with Argentina only for Brazil to spoil the possibility; Argentina would win the tournament once again on Chilean soil.
The event entered a period of great disruption. The championship was not played on a regular basis and many editions would be deemed unofficial, only to be considered valid later on by CONMEBOL. For example, Argentina would be the first (and so far only) team to win three consecutive titles by winning the championships of 1945, 1946 and 1947. After those three annual tournaments, the competition returned to being held every two years, then three and later four. There were even two tournaments held in 1959, one in Argentina and a second in Ecuador. During this period, some of the national teams were indifferent to the tournament. Some did not participate every year, others sent lesser teams; in the 1959 edition held in Ecuador, Brazil entered a team from the state of
PernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by debutant
VenezuelaThe Venezuela national football team is the national football team of Venezuela and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed La Vinotinto , because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts....
. The founding of the Copa Libertadores in 1959 also affected the way the tournament was viewed by its participants.
After eight years of absence, the event resumed in 1975 and officially acquired the name Copa América. The tournament had no fixed venue, and all matches were played throughout the year in each country. Nine teams participated in the group stages with the defending champions receiving a bye into the semifinals. The tournament was contested every four years using this system until 1987.
Renewal
In 1986, CONMEBOL decided to return to having one country host the tournament and to dispute it every other year. From 1987 until 2001, the event was hosted every two years in rotation by the ten members of the confederation. The format would remain constant with a first round of groups, but the final round stage ranged from being a new, final
round-robin groupA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
or a
single-eliminationA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
system to decide the winner. This renewal helped the tournament, which began television coverage in Europe and North America. The 1987 Copa América was held in Argentina; this was the first time the nation had hosted an edition in 28 years. Despite entering as heavy favorites for being the reigning
world championsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(having won the
1986 FIFA World CupThe 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
), playing at home and having a team largely composed of its World Cup winners led by the legendary
Diego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, Argentina would finish in a disappointing fourth place after being beaten by defending champions Uruguay 0-1 in the semifinals. Uruguay would defeat a surprisingly strong Chilean squad who made it to the final, disposing of the powerful Brazil 4-0 on the group stage.
Brazil lifted its first official international title since the
1970 FIFA World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
after winning the 1989 Copa América held on home soil. Argentina, in turn, won the Copa América after 32 long years in 1991 in Chile, thanks to a refreshed squad led by the prolific goalscorer
Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
. The 1993 Copa América tournament in Ecuador would take its current form. Along with the usual ten teams, CONMEBOL invited two countries from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
to participate, Mexico and the United States.
Uruguay managed to win, as host, the competition in 1995 ending a period of decline for Uruguayan football. With the implementation of rotating hosts,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Paraguay and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
hosted the tournament for the first time. Brazil entered a successful series of victories, winning four of the five continental titles between 1997 and 2007. The first, in 1997, was won after defeating host nation Bolivia 1-3 with goals from
LeonardoLeonardo Nascimento de Araújo, known as Leonardo , is a football manager and a former midfielder. He is currently active as director of football of French club Paris Saint-Germain....
,
DenílsonDenílson de Oliveira Araújo , commonly known as Denílson, is a Brazilian former footballer, who played mostly as a left winger...
and
RonaldoRonaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
becoming crucial in the Verde-Amarelas consagration on
Bolivia'sBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
altitude. Brazil will successfully defend the title in
1999The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from June 29 to July 18, 1999. It was organised by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.There is no qualifying for the final tournament...
after thumping Uruguay 3-0 in
AsuncionAsunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay. However, the 2001 Copa América saw one of the biggest surprises of the history of the sport as
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals. Colombia, the host nation, would go on to win the competition for the first time ever.
Ruing from the embarrassing performance in 2001, Brazil reestablished itself in the South American pantheon after defeating Argentina, on penalties, in order to win the 2004 competition held in Peru. Three years later, the two teams met again in the final, this time in Venezuela. Once again, Brazil came out victorious after crushing Argentina 3-0.
Argentina hosted the
2011 competitionThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
and was ousted by Uruguay in the quarterfinals by penalty shootout. Uruguay would go on defeating Peru 2-0 in the semis to reach the finals and overpower Paraguay 3-0, thus winning the trophy on Argentinean soil for the third time and second in a row.
Hosts
In 1984, CONMEBOL adopted the policy of rotating the right to host the Copa América amongst the ten member confederations. The first rotation has now been completed following the 2007 Copa América which took place in Venezuela. A second rotation has been agreed to begin in 2011, with host countries rotating in alphabetical order, starting with Argentina. Chile, México and the United States expressed interest in hosting the next tournament, but the CONMEBOL Executive Committee decided to continue the execution of the rotation, giving priority of the organization to each of its member associations; each association confirms whether they will host an edition or not, having no obligation to do so. Argentina confirmed on November 24, 2008, via representatives of the Argentine Football Association, that it would host the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
.
The 2015 Copa América was due to be held in Brazil following the order of rotation. However, the hosting of the
2014 FIFA World CupThe 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
and the
2016 Summer OlympicsThe 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
in that nation resulted in the decision being reconsidered. Although CONMEBOL President Nicolas Leoz proposed hosting the continental tournament in Mexico (a member of the CONCACAF federation) and board members Brazil and Chile discussed the possibility of exchanging the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, it was decided in the end, as the CBF confirmed in February 2011, that the 2015 Copa América is to be held in Brazil.
Each Copa América since 1987 has its own
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
or logo. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first
Copa América mascotEach Copa América since 1987 has its own mascot. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first Copa América mascot. The mascot designs show some representing a characteristic feature of the host country....
.
Times hosted
| Hosts |
Editions |
| 9 |
(1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, 1987, 2011) |
| 7 |
(1917, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967, 1995) |
| 6 |
(1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, 1991)
(1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004) |
| 4 |
(1919, 1922, 1949, 1989) |
| 3 |
(1947, 1959, 1993) |
| 2 |
(1963, 1997) |
| 1 |
(2001)
(1999)
(2007) |
| 3 |
} (1975, 1979, 1983)
|}
Format and rules
The tournament was previously known as sup Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones (South American Championship of National Teams). South American Championship of Nations was the official English language name. The current name has been used since 1975. Between 1975 and 1983 it had no host nation, and was held in a home and away fashion. The current final tournament features 12 national teams competing over a month in the host nation. There are two stages: the group stage followed by the knockout stage. In the group stage, teams compete within three groups of four teams each. Three teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the
FIFA World RankingsThe FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based also on the FIFA Rankings, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the three groups.
Each group plays a
round-robin tournamentA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
, in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. The last round of matches of each group is not scheduled at the same time unlike many tournaments around the world. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage as well as the two best third-place teams. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Beginning in 1995,
three points have been awarded for a winThree points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in association football, in which three points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives one point...
, one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).
The ranking of each team in each group will be determined as follows:
- a) greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
- b) goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
in all group matches;
- c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria,
their rankings will be determined as follows:
- d) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- e) goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
- f) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
- g) drawing of lots by the CONMEBOL Organising Committee (i.e. at random).
The knockout stage is a
single-elimination tournamentA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with penalty shootouts used to decide the winner if a match is still tied after extra time. It begins with the quarter-finals, then semi-finals, the
third-place matchThe third place playoff is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The teams that compete in the third place playoffs are usually the two losing semi-finalists in a particular...
(contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.
Invitees
Since 1993, two teams from other confederations, usually from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
whose members are geographically and culturally close, are also invited. In all, seven different nations have received invitations. Nations receiving invitations are
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
(1997, 2001, 2004,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
(2001),
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
(1999,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
2015The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
(1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
), and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
(1993, 1995, 2007). The United States had been invited every time from 1997 to 2007 but frequently turned down the invitation due to scheduling conflicts with
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. However, on October 30, 2006, the US Soccer Federation accepted the invitation for participation in the 2007 tournament, ending a 12 year absence. At the 2001 Copa América,
CanadaThe Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
was an invitee, but on July 6, 2001 withdrew because of security concerns. At the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
withdrew, citing difficulties with European clubs in releasing Japanese players. South American football's governing body
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
has stated that Japan would be invited to the
2015 Copa AméricaThe 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
. Spain was invited to the 2011 edition, but according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, they declined because they did not want to interrupt the Spanish players' holidays.
Invitees nations record
Trophies
Two trophies are awarded at the end of the competition: the Copa América is given to the winner, while the Copa Bolivia is awarded to the runner-up. The Copa América trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Copa América tournament, was donated to CONMEBOL by the
Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship is the Argentine government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Argentina.The current Chancellor is Héctor Timerman.-External links:...
of Argentina in 1916. The prestigious laurel was obtained from a jewelry shop in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
at the cost of 3,000 Swiss francs. The trophy is a silver ornament with wooden base which contains several plaques. The plaques are engraved with every winner of the competition, as well as the edition won.
South American Championship era
| Year |
Host |
Final Tournament Results |
| Champions |
Runners-Up |
Third Place |
Fourth Place |
}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1917
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|1919
|
|
|
|
|
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1920The 1920 South American Championship of Nations was the fourth continental championship for nations in South America. It was held in Valparaíso, Chile from September 11 to October 3, 1920....
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|1924
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|1925
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|1926
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|1927
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|1929
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|1935
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|1941
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|1967
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Copa América era
| Year |
Host |
Final |
Third place match |
| Champion |
Score |
Runner-Up |
Third Place |
Score |
Fourth Place |
| 1975 |
}
|
|0 – 1 / 2 – 0
Play-off1 – 0
|
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|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1979
|No fixed host
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|3 – 0 / 0 – 1
Play-off0 – 0
a.e.t.Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
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|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1983
|No fixed host
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|2 – 0 / 1 – 1
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|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1987
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Argentina
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1 – 0The 1987 Copa América Final was the final match of the 1987 Copa América.It was held on July 12, 1987 in Buenos Aires.Uruguay won the match against Chile by a 1-0 score.This was the ninth cup for Uruguay and the second and last final for Chile....
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|2 – 1
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|1989
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Brazil
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|1991
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Chile
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|1993
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Ecuador
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2 – 1-References:*; rsssf.com...
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|1 – 0
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|1995
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Uruguay
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1 – 1
5–3The 1995 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1995 Copa América. It was held on July 22, 1995 in Montevideo. This was the fourth final for Uruguay. Meanwhile Brazil World Champions a year ago made a fourth final appearance. It also was the third final between Brazil and Uruguay...
pens
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|4 – 1
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|1997
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Bolivia
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3 – 1The 1997 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1997 Copa América. It was held on June 29, 1997 in La Paz.Brazil won the match against Bolivia by a 3-1 score.This was the fifth Copa América obtained by the Brazilian squad and first one outside their home nation.-Match details:...
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|1 – 0
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|1999
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Paraguay
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3 – 0The 1999 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1999 Copa América. It was held on July 18, 1999 in Asunción. Brazil won the match against Uruguay by a 3-0 score.This was the sixth Copa América obtained by Brazil.-Match details:...
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|2 – 1
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|2001
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Colombia
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1 – 0The 2001 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2001 Copa América. It was held on July 29, 2001 in Bogotá. Colombia won the match 1–0 against Mexico...
|
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|2 – 2
5–4 pens
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|2004
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Peru
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2 – 2
4–2The 2004 Copa América Final was the final of the 41nd Copa América. The match was played in Lima, for first time.This was the fifth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the second for Argentina ....
pens
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|2 – 1
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|2007
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Venezuela
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3 – 0The 2007 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2007 Copa América. It was held on July 15, 2007 in Maracaibo. This was the sixth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the third for Argentina...
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|3 – 1
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2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
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Argentina
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3 – 0The 2011 Copa América Final was the final match of the 2011 Copa América, an international football tournament that was played in Argentina from July 1 to July 24, 2011...
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|4 – 1
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|-
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2015The 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
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Brazil
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
|-
|2019
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Chile
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
|-
|}
- Key:
- Invited teams in italics
- pens – after penalty shootout
Given the size of the confederation (it is the smallest with only ten members), every nation has been represented in the tournament. Recently, invitees from outside CONMEBOL have taken part in the competition in order to provide a more viable format to the competition. Seven nations have won the Copa América, only five have won it more than once and only three more than twice. With 15 titles Uruguay is the most successful Copa América team, while Argentina is second with 14 titles. 12 of Argentina's titles and 10 of Uruguay's were won before 1960. Brazil have won it eight times with half of those titles being won after 1989. Argentina has made the most appearances in the final, with 26, and on the podium, with 30, while Uruguay have made the most appearances in the top four, with 35.
Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay are the only teams able to win the Copa América outside their countries. Argentina won it eight times outside its country, Uruguay seven times, Brazil four times and Paraguay just once. Colombia and Bolivia have only won the Copa América as hosts (this does not take into account the Copa América tournaments held under a home and away format from 1975 to 1983). Uruguay and Brazil are the most successful teams as hosts winning all editions held in their country (Uruguay 7 times and Brazil 4). Uruguay is the only foreign team to have won the title in Argentina and did so 3 times out of the 9 held there. Chile is the most unsuccessful host nation being unable to win in any of the 6 tournaments held there, the last 4 of which were won by Argentina. Only Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have won consecutive Copa Américas while Argentina is the only team to win it three times in a row. Mexico, who is from the CONCACAF, has had some success, being runner-up twice and third place on several occasions.
Teams reaching the top four
| Team |
Titles |
Runner-up |
Third place |
Fourth place |
|
15 (1916, 1917*, 1920, 1923*, 1924*, 1926, 1935, 1942*, 1956*, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967*, 1983, 1987, 1995*, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
6 (1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999) |
9 (1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004) |
5 (1945, 1946, 1955, 2001, 2007) |
|
14 (1921*, 1925*, 1927, 1929*, 1937*, 1941, 1945, 1946*, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959 (Argentina)*, 1991, 1993) |
12 (1916*, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967, 2004, 2007) |
4 (1919, 1956, 1963, 1989) |
2 (1922, 1987*) |
|
8 (1919*, 1922*, 1949*, 1989*, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007) |
11 (1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959 (Argentina), 1983, 1991, 1995) |
7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1975, 1979) |
3 (1923, 1956, 1963) |
|
2 (1953, 1979) |
6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959 (Argentina), 1983) |
6 (1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989) |
|
2 (1939*, 1975) |
— |
7 (1927*, 1935*, 1949, 1955, 1979, 1983, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
5 (1929, 1941, 1957*, 1959 (Argentina), 1997) |
|
1 (2001*) |
1 (1975) |
3 (1987, 1993, 1995) |
2 (1991, 2004) |
|
1 (1963*) |
1 (1997*) |
— |
2 (1927, 1949) |
|
— |
4 (1955*, 1956, 1979, 1987) |
5 (1926*, 1941, 1945, 1967, 1991*) |
10 (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920*, 1924, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1953, 1999) |
| ^ |
— |
2 (1993, 2001) |
3 (1997, 1999, 2007) |
— |
| ^ |
— |
— |
1 (2001) |
— |
|
— |
— |
— |
2 (1959 (Ecuador)*, 1993*) |
| ^ |
— |
— |
— |
1 (1995) |
|
— |
— |
— |
1 (2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
The Copa América (
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for "America Cup")—previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
, the sport's continental governing body. It is the oldest international continental football competition.
The current tournament format involves twelve teams competing at venues in a host nation over a period of about a month. The confederation has only ten members, so national teams from other FIFA confederations are invited to fill the other 2 places;
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
,
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
have been regular since being invited for the first time in 1993. In 43 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title.
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
is the current champion and the most successful team in the tournament, having won it fifteen times.
The Copa América is one of the world's most widely viewed sporting events. The highest finishing member of CONMEBOL has the right to participate in the next edition of the
FIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, but is not obligated to do so.
Beginnings
The first recorded association football match in South America was played in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1867 by British railway workers. The first association football team in South America, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata was created in Argentina in 1887, and the
Argentine Football AssociationThe Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
was founded in 1893. By the early 20th century, football was growing in popularity, and the first international competition held between national teams of the continent occurred in
1910The Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was a international football tournament. Hosted by Argentina from May 29 to June 12, 1910, it was the first international tournament in South America where more than two football nations participated...
when
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
organized an event to commemorate the centenary of the
May RevolutionThe May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
.
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
and
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
participated, but this event is not considered official by CONMEBOL. Similarly, for the centennial celebration of its independence, Argentina held a tournament between July 2 and July 17 of 1916 with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
being the first participants of the tournament. This so-called Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones would be the first edition of what is currently known as Copa América; Uruguay would triumph in this first edition after tying 0-0 with hosts Argentina in the deciding, last match held in
Estadio Racing ClubEstadio Racing Club was a multi-use stadium in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the home ground of Racing Club de Avellaneda before they moved to Estadio Juan Domingo Perón in 1950, and was located in the intersection of Colón and Alsina streets, hence been sometimes...
in
AvellanedaAvellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
.
Seeing the success of the tournament, a boardmember of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol or Uruguayan Football Association,
Héctor RivadaviaHéctor Rivadavia Gomez was responsible for first proposing the idea of a South American football confederation, the origins of CONMEBOL. An old personal project of Gómez, it became a distinct possibility during a South American Championship held in Buenos Aires between July 2 and July 17, 1916, as...
, proposed the establishment of a confederation of the associations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, and on July 9,
independence dayWhat today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. In reality, the congressmen that were assembled in Tucumán declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America, which is still today one of the legal names of the...
in Argentina, CONMEBOL was founded. The following year, the competition was played again, this time in Uruguay. Uruguay would win the title again to win their bicampeonato after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the last match of the tournament. The success of the tournament on Charrúan soil would help consolidate the tournament. After a
flu outbreakInfluenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
canceled the tournament in 1918,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
hosted the tournament in 1919 and was crowned champion for the first time after defeating the defending champions 1-0 in a playoff match to decide the title, while the
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an city of
Viña del MarViña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
would host the 1920 event which was won by Uruguay.
For the 1921 event,
ParaguayThe Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
participated for the first time after its football association affiliated to CONMEBOL earlier that same year. Argentina won the competition for the first time thanks to the goals of
Julio LibonattiJulio Libonatti , is a former Italian Argentine football forward.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Libonatti started his professional career with Newell's Old Boys in 1917. He would play with Newell's Old Boys until 1925 when he transferred to Torino F.C....
. In subsequent years, Uruguay would dominate the tournament, which at that time was the largest football tournament in the world. Argentina, however, would not be far behind and disputed the supremacy with the Charruas. After losing the 1928 final at the
1928 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
held in
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Argentina would gain revenge in the 1929 South American Championship by defeating the Uruguayans in the last, decisive match. During this period, both
BoliviaThe Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
and
PeruThe Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
debuted in the tournament in 1926 and 1927, respectively.
Disorganization and intermittency
After the first
World CupThe 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
held in Uruguay in 1930, the enmity between the football federations of Uruguay and Argentina prevented the competition from being played for a number of years. Only in 1935 was it possible to dispute a special edition of the event to be officially reinstated in 1939.
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
became the host nation of the 1939 edition and won the competition for the first time ever after a 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
EcuadorThe Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
made their debut at that tournament.
In 1941, Chile hosted that year's edition in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santiago for which the capacity of the newly built
Estadio NacionalThe Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago). It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 47,000, and is part of a 62 ha sporting complex which also features tennis courts, an aquatics center, a...
was expanded from 30,000 to 70,000 spectators. Despite the large investment and initial success of the team, the Chileans would be defeated in the last match by eventual champions Argentina. Uruguay hosted and won the 1942 edition. Chile would host again in 1945 only to come agonizingly close to disputing the title with Argentina only for Brazil to spoil the possibility; Argentina would win the tournament once again on Chilean soil.
The event entered a period of great disruption. The championship was not played on a regular basis and many editions would be deemed unofficial, only to be considered valid later on by CONMEBOL. For example, Argentina would be the first (and so far only) team to win three consecutive titles by winning the championships of 1945, 1946 and 1947. After those three annual tournaments, the competition returned to being held every two years, then three and later four. There were even two tournaments held in 1959, one in Argentina and a second in Ecuador. During this period, some of the national teams were indifferent to the tournament. Some did not participate every year, others sent lesser teams; in the 1959 edition held in Ecuador, Brazil entered a team from the state of
PernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by debutant
VenezuelaThe Venezuela national football team is the national football team of Venezuela and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed La Vinotinto , because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts....
. The founding of the Copa Libertadores in 1959 also affected the way the tournament was viewed by its participants.
After eight years of absence, the event resumed in 1975 and officially acquired the name Copa América. The tournament had no fixed venue, and all matches were played throughout the year in each country. Nine teams participated in the group stages with the defending champions receiving a bye into the semifinals. The tournament was contested every four years using this system until 1987.
Renewal
In 1986, CONMEBOL decided to return to having one country host the tournament and to dispute it every other year. From 1987 until 2001, the event was hosted every two years in rotation by the ten members of the confederation. The format would remain constant with a first round of groups, but the final round stage ranged from being a new, final
round-robin groupA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
or a
single-eliminationA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
system to decide the winner. This renewal helped the tournament, which began television coverage in Europe and North America. The 1987 Copa América was held in Argentina; this was the first time the nation had hosted an edition in 28 years. Despite entering as heavy favorites for being the reigning
world championsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(having won the
1986 FIFA World CupThe 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
), playing at home and having a team largely composed of its World Cup winners led by the legendary
Diego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, Argentina would finish in a disappointing fourth place after being beaten by defending champions Uruguay 0-1 in the semifinals. Uruguay would defeat a surprisingly strong Chilean squad who made it to the final, disposing of the powerful Brazil 4-0 on the group stage.
Brazil lifted its first official international title since the
1970 FIFA World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
after winning the 1989 Copa América held on home soil. Argentina, in turn, won the Copa América after 32 long years in 1991 in Chile, thanks to a refreshed squad led by the prolific goalscorer
Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
. The 1993 Copa América tournament in Ecuador would take its current form. Along with the usual ten teams, CONMEBOL invited two countries from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
to participate, Mexico and the United States.
Uruguay managed to win, as host, the competition in 1995 ending a period of decline for Uruguayan football. With the implementation of rotating hosts,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Paraguay and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
hosted the tournament for the first time. Brazil entered a successful series of victories, winning four of the five continental titles between 1997 and 2007. The first, in 1997, was won after defeating host nation Bolivia 1-3 with goals from
LeonardoLeonardo Nascimento de Araújo, known as Leonardo , is a football manager and a former midfielder. He is currently active as director of football of French club Paris Saint-Germain....
,
DenílsonDenílson de Oliveira Araújo , commonly known as Denílson, is a Brazilian former footballer, who played mostly as a left winger...
and
RonaldoRonaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
becoming crucial in the Verde-Amarelas consagration on
Bolivia'sBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
altitude. Brazil will successfully defend the title in
1999The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from June 29 to July 18, 1999. It was organised by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.There is no qualifying for the final tournament...
after thumping Uruguay 3-0 in
AsuncionAsunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay. However, the 2001 Copa América saw one of the biggest surprises of the history of the sport as
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals. Colombia, the host nation, would go on to win the competition for the first time ever.
Ruing from the embarrassing performance in 2001, Brazil reestablished itself in the South American pantheon after defeating Argentina, on penalties, in order to win the 2004 competition held in Peru. Three years later, the two teams met again in the final, this time in Venezuela. Once again, Brazil came out victorious after crushing Argentina 3-0.
Argentina hosted the
2011 competitionThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
and was ousted by Uruguay in the quarterfinals by penalty shootout. Uruguay would go on defeating Peru 2-0 in the semis to reach the finals and overpower Paraguay 3-0, thus winning the trophy on Argentinean soil for the third time and second in a row.
Hosts
In 1984, CONMEBOL adopted the policy of rotating the right to host the Copa América amongst the ten member confederations. The first rotation has now been completed following the 2007 Copa América which took place in Venezuela. A second rotation has been agreed to begin in 2011, with host countries rotating in alphabetical order, starting with Argentina. Chile, México and the United States expressed interest in hosting the next tournament, but the CONMEBOL Executive Committee decided to continue the execution of the rotation, giving priority of the organization to each of its member associations; each association confirms whether they will host an edition or not, having no obligation to do so. Argentina confirmed on November 24, 2008, via representatives of the Argentine Football Association, that it would host the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
.
The 2015 Copa América was due to be held in Brazil following the order of rotation. However, the hosting of the
2014 FIFA World CupThe 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
and the
2016 Summer OlympicsThe 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
in that nation resulted in the decision being reconsidered. Although CONMEBOL President Nicolas Leoz proposed hosting the continental tournament in Mexico (a member of the CONCACAF federation) and board members Brazil and Chile discussed the possibility of exchanging the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, it was decided in the end, as the CBF confirmed in February 2011, that the 2015 Copa América is to be held in Brazil.
Each Copa América since 1987 has its own
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
or logo. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first
Copa América mascotEach Copa América since 1987 has its own mascot. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first Copa América mascot. The mascot designs show some representing a characteristic feature of the host country....
.
Times hosted
| Hosts |
Editions |
| 9 |
(1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, 1987, 2011) |
| 7 |
(1917, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967, 1995) |
| 6 |
(1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, 1991)
(1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004) |
| 4 |
(1919, 1922, 1949, 1989) |
| 3 |
(1947, 1959, 1993) |
| 2 |
(1963, 1997) |
| 1 |
(2001)
(1999)
(2007) |
| 3 |
} (1975, 1979, 1983)
|}
Format and rules
The tournament was previously known as sup Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones (South American Championship of National Teams). South American Championship of Nations was the official English language name. The current name has been used since 1975. Between 1975 and 1983 it had no host nation, and was held in a home and away fashion. The current final tournament features 12 national teams competing over a month in the host nation. There are two stages: the group stage followed by the knockout stage. In the group stage, teams compete within three groups of four teams each. Three teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the
FIFA World RankingsThe FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based also on the FIFA Rankings, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the three groups.
Each group plays a
round-robin tournamentA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
, in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. The last round of matches of each group is not scheduled at the same time unlike many tournaments around the world. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage as well as the two best third-place teams. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Beginning in 1995,
three points have been awarded for a winThree points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in association football, in which three points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives one point...
, one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).
The ranking of each team in each group will be determined as follows:
- a) greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
- b) goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
in all group matches;
- c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria,
their rankings will be determined as follows:
- d) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- e) goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
- f) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
- g) drawing of lots by the CONMEBOL Organising Committee (i.e. at random).
The knockout stage is a
single-elimination tournamentA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with penalty shootouts used to decide the winner if a match is still tied after extra time. It begins with the quarter-finals, then semi-finals, the
third-place matchThe third place playoff is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The teams that compete in the third place playoffs are usually the two losing semi-finalists in a particular...
(contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.
Invitees
Since 1993, two teams from other confederations, usually from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
whose members are geographically and culturally close, are also invited. In all, seven different nations have received invitations. Nations receiving invitations are
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
(1997, 2001, 2004,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
(2001),
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
(1999,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
2015The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
(1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
), and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
(1993, 1995, 2007). The United States had been invited every time from 1997 to 2007 but frequently turned down the invitation due to scheduling conflicts with
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. However, on October 30, 2006, the US Soccer Federation accepted the invitation for participation in the 2007 tournament, ending a 12 year absence. At the 2001 Copa América,
CanadaThe Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
was an invitee, but on July 6, 2001 withdrew because of security concerns. At the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
withdrew, citing difficulties with European clubs in releasing Japanese players. South American football's governing body
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
has stated that Japan would be invited to the
2015 Copa AméricaThe 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
. Spain was invited to the 2011 edition, but according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, they declined because they did not want to interrupt the Spanish players' holidays.
Invitees nations record
Trophies
Two trophies are awarded at the end of the competition: the Copa América is given to the winner, while the Copa Bolivia is awarded to the runner-up. The Copa América trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Copa América tournament, was donated to CONMEBOL by the
Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship is the Argentine government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Argentina.The current Chancellor is Héctor Timerman.-External links:...
of Argentina in 1916. The prestigious laurel was obtained from a jewelry shop in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
at the cost of 3,000 Swiss francs. The trophy is a silver ornament with wooden base which contains several plaques. The plaques are engraved with every winner of the competition, as well as the edition won.
South American Championship era
| Year |
Host |
Final Tournament Results |
| Champions |
Runners-Up |
Third Place |
Fourth Place |
}
|
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|1917
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|1919
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1920The 1920 South American Championship of Nations was the fourth continental championship for nations in South America. It was held in Valparaíso, Chile from September 11 to October 3, 1920....
|
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|1921
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|1922
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|1923
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|1924
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|-
|1925
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|N/A
|-
|1926
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|-
|1927
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|1929
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|1935
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|1937
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|1939
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|1941
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|1942
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|1945
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|1946
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|1947
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|1949
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|1953
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|1955
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|1956
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|1957
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|1959
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|1959
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|1963
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|1967
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|-
|}
Copa América era
| Year |
Host |
Final |
Third place match |
| Champion |
Score |
Runner-Up |
Third Place |
Score |
Fourth Place |
| 1975 |
}
|
|0 – 1 / 2 – 0
Play-off1 – 0
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1979
|No fixed host
|
|3 – 0 / 0 – 1
Play-off0 – 0
a.e.t.Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1983
|No fixed host
|
|2 – 0 / 1 – 1
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1987
|
Argentina
|
|
1 – 0The 1987 Copa América Final was the final match of the 1987 Copa América.It was held on July 12, 1987 in Buenos Aires.Uruguay won the match against Chile by a 1-0 score.This was the ninth cup for Uruguay and the second and last final for Chile....
|
|
|2 – 1
|
|-
|1989
|
Brazil
|
|
|
|
|
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|-
|1991
|
Chile
|
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|
|
|
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|-
|1993
|
Ecuador
|
|
2 – 1-References:*; rsssf.com...
|
|
|1 – 0
|
|-
|1995
|
Uruguay
|
|
1 – 1
5–3The 1995 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1995 Copa América. It was held on July 22, 1995 in Montevideo. This was the fourth final for Uruguay. Meanwhile Brazil World Champions a year ago made a fourth final appearance. It also was the third final between Brazil and Uruguay...
pens
|
|
|4 – 1
|
|-
|1997
|
Bolivia
|
|
3 – 1The 1997 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1997 Copa América. It was held on June 29, 1997 in La Paz.Brazil won the match against Bolivia by a 3-1 score.This was the fifth Copa América obtained by the Brazilian squad and first one outside their home nation.-Match details:...
|
|
|1 – 0
|
|-
|1999
|
Paraguay
|
|
3 – 0The 1999 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1999 Copa América. It was held on July 18, 1999 in Asunción. Brazil won the match against Uruguay by a 3-0 score.This was the sixth Copa América obtained by Brazil.-Match details:...
|
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|2 – 1
|
|-
|2001
|
Colombia
|
|
1 – 0The 2001 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2001 Copa América. It was held on July 29, 2001 in Bogotá. Colombia won the match 1–0 against Mexico...
|
|
|2 – 2
5–4 pens
|
|-
|2004
|
Peru
|
|
2 – 2
4–2The 2004 Copa América Final was the final of the 41nd Copa América. The match was played in Lima, for first time.This was the fifth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the second for Argentina ....
pens
|
|
|2 – 1
|
|-
|2007
|
Venezuela
|
|
3 – 0The 2007 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2007 Copa América. It was held on July 15, 2007 in Maracaibo. This was the sixth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the third for Argentina...
|
|
|3 – 1
|
|-
|
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
|
Argentina
|
|
3 – 0The 2011 Copa América Final was the final match of the 2011 Copa América, an international football tournament that was played in Argentina from July 1 to July 24, 2011...
|
|
|4 – 1
|
|-
|
2015The 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
|
Brazil
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
|-
|2019
|
Chile
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
|-
|}
- Key:
- Invited teams in italics
- pens – after penalty shootout
Given the size of the confederation (it is the smallest with only ten members), every nation has been represented in the tournament. Recently, invitees from outside CONMEBOL have taken part in the competition in order to provide a more viable format to the competition. Seven nations have won the Copa América, only five have won it more than once and only three more than twice. With 15 titles Uruguay is the most successful Copa América team, while Argentina is second with 14 titles. 12 of Argentina's titles and 10 of Uruguay's were won before 1960. Brazil have won it eight times with half of those titles being won after 1989. Argentina has made the most appearances in the final, with 26, and on the podium, with 30, while Uruguay have made the most appearances in the top four, with 35.
Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay are the only teams able to win the Copa América outside their countries. Argentina won it eight times outside its country, Uruguay seven times, Brazil four times and Paraguay just once. Colombia and Bolivia have only won the Copa América as hosts (this does not take into account the Copa América tournaments held under a home and away format from 1975 to 1983). Uruguay and Brazil are the most successful teams as hosts winning all editions held in their country (Uruguay 7 times and Brazil 4). Uruguay is the only foreign team to have won the title in Argentina and did so 3 times out of the 9 held there. Chile is the most unsuccessful host nation being unable to win in any of the 6 tournaments held there, the last 4 of which were won by Argentina. Only Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have won consecutive Copa Américas while Argentina is the only team to win it three times in a row. Mexico, who is from the CONCACAF, has had some success, being runner-up twice and third place on several occasions.
Teams reaching the top four
| Team |
Titles |
Runner-up |
Third place |
Fourth place |
|
15 (1916, 1917*, 1920, 1923*, 1924*, 1926, 1935, 1942*, 1956*, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967*, 1983, 1987, 1995*, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
6 (1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999) |
9 (1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004) |
5 (1945, 1946, 1955, 2001, 2007) |
|
14 (1921*, 1925*, 1927, 1929*, 1937*, 1941, 1945, 1946*, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959 (Argentina)*, 1991, 1993) |
12 (1916*, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967, 2004, 2007) |
4 (1919, 1956, 1963, 1989) |
2 (1922, 1987*) |
|
8 (1919*, 1922*, 1949*, 1989*, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007) |
11 (1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959 (Argentina), 1983, 1991, 1995) |
7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1975, 1979) |
3 (1923, 1956, 1963) |
|
2 (1953, 1979) |
6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959 (Argentina), 1983) |
6 (1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989) |
|
2 (1939*, 1975) |
— |
7 (1927*, 1935*, 1949, 1955, 1979, 1983, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
5 (1929, 1941, 1957*, 1959 (Argentina), 1997) |
|
1 (2001*) |
1 (1975) |
3 (1987, 1993, 1995) |
2 (1991, 2004) |
|
1 (1963*) |
1 (1997*) |
— |
2 (1927, 1949) |
|
— |
4 (1955*, 1956, 1979, 1987) |
5 (1926*, 1941, 1945, 1967, 1991*) |
10 (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920*, 1924, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1953, 1999) |
| ^ |
— |
2 (1993, 2001) |
3 (1997, 1999, 2007) |
— |
| ^ |
— |
— |
1 (2001) |
— |
|
— |
— |
— |
2 (1959 (Ecuador)*, 1993*) |
| ^ |
— |
— |
— |
1 (1995) |
|
— |
— |
— |
1 (2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
The Copa América (
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for "America Cup")—previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
, the sport's continental governing body. It is the oldest international continental football competition.
The current tournament format involves twelve teams competing at venues in a host nation over a period of about a month. The confederation has only ten members, so national teams from other FIFA confederations are invited to fill the other 2 places;
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
,
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
have been regular since being invited for the first time in 1993. In 43 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title.
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
is the current champion and the most successful team in the tournament, having won it fifteen times.
The Copa América is one of the world's most widely viewed sporting events. The highest finishing member of CONMEBOL has the right to participate in the next edition of the
FIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, but is not obligated to do so.
Beginnings
The first recorded association football match in South America was played in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1867 by British railway workers. The first association football team in South America, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata was created in Argentina in 1887, and the
Argentine Football AssociationThe Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
was founded in 1893. By the early 20th century, football was growing in popularity, and the first international competition held between national teams of the continent occurred in
1910The Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was a international football tournament. Hosted by Argentina from May 29 to June 12, 1910, it was the first international tournament in South America where more than two football nations participated...
when
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
organized an event to commemorate the centenary of the
May RevolutionThe May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
.
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
and
UruguayThe Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
participated, but this event is not considered official by CONMEBOL. Similarly, for the centennial celebration of its independence, Argentina held a tournament between July 2 and July 17 of 1916 with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
being the first participants of the tournament. This so-called Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones would be the first edition of what is currently known as Copa América; Uruguay would triumph in this first edition after tying 0-0 with hosts Argentina in the deciding, last match held in
Estadio Racing ClubEstadio Racing Club was a multi-use stadium in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the home ground of Racing Club de Avellaneda before they moved to Estadio Juan Domingo Perón in 1950, and was located in the intersection of Colón and Alsina streets, hence been sometimes...
in
AvellanedaAvellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
.
Seeing the success of the tournament, a boardmember of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol or Uruguayan Football Association,
Héctor RivadaviaHéctor Rivadavia Gomez was responsible for first proposing the idea of a South American football confederation, the origins of CONMEBOL. An old personal project of Gómez, it became a distinct possibility during a South American Championship held in Buenos Aires between July 2 and July 17, 1916, as...
, proposed the establishment of a confederation of the associations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, and on July 9,
independence dayWhat today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. In reality, the congressmen that were assembled in Tucumán declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America, which is still today one of the legal names of the...
in Argentina, CONMEBOL was founded. The following year, the competition was played again, this time in Uruguay. Uruguay would win the title again to win their bicampeonato after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the last match of the tournament. The success of the tournament on Charrúan soil would help consolidate the tournament. After a
flu outbreakInfluenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
canceled the tournament in 1918,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
hosted the tournament in 1919 and was crowned champion for the first time after defeating the defending champions 1-0 in a playoff match to decide the title, while the
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an city of
Viña del MarViña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
would host the 1920 event which was won by Uruguay.
For the 1921 event,
ParaguayThe Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
participated for the first time after its football association affiliated to CONMEBOL earlier that same year. Argentina won the competition for the first time thanks to the goals of
Julio LibonattiJulio Libonatti , is a former Italian Argentine football forward.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Libonatti started his professional career with Newell's Old Boys in 1917. He would play with Newell's Old Boys until 1925 when he transferred to Torino F.C....
. In subsequent years, Uruguay would dominate the tournament, which at that time was the largest football tournament in the world. Argentina, however, would not be far behind and disputed the supremacy with the Charruas. After losing the 1928 final at the
1928 Summer OlympicsFootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
held in
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Argentina would gain revenge in the 1929 South American Championship by defeating the Uruguayans in the last, decisive match. During this period, both
BoliviaThe Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
and
PeruThe Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
debuted in the tournament in 1926 and 1927, respectively.
Disorganization and intermittency
After the first
World CupThe 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
held in Uruguay in 1930, the enmity between the football federations of Uruguay and Argentina prevented the competition from being played for a number of years. Only in 1935 was it possible to dispute a special edition of the event to be officially reinstated in 1939.
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
became the host nation of the 1939 edition and won the competition for the first time ever after a 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
EcuadorThe Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
made their debut at that tournament.
In 1941, Chile hosted that year's edition in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santiago for which the capacity of the newly built
Estadio NacionalThe Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago). It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 47,000, and is part of a 62 ha sporting complex which also features tennis courts, an aquatics center, a...
was expanded from 30,000 to 70,000 spectators. Despite the large investment and initial success of the team, the Chileans would be defeated in the last match by eventual champions Argentina. Uruguay hosted and won the 1942 edition. Chile would host again in 1945 only to come agonizingly close to disputing the title with Argentina only for Brazil to spoil the possibility; Argentina would win the tournament once again on Chilean soil.
The event entered a period of great disruption. The championship was not played on a regular basis and many editions would be deemed unofficial, only to be considered valid later on by CONMEBOL. For example, Argentina would be the first (and so far only) team to win three consecutive titles by winning the championships of 1945, 1946 and 1947. After those three annual tournaments, the competition returned to being held every two years, then three and later four. There were even two tournaments held in 1959, one in Argentina and a second in Ecuador. During this period, some of the national teams were indifferent to the tournament. Some did not participate every year, others sent lesser teams; in the 1959 edition held in Ecuador, Brazil entered a team from the state of
PernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by debutant
VenezuelaThe Venezuela national football team is the national football team of Venezuela and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed La Vinotinto , because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts....
. The founding of the Copa Libertadores in 1959 also affected the way the tournament was viewed by its participants.
After eight years of absence, the event resumed in 1975 and officially acquired the name Copa América. The tournament had no fixed venue, and all matches were played throughout the year in each country. Nine teams participated in the group stages with the defending champions receiving a bye into the semifinals. The tournament was contested every four years using this system until 1987.
Renewal
In 1986, CONMEBOL decided to return to having one country host the tournament and to dispute it every other year. From 1987 until 2001, the event was hosted every two years in rotation by the ten members of the confederation. The format would remain constant with a first round of groups, but the final round stage ranged from being a new, final
round-robin groupA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
or a
single-eliminationA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
system to decide the winner. This renewal helped the tournament, which began television coverage in Europe and North America. The 1987 Copa América was held in Argentina; this was the first time the nation had hosted an edition in 28 years. Despite entering as heavy favorites for being the reigning
world championsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(having won the
1986 FIFA World CupThe 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
), playing at home and having a team largely composed of its World Cup winners led by the legendary
Diego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, Argentina would finish in a disappointing fourth place after being beaten by defending champions Uruguay 0-1 in the semifinals. Uruguay would defeat a surprisingly strong Chilean squad who made it to the final, disposing of the powerful Brazil 4-0 on the group stage.
Brazil lifted its first official international title since the
1970 FIFA World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
after winning the 1989 Copa América held on home soil. Argentina, in turn, won the Copa América after 32 long years in 1991 in Chile, thanks to a refreshed squad led by the prolific goalscorer
Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
. The 1993 Copa América tournament in Ecuador would take its current form. Along with the usual ten teams, CONMEBOL invited two countries from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
to participate, Mexico and the United States.
Uruguay managed to win, as host, the competition in 1995 ending a period of decline for Uruguayan football. With the implementation of rotating hosts,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Paraguay and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
hosted the tournament for the first time. Brazil entered a successful series of victories, winning four of the five continental titles between 1997 and 2007. The first, in 1997, was won after defeating host nation Bolivia 1-3 with goals from
LeonardoLeonardo Nascimento de Araújo, known as Leonardo , is a football manager and a former midfielder. He is currently active as director of football of French club Paris Saint-Germain....
,
DenílsonDenílson de Oliveira Araújo , commonly known as Denílson, is a Brazilian former footballer, who played mostly as a left winger...
and
RonaldoRonaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
becoming crucial in the Verde-Amarelas consagration on
Bolivia'sBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
altitude. Brazil will successfully defend the title in
1999The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from June 29 to July 18, 1999. It was organised by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.There is no qualifying for the final tournament...
after thumping Uruguay 3-0 in
AsuncionAsunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay. However, the 2001 Copa América saw one of the biggest surprises of the history of the sport as
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals. Colombia, the host nation, would go on to win the competition for the first time ever.
Ruing from the embarrassing performance in 2001, Brazil reestablished itself in the South American pantheon after defeating Argentina, on penalties, in order to win the 2004 competition held in Peru. Three years later, the two teams met again in the final, this time in Venezuela. Once again, Brazil came out victorious after crushing Argentina 3-0.
Argentina hosted the
2011 competitionThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
and was ousted by Uruguay in the quarterfinals by penalty shootout. Uruguay would go on defeating Peru 2-0 in the semis to reach the finals and overpower Paraguay 3-0, thus winning the trophy on Argentinean soil for the third time and second in a row.
Hosts
In 1984, CONMEBOL adopted the policy of rotating the right to host the Copa América amongst the ten member confederations. The first rotation has now been completed following the 2007 Copa América which took place in Venezuela. A second rotation has been agreed to begin in 2011, with host countries rotating in alphabetical order, starting with Argentina. Chile, México and the United States expressed interest in hosting the next tournament, but the CONMEBOL Executive Committee decided to continue the execution of the rotation, giving priority of the organization to each of its member associations; each association confirms whether they will host an edition or not, having no obligation to do so. Argentina confirmed on November 24, 2008, via representatives of the Argentine Football Association, that it would host the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
.
The 2015 Copa América was due to be held in Brazil following the order of rotation. However, the hosting of the
2014 FIFA World CupThe 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
and the
2016 Summer OlympicsThe 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
in that nation resulted in the decision being reconsidered. Although CONMEBOL President Nicolas Leoz proposed hosting the continental tournament in Mexico (a member of the CONCACAF federation) and board members Brazil and Chile discussed the possibility of exchanging the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, it was decided in the end, as the CBF confirmed in February 2011, that the 2015 Copa América is to be held in Brazil.
Each Copa América since 1987 has its own
mascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
or logo. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first
Copa América mascotEach Copa América since 1987 has its own mascot. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first Copa América mascot. The mascot designs show some representing a characteristic feature of the host country....
.
Times hosted
| Hosts |
Editions |
| 9 |
(1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, 1987, 2011) |
| 7 |
(1917, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967, 1995) |
| 6 |
(1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, 1991)
(1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004) |
| 4 |
(1919, 1922, 1949, 1989) |
| 3 |
(1947, 1959, 1993) |
| 2 |
(1963, 1997) |
| 1 |
(2001)
(1999)
(2007) |
| 3 |
} (1975, 1979, 1983)
|}
Format and rules
The tournament was previously known as sup Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones (South American Championship of National Teams). South American Championship of Nations was the official English language name. The current name has been used since 1975. Between 1975 and 1983 it had no host nation, and was held in a home and away fashion. The current final tournament features 12 national teams competing over a month in the host nation. There are two stages: the group stage followed by the knockout stage. In the group stage, teams compete within three groups of four teams each. Three teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the
FIFA World RankingsThe FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based also on the FIFA Rankings, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the three groups.
Each group plays a
round-robin tournamentA round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
, in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. The last round of matches of each group is not scheduled at the same time unlike many tournaments around the world. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage as well as the two best third-place teams. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Beginning in 1995,
three points have been awarded for a winThree points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in association football, in which three points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives one point...
, one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).
The ranking of each team in each group will be determined as follows:
- a) greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
- b) goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
in all group matches;
- c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria,
their rankings will be determined as follows:
- d) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- e) goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
- f) greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
- g) drawing of lots by the CONMEBOL Organising Committee (i.e. at random).
The knockout stage is a
single-elimination tournamentA single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with penalty shootouts used to decide the winner if a match is still tied after extra time. It begins with the quarter-finals, then semi-finals, the
third-place matchThe third place playoff is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The teams that compete in the third place playoffs are usually the two losing semi-finalists in a particular...
(contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.
Invitees
Since 1993, two teams from other confederations, usually from
CONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
whose members are geographically and culturally close, are also invited. In all, seven different nations have received invitations. Nations receiving invitations are
Costa RicaThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
(1997, 2001, 2004,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
HondurasThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
(2001),
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
(1999,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
2015The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
),
MexicoThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
(1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007,
2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
), and the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
(1993, 1995, 2007). The United States had been invited every time from 1997 to 2007 but frequently turned down the invitation due to scheduling conflicts with
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. However, on October 30, 2006, the US Soccer Federation accepted the invitation for participation in the 2007 tournament, ending a 12 year absence. At the 2001 Copa América,
CanadaThe Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
was an invitee, but on July 6, 2001 withdrew because of security concerns. At the
2011 Copa AméricaThe 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
,
JapanThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
withdrew, citing difficulties with European clubs in releasing Japanese players. South American football's governing body
CONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
has stated that Japan would be invited to the
2015 Copa AméricaThe 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
. Spain was invited to the 2011 edition, but according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, they declined because they did not want to interrupt the Spanish players' holidays.
Invitees nations record
Trophies
Two trophies are awarded at the end of the competition: the Copa América is given to the winner, while the Copa Bolivia is awarded to the runner-up. The Copa América trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Copa América tournament, was donated to CONMEBOL by the
Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship is the Argentine government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Argentina.The current Chancellor is Héctor Timerman.-External links:...
of Argentina in 1916. The prestigious laurel was obtained from a jewelry shop in
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
at the cost of 3,000 Swiss francs. The trophy is a silver ornament with wooden base which contains several plaques. The plaques are engraved with every winner of the competition, as well as the edition won.
South American Championship era
| Year |
Host |
Final Tournament Results |
| Champions |
Runners-Up |
Third Place |
Fourth Place |
}
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|1917
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|1919
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1920The 1920 South American Championship of Nations was the fourth continental championship for nations in South America. It was held in Valparaíso, Chile from September 11 to October 3, 1920....
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|1921
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|1923
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|1924
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|1925
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|N/A
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|1926
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|1927
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|1929
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|1935
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|1937
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|1939
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|1941
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|1942
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|1945
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|1946
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|1947
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|1949
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|1953
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|1955
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|1956
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|1957
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|1959
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|1959
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|1963
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|1967
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|}
Copa América era
| Year |
Host |
Final |
Third place match |
| Champion |
Score |
Runner-Up |
Third Place |
Score |
Fourth Place |
| 1975 |
}
|
|0 – 1 / 2 – 0
Play-off1 – 0
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1979
|No fixed host
|
|3 – 0 / 0 – 1
Play-off0 – 0
a.e.t.Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1983
|No fixed host
|
|2 – 0 / 1 – 1
|
|
|colspan="2"|N/A
|-
|1987
|
Argentina
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|
1 – 0The 1987 Copa América Final was the final match of the 1987 Copa América.It was held on July 12, 1987 in Buenos Aires.Uruguay won the match against Chile by a 1-0 score.This was the ninth cup for Uruguay and the second and last final for Chile....
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|2 – 1
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|1989
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Brazil
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|1991
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Chile
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|1993
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Ecuador
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2 – 1-References:*; rsssf.com...
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|1 – 0
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|1995
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Uruguay
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1 – 1
5–3The 1995 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1995 Copa América. It was held on July 22, 1995 in Montevideo. This was the fourth final for Uruguay. Meanwhile Brazil World Champions a year ago made a fourth final appearance. It also was the third final between Brazil and Uruguay...
pens
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|4 – 1
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|1997
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Bolivia
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3 – 1The 1997 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1997 Copa América. It was held on June 29, 1997 in La Paz.Brazil won the match against Bolivia by a 3-1 score.This was the fifth Copa América obtained by the Brazilian squad and first one outside their home nation.-Match details:...
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|1 – 0
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|1999
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Paraguay
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3 – 0The 1999 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 1999 Copa América. It was held on July 18, 1999 in Asunción. Brazil won the match against Uruguay by a 3-0 score.This was the sixth Copa América obtained by Brazil.-Match details:...
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|2 – 1
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|2001
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Colombia
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1 – 0The 2001 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2001 Copa América. It was held on July 29, 2001 in Bogotá. Colombia won the match 1–0 against Mexico...
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|2 – 2
5–4 pens
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|2004
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Peru
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2 – 2
4–2The 2004 Copa América Final was the final of the 41nd Copa América. The match was played in Lima, for first time.This was the fifth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the second for Argentina ....
pens
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|2 – 1
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|2007
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Venezuela
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3 – 0The 2007 Copa América Final was the final match of the of the 2007 Copa América. It was held on July 15, 2007 in Maracaibo. This was the sixth final for Brazil . Meanwhile was the third for Argentina...
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|3 – 1
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|-
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2011The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
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Argentina
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3 – 0The 2011 Copa América Final was the final match of the 2011 Copa América, an international football tournament that was played in Argentina from July 1 to July 24, 2011...
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|4 – 1
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|-
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2015The 2015 Copa América will be the 44th edition of the Copa América, a football competition organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL, to be held in Brazil.-Host country:...
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Brazil
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
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|2019
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Chile
|colspan="3"|WS1 vs WS2
|colspan="3"|LS1 vs LS2
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|}
- Key:
- Invited teams in italics
- pens – after penalty shootout
Given the size of the confederation (it is the smallest with only ten members), every nation has been represented in the tournament. Recently, invitees from outside CONMEBOL have taken part in the competition in order to provide a more viable format to the competition. Seven nations have won the Copa América, only five have won it more than once and only three more than twice. With 15 titles Uruguay is the most successful Copa América team, while Argentina is second with 14 titles. 12 of Argentina's titles and 10 of Uruguay's were won before 1960. Brazil have won it eight times with half of those titles being won after 1989. Argentina has made the most appearances in the final, with 26, and on the podium, with 30, while Uruguay have made the most appearances in the top four, with 35.
Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay are the only teams able to win the Copa América outside their countries. Argentina won it eight times outside its country, Uruguay seven times, Brazil four times and Paraguay just once. Colombia and Bolivia have only won the Copa América as hosts (this does not take into account the Copa América tournaments held under a home and away format from 1975 to 1983). Uruguay and Brazil are the most successful teams as hosts winning all editions held in their country (Uruguay 7 times and Brazil 4). Uruguay is the only foreign team to have won the title in Argentina and did so 3 times out of the 9 held there. Chile is the most unsuccessful host nation being unable to win in any of the 6 tournaments held there, the last 4 of which were won by Argentina. Only Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have won consecutive Copa Américas while Argentina is the only team to win it three times in a row. Mexico, who is from the CONCACAF, has had some success, being runner-up twice and third place on several occasions.
Teams reaching the top four
| Team |
Titles |
Runner-up |
Third place |
Fourth place |
|
15 (1916, 1917*, 1920, 1923*, 1924*, 1926, 1935, 1942*, 1956*, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967*, 1983, 1987, 1995*, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
6 (1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999) |
9 (1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004) |
5 (1945, 1946, 1955, 2001, 2007) |
|
14 (1921*, 1925*, 1927, 1929*, 1937*, 1941, 1945, 1946*, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959 (Argentina)*, 1991, 1993) |
12 (1916*, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967, 2004, 2007) |
4 (1919, 1956, 1963, 1989) |
2 (1922, 1987*) |
|
8 (1919*, 1922*, 1949*, 1989*, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007) |
11 (1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959 (Argentina), 1983, 1991, 1995) |
7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1975, 1979) |
3 (1923, 1956, 1963) |
|
2 (1953, 1979) |
6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959 (Argentina), 1983) |
6 (1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989) |
|
2 (1939*, 1975) |
— |
7 (1927*, 1935*, 1949, 1955, 1979, 1983, 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
5 (1929, 1941, 1957*, 1959 (Argentina), 1997) |
|
1 (2001*) |
1 (1975) |
3 (1987, 1993, 1995) |
2 (1991, 2004) |
|
1 (1963*) |
1 (1997*) |
— |
2 (1927, 1949) |
|
— |
4 (1955*, 1956, 1979, 1987) |
5 (1926*, 1941, 1945, 1967, 1991*) |
10 (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920*, 1924, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1953, 1999) |
| ^ |
— |
2 (1993, 2001) |
3 (1997, 1999, 2007) |
— |
| ^ |
— |
— |
1 (2001) |
— |
|
— |
— |
— |
2 (1959 (Ecuador)*, 1993*) |
| ^ |
— |
— |
— |
1 (1995) |
|
— |
— |
— |
1 (2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
) |
*=hosts
^=invitees
1993 is the only edition when neither Brazil nor Uruguay has finished in the top four.
There have been only 3 editions where neither Argentina nor Brazil has finished in the top four (1939, 2001, 2011).
Likewise, only 3 editions have seen neither Argentina nor Uruguay finish in the top four (1949, 1979, 1997). There has never been an edition in which none of the three countries Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil made it to the top four.
General statistics
| Team |
Po |
Pl |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
| 1 |
|
364 |
173 |
111 |
31 |
31 |
422 |
166 |
256
| 2 |
|
339 |
184 |
103 |
30 |
51 |
384 |
208 |
176
| 3 |
|
315 |
167 |
95 |
30 |
42 |
387 |
190 |
197
| 4 |
|
213 |
153 |
61 |
30 |
62 |
241 |
270 |
| 5 |
|
188 |
161 |
54 |
26 |
81 |
247 |
291 |
| 6 |
|
169 |
132 |
46 |
31 |
55 |
193 |
220 |
| 7 |
|
128 |
99 |
36 |
20 |
43 |
120 |
175 |
| 8 |
|
81 |
102 |
19 |
24 |
59 |
97 |
257 |
| 9 |
|
61 |
38 |
17 |
10 |
11 |
55 |
44 |
11
| 10 |
|
61 |
108 |
14 |
19 |
75 |
114 |
296 |
| 11 |
|
15 |
49 |
4 |
9 |
38 |
36 |
155 |
| 12 |
|
11 |
11 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
12 |
21 |
| 13 |
|
10 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
5 |
2
| 14 |
|
8 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
11 |
21 |
| 15 |
|
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
8 |
Copa América player of the tournament
| Year |
Player |
| 1916 |
Isabelino Gradín Isabelino Gradín was a Uruguayan footballer and athlete. He was one of the greatest footballers in the early era of Uruguayan football and is regarded as one of the greatest Uruguayan players before the Uruguayan win at the 1930 FIFA World Cup...
|
| 1917 |
Héctor Scarone Héctor Pedro Scarone Beretta was a Uruguayan football striker. He went on for many years Since 1930 to holds the record as the all-time leading scorer with 31 goals in 52 games between 1917 and 1930 for the Uruguayan national team...
|
| 1919 |
Arthur FriedenreichArthur Friedenreich was a Brazilian football player. Nicknamed The Tiger, he was arguably the sport's first outstanding black player.-Biography:...
|
| 1920 |
José Piendibene José Miguel Piendibene Ferrari was an Uruguayan footballer.-Club career:Piendibene played for Peñarol between 1908 and 1928. During his time with the Carboneros he won six Primera División Uruguaya championships....
|
| 1921 |
Américo TesoriereAmérico Miguel Tesoriere was an Argentine football goalkeeper and one of the early figures in Boca Juniors history during the amateur era of Argentine football...
|
| 1922 |
Agostinho Fortes Filho Agostinho Fortes Filho was a Brazilian football player. He played for the Brazil national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup finals.-References:...
|
| 1923 |
José Nasazzi José Nasazzi Yarza was the Uruguayan footballer who captained his country when they won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.-Biography:...
|
| 1924 |
Pedro Petrone Pedro Petrone Schiavone , nicknamed Artillero was a Uruguayan footballer in the striker role. His nickname Artillero, meaning artilleryman or gunner in reference to his amazing goalscoring prowess....
|
| 1925 |
Manuel SeoaneManuel Seoane , nicknamed La Chancha, was an Argentine football striker who played for Independiente and Argentina. He was the highest goalscorer in the Amateur era of Argentine football with 196 goals...
|
| 1926 |
José Leandro Andrade |
| 1927 |
Manuel SeoaneManuel Seoane , nicknamed La Chancha, was an Argentine football striker who played for Independiente and Argentina. He was the highest goalscorer in the Amateur era of Argentine football with 196 goals...
|
| 1929 |
Manuel FerreiraManuel Ferreira was an Argentine footballer who was a member of the Argentina national team....
|
| 1935 |
José Nasazzi José Nasazzi Yarza was the Uruguayan footballer who captained his country when they won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930.-Biography:...
|
| 1937 |
Vicente De la MataVicente de la Mata was an Argentine football Centre forward and manager. He played most of his club career for Independiente and played for the Argentina national team between 1937 and 1946.-Playing career:...
|
| 1939 |
Teodoro FernándezTeodoro Fernández Meyzán , nicknamed "Lolo", was a Peruvian football striker...
|
| 1941 |
Sergio Livingstone Sergio Roberto "Sapo" Livingstone Pohlhammer , affectionally called Sapito Livingstone, is a former Chilean goalkeeper, considered the first great footballer in the country's history, who later became a well regarded journalist. He was called El Sapo for his typical posture in the goal mouth...
|
| 1942 |
Obdulio Varela Obdulio Jacinto Muiños Varela was a Uruguayan football player. He was the captain of the Uruguayan national team that won the 1950 World Cup after beating Brazil in the decisive final round match popularly known as the Maracanazo...
|
| 1945 |
Domingos da GuiaDomingos Antônio da Guia , nicknamed "the Divine Master" was a Brazilian footballer. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in Flamengo and Corinthians history, as well as the all time best Brazilian defender.He quickly rose to fame as one of Bangu's key players between 1929-1932...
|
| 1946 |
Adolfo PederneraAdolfo Alfredo Pedernera , born in Avellaneda, Argentina, was a football player and coach. Nicknamed "El Maestro" , He is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Argentine players of all-time. He was elected the 12th best South american footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the...
|
| 1947 |
José Manuel MorenoJosé Manuel Moreno Fernández , nicknamed "El Charro", was an Argentine football inside forward who played for several clubs in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia, and was the first footballer ever to have won top division league titles in four different countries .Moreno...
|
| 1949 |
Ademir Menezes |
| 1953 |
Heriberto Herrera |
| 1955 |
Enrique Hormazábal Enrique "Cua cuá" Hormazábal was a former Chilean football right wing midfielder who played for Colo-Colo and the Chilean national team.-Playing career:...
|
| 1956 |
Oscar Míguez Óscar Omar Miguez Antón was a Uruguayan footballer. He was part of the Uruguay team in the 1950 and 1954 World Cups, where he played as a striker, and is Uruguay's all-time record World Cup goalscorer with eight goals....
|
| 1957 |
Enrique Sívori |
| 1959 (Argentina) |
PeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
|
| 1959 (Ecuador) |
Alcides Silveira Alcides Silveira Vicente Montero was an international football player and coach of Uruguay national football team.-Club:Independiente*Argentinian Premier Division: Winner 1960Boca Juniors...
|
| 1963 |
Ramiro Blacut Ramiro Blacut Rodriguez is a Bolivian former international footballer.-References:...
|
| 1967 |
Pedro Rocha Pedro Virgilio Rocha Franchetti is a former Uruguayan footballer who played 52 games for the Uruguay national team between 1961 and 1974....
|
| 1975 |
Teófilo CubillasTeófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
|
| 1979 |
Carlos CaszelyCarlos Humberto Caszely Garrido is a former Chilean footballer, nicknamed "Rey del metro cuadrado" .Regarded as one of Chile's most important players, between 1969 and 1985, Caszely won 49 caps and scored 29 goals for the Chile national team, including participations in the 1974 and 1982 World...
|
| 1983 |
Enzo Francéscoli Enzo Francescoli Uriarte is a former uruguayan football player of Italian and Spanish origin, who retired in 1997. An elegant and highly skillful dribbler, passer, and goal-scorer, Francescoli was nicknamed El Príncipe or Le Prince...
|
| 1987 |
Carlos Valderrama Carlos Valderrama is the name of:* Carlos Valderrama , nicknamed The Kid , Colombian football player* Carlos Valderrama , Venezuelan baseball player...
|
| 1989 |
Ruben Sosa |
| 1991 |
Leonardo Rodríguez Leonardo Adrián Rodríguez Iacobitti is a former Argentinian football midfielder. He was born on August 27, 1966, in the city of Lanús in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina...
|
| 1993 |
Sergio Goycochea |
| 1995 |
Enzo Francéscoli Enzo Francescoli Uriarte is a former uruguayan football player of Italian and Spanish origin, who retired in 1997. An elegant and highly skillful dribbler, passer, and goal-scorer, Francescoli was nicknamed El Príncipe or Le Prince...
|
| 1997 |
Ronaldo Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
|
| 1999 |
Rivaldo Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
|
| 2001 |
 Amado GuevaraAmado Guevara is a Honduran football player who currently plays for Motagua in the Liga Nacional de Honduras. He is the all-time cap leader for the Honduran national team.-Club:...
|
| 2004 |
Adriano Adriano is the form of the Latin given name Hadrianus commonly used in the Italian and Portuguese languages; the form Adrian is used in the English language instead.-People with the given name Adriano:...
|
| 2007 |
Robinho Robson de Souza , more commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as second striker and winger for Serie A club AC Milan...
|
| 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
|
Luis SuárezLuis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...
|
Copa América winning managers
| Year |
Head coach |
Champions |
| 1916 |
Alfredo Foglino Alfredo Foglino was an Uruguayan football player and manager.-Club career:Foglino made his debut for Nacional in 1911. In 14 years for Foglino played 409 matches including nine Primera División Uruguaya championships...
|
|
| 1917 |
Ramón Platero |
|
| 1919 |
Haroldo Domingues |
|
| 1920 |
Ernesto Fígoli |
|
| 1921 |
Pedro Calomino Bleo Pedro Fournol Calomino was an Argentine football striker. He played nearly all of his career for Boca Juniors, he also played 37 games for the Argentina national football team scoring 5 goals...
|
|
| 1922 |
LaísLaïs is a Belgian group that creates folk, and world music consisting of polyphonic close harmony songs, occasionally a cappella, based on self-composed melodies with lyrics dating back to the Middle Ages...
|
|
| 1923 |
Leonardo De Lucca |
|
| 1924 |
Ernesto Meliante |
|
| 1925 |
Américo TesoriereAmérico Miguel Tesoriere was an Argentine football goalkeeper and one of the early figures in Boca Juniors history during the amateur era of Argentine football...
|
|
| 1926 |
Ernesto Fígoli |
|
| 1927 |
José Lago Millón |
|
| 1929 |
Fransisco Olazar |
|
| 1935 |
Raúl Blanco Raul Blanco is an Argentine-born Australia Association football coach. He is well known for coaching the Socceroos from March 1998 to June 1999. He was also coaching the Olyroos at the same time, and coached them during the 2000 Summer Olympics...
|
|
| 1937 |
Manuel SeoaneManuel Seoane , nicknamed La Chancha, was an Argentine football striker who played for Independiente and Argentina. He was the highest goalscorer in the Amateur era of Argentine football with 196 goals...
|
|
| 1939 |
 Jack Greenwell |
|
| 1941 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1942 |
Pedro Cea José Pedro Cea was an Uruguayan football player and coach.-Club career:At club level, he played for Nacional, where he won several Uruguayan Championships.-International career:...
|
|
| 1945 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1946 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1947 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1949 |
Flavio Costa Flávio Rodrigues da Costa was a Brazilian football player and manager. He was born in Carangola, Minas Gerais....
|
|
| 1953 |
Manuel Fleitas Solich Manuel Fleitas Solich is a former Paraguayan football player and coach. He was known as "El Brujo" .-Career as a player:...
|
|
| 1955 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1956 |
Hugo Bagnulo Hugo Bagnulo was an Uruguayan football player and manager. He is most famous for his managing success at Uruguayan giants Peñarol, with whom he won five national league titles.-Career:...
|
|
| 1957 |
Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup...
|
|
| 1959 |
Victorio Spinetto Victorio Luis Spinetto was an Argentine footballer and manager. He played mostly for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División, debuting with the club in 1932 and retiring in 1940...
|
|
| 1959 |
Juan Carlos Corazzo |
|
| 1963 |
Danilo Alvim Danilo Alvim Faria was a Brazilian footballer. He was a member of the ill-fated Brazilian 1950 World Cup team.-Career:...
|
|
| 1967 |
Juan Carlos Corazzo |
|
| 1975 |
Marcos Calderón Marcos Calderón was a Peruvian football coach. He led the Peru national football team to win the Copa América 1975 and led the team to the second round of the 1978 World Cup...
|
|
| 1979 |
Ranulfo Miranda |
|
| 1983 |
Omar Borrás Omar Borrás is a former Uruguayan football coach.He was the coach of the Uruguay national football team at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. During that tournament, he was banned from the sidelines for their second round match against Argentina due to Uruguay's rough play for their previous game against...
|
|
| 1987 |
Roberto Fleitas Roberto Fleitas is a Uruguayan football head coach and former center back who managed the Uruguayan national team and several top level Uruguayan clubs.-Career:...
|
|
| 1989 |
Sebastião Lazaroni Sebastião Barroso Lazaroni, commonly known as Sebastião Lazaroni , is a Brazilian football manager, currently heading the Qatar national football team. He was born in Muriaé, Minas Gerais state....
|
|
| 1991 |
Alfio BasileAlfio Basile , known as Coco, is an Argentine football coach and former player.-Playing career:Basile started his playing career at the Bella Vista club in his home city. From 1964 to 1970 he played for Racing Club, and then for Huracán, where he was a mainstay of the 1973 Metropolitano champions...
|
|
| 1993 |
Alfio BasileAlfio Basile , known as Coco, is an Argentine football coach and former player.-Playing career:Basile started his playing career at the Bella Vista club in his home city. From 1964 to 1970 he played for Racing Club, and then for Huracán, where he was a mainstay of the 1973 Metropolitano champions...
|
|
| 1995 |
Héctor Núñez Héctor Núñez Bello is a former Uruguayan footballer and manager. He was manager of the Uruguay squad that won Copa América 1995.-Playing career:Núñez started his playing career at the age of 19 playing for Nacional...
|
|
| 1997 |
Mário ZagalloMário Jorge Lobo Zagallo is a Brazilian former football player and manager.-Biography:Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo was born in Maceió, Alagoas, to a family of Lebanese and Italian heritage....
|
|
| 1999 |
Vanderlei Luxemburgo Vanderlei Luxemburgo da Silva , better known as Vanderlei Luxemburgo, is a Brazilian football manager and former football player. He holds the distinction of being the most successful manager in the history of Brazil's Série A, with 5 league titles...
|
|
| 2001 |
Francisco Maturana Francisco Maturana, also known as Pacho is a Colombian ex-football player and later a successful football manager.-Player:...
|
|
| 2004 |
Carlos Alberto ParreiraCarlos Alberto Gomes Parreira is a Brazilian former football manager. He managed Brazil to championships at the 1994 World Cup, the 2004 Copa América, and the 2005 Confederations Cup...
|
|
| 2007 |
DungaCarlos Caetano Bledorn Verri , commonly known as Dunga , is a former Brazilian football defensive midfielder and a World Champion for Brazil in the 1994 World Cup...
|
|
| 2011 The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...
|
Óscar Tabárez Óscar Wáshington Tabárez Silva, nicknamed El Maestro is a retired Uruguayan footballer who played as a defender, and the current manager of the Uruguayan national team....
|
|
Footnotes
- A. Only three teams entered the tournament.
- B. No third place match was played; third place was shared.
- C. There was no trophy being competed for in the 1916 tournament. It was competed for the first time in the 1917 tournament.
- D. The tournament was an extra edition, with no trophy handed to the winners, but considered official by CONMEBOL.
- E. Final stage was a round-robin group.
- F. Matches were played in "Home - Away" basis.
External links