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Copa América
Copa América de Fútbol
Founded 1916
Region South America
(CONMEBOL)
Number of teams 16 (2024)
Tournament information
Current champions Flag of Argentina Argentina (16th title)
Most successful team(s) Flag of Argentina Argentina (16 titles)
Football current event Current
Website Official website

The Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known as Copa América (Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese for "Americas Cup") is a South American international association football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, 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 (usually from Asia or North America) are invited to fill the other 2 places. In 43 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title. Uruguay is the most successful team in the tournament, having won it fifteen times, while the current champion, Chile, has two cups.

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 Cup, but is not obligated to do so.

History[]

Beginnings[]

The first recorded association football match in South America was played in Argentina 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 Association 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 1910 when Argentina organized an event to commemorate the centenary of the May Revolution. Chile and Uruguay 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 Brazil being the first participants of the tournament. This so-called Campeonato Sudamericano de Football 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 Club in Avellaneda.

Seeing the success of the tournament, a boardmember of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol or Uruguayan Football Association, Héctor Rivadavia, proposed the establishment of a confederation of the associations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, and on July 9, independence day 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 outbreak in Rio de Janeiro canceled the tournament in 1918, Brazil 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 Chilean city of Viña del Mar would host the 1920 event which was won by Uruguay.

For the 1921 event, Paraguay 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 Libonatti. 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 Olympics held in Amsterdam, Argentina would gain revenge in the 1929 South American Championship by defeating the Uruguayans in the last, decisive match. During this period, both Bolivia and Peru debuted in the tournament in 1926 and 1927, respectively.

Disorganization and intermittency[]

After the first World Cup 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. Peru became the host nation of the 1939 edition and won the competition for the first time ever after a 2-1 victory over Uruguay. Ecuador 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 Nacional 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 Pernambuco. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by debutant Venezuela. 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 group or a single-elimination 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 champions (having won the 1986 FIFA World Cup), playing at home and having a team largely composed of its World Cup winners led by the legendary Diego Maradona, 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 Cup 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 Batistuta. The 1993 Copa América tournament in Ecuador would take its current form. Along with the usual ten teams, CONMEBOL invited two countries from CONCACAF 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, Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela 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 Leonardo, Denílson and Ronaldo becoming crucial in the Verde-Amarela's consagration on Bolivia's altitude. Brazil would successfully defend the title in 1999 after thumping Uruguay 3-0 in Asuncion, Paraguay. However, the 2001 Copa América saw one of the biggest surprises of the history of the sport as 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 competition 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. This, the 43rd edition, was the first time that neither Argentina nor Brazil reached the semifinals stage in the tournament.

The 2015 competition was hosted in Chile, who swapped hosting positions with Brazil in light of the latter's hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Chile went on to win the tournament, their first title, on home soil.

In 2016, the centenary of the tournament was celebrated with the Copa América Centenario tournament hosted in the United States; the tournament was the first to be hosted outside of South America and had an expanded field of 16 teams from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. During the tournament, media outlets reported that CONMEBOL and CONCACAF were negotiating a merger of the Copa América with the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the latter's continental tournament held every 2 years, with the United States hosting regular tournaments; United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati called the report inaccurate, saying that no such discussion had taken place and that a new tournament would have to be established. For the second time in history, Chile won the trophy.

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 América.

The 2015 Copa América was due to be held in Brazil following the order of rotation. However, the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics 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. However, in March 2012 it was officially announced that it was Chile who would be hosting the 2015 Copa América, after CBF president Ricardo Teixeira resigned from his position and the CBF agreed to swap the tournament's hosting with Chile. The swap was made official in May 2012. The centennial edition of the tournament, Copa América Centenario, took place in June 2016, and was held in the United States. The Copa América Centenario marked the first time the tournament was hosted by a non-CONMEBOL nation.

Each Copa América since 1987 has had its own mascot or logo. Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first Copa América mascot.

Times hosted
Hosts Editions
9 Flag of Argentina Argentina (1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, 1987, 2011)
7 Flag of Chile Chile (1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, 1991, 2015)
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay (1917, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967, 1995)
6 Flag of Peru Peru (1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004)
Brazil Brazil (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 2019, 2021)
3 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador (1947, 1959, 1993)
2 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia (1963, 1997)
Flag of Colombia Colombia (2001, 2020)
1 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay (1999)
Flag of the United States United StatesC (2016)
Flag of Venezuela Venezuela (2007)
3 No fixed host [F] (1975, 1979, 1983)
C = non-CONMEBOL host.

Format and rules[]

The tournament was previously known as sup Campeonato Sudamericano de Football (South American Championship of Football). 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 Rankings. 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 tournament, 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 win, 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 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 tournament 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 match (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.

Invitees[]

Since 1993, two teams from other confederations, usually from CONCACAF whose members are geographically and culturally close, are also invited. In all, seven different nations have received invitations. Nations receiving invitations are Costa Rica (1997, 2001, 2004, 2011), Honduras (2001), Japan (1999, 2011, 2015), Mexico (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011), and the United States (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 Soccer. 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, Canada was an invitee, but on July 6, 2001 withdrew because of security concerns. At the 2011 Copa América, Japan withdrew, citing difficulties with European clubs in releasing Japanese players. South American football's governing body CONMEBOL has stated that Japan would be invited to the 2015 Copa América. 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. At the 2015 Copa América, Japan declined the invitation as it would bring burdens to their overseas players, and China had to withdraw due to the Asian sector of qualification for the 2018 World Cup being held at the same time.

Invitees nations record[]

Team Flag of Ecuador
1993
Flag of Uruguay
1995
Flag of Bolivia
1997
Flag of Paraguay
1999
Flag of Colombia
2001
Flag of Peru
2004
Flag of Venezuela
2007
Flag of Argentina
2011
Flag of Chile
2015
Flag of United States
2016
Flag of Brazil
2019
Editions
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica - - GS - QF QF - GS - GS - 5
Flag of Haiti Haiti - - - - - - - - - GS - 1
Flag of Honduras Honduras - - - - 3rd - - - - - - 1
Flag of Jamaica Jamaica - - - - - - - - GS GS - 2
Flag of Japan Japan - - - GS - - - - - - Q 2
Flag of Mexico Mexico 2nd QF 3rd 3rd 2nd QF 3rd GS GS QF - 8
Panama Panama - - - - - - - - - GS - 1
Flag of Qatar Qatar - - - - - - - - - - Q 1
Flag of the United States United States GS 4th - - - - GS - - 4th - 4

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 Affairs of Argentina in 1916. The prestigious laurel was obtained from a jewelry shop in Buenos Aires 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.

Results[]

South American Championship era[]

  • Key:
    • Invited teams in italics
    • pens – after penalty shootout
Year Host Final Tournament Results
Champions Runners-Up Third Place Fourth Place
1916
[C]
Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Chile
Chile
1917 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Chile
Chile
1919 Brazil Brazil Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Chile
Chile
1920 Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Chile
Chile
1921 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
1922 Brazil Brazil Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
1923 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Brazil
Brazil
1924 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
1925
[A]
Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
N/A
1926 Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
1927 Flag of Peru Peru Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Bolivia
Bolivia
1929 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
1935
[D]
Flag of Peru Peru Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Chile
Chile
1937 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
1939 Flag of Peru Peru Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
1941
[D]
Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Peru
Peru
1942 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
1945
[D]
Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
1946
[D]
Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
1947 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
1949 Brazil Brazil Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Bolivia
Bolivia
1953 Flag of Peru Peru Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
1955 Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
1956
[D]
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
1957 Flag of Peru Peru Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
1959 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
1959
[D]
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Ecuador
Ecuador
1963 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia Flag of Bolivia
Bolivia
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Brazil
Brazil
1967 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay

Copa América era[]

Year Host Final Third place match
Champion Score Runner-Up Third Place Score Fourth Place
1975 No fixed host [F] Flag of Peru
Peru
0 – 1 / 2 – 0
Play-off
1 – 0
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
Brazil Brazil
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
N/A [B]
1979 No fixed host [F] Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
3 – 0 / 0 – 1
Play-off
0 – 0 a.e.t.
Flag of Chile
Chile
Brazil Brazil
Flag of Peru Peru
N/A [B]
1983 No fixed host [F] Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
2 – 0 / 1 – 1 Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Paraguay Paraguay
Flag of Peru Peru
N/A [B]
1987 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
1 – 0 Flag of Chile
Chile
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
2 – 1 Flag of Argentina
Argentina
1989 Brazil Brazil Brazil
Brazil
[E] Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
[E] Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
1991 Flag of Chile Chile Flag of Argentina
Argentina
[E] Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Chile
Chile
[E] Flag of Colombia
Colombia
1993 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador Flag of Argentina
Argentina
2 – 1 Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
1 – 0 Flag of Ecuador
Ecuador
1995 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
1 – 1
5–3
pens
Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
4 – 1 Flag of the United States
United States
1997 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia Brazil
Brazil
3 – 1 Flag of Bolivia
Bolivia
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
1 – 0 Flag of Peru
Peru
1999 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay Brazil
Brazil
3 – 0 Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
2 – 1 Flag of Chile
Chile
2001 Flag of Colombia Colombia Flag of Colombia
Colombia
1 – 0 Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
2 – 2
5–4
pens
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
2004 Flag of Peru Peru Brazil
Brazil
2 – 2
4–2
pens
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
2 – 1 Flag of Colombia
Colombia
2007 Flag of Venezuela Venezuela Brazil
Brazil
3 – 0 Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
3 – 1 Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
2011 Flag of Argentina Argentina Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
3 – 0 Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
Flag of Peru
Peru
4 – 1 Flag of Venezuela
Venezuela
2015 Flag of Chile Chile Flag of CHI
Chile
0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–1p)
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Peru
Peru
2–0 Flag of Paraguay
Paraguay
2016 Flag of the United States United States Flag of CHI
Chile
0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2p)
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
1–0 Flag of the United States
United States
2019 Brazil Brazil Brazil
Brazil
3 – 1 Flag of Peru
Peru
Flag of Argentina
Argentina
3-2 Flag of CHI
Chile
2021 Brazil Brazil Flag of Argentina
Argentina
1–0 Brazil
Brazil
Flag of Colombia
Colombia
1-0 Flag of Peru
Peru
2024 Flag of the United States United States Flag of Argentina
Argentina
1–0 (a.e.t.) Flag of Colombia
Colombia
Flag of Uruguay
Uruguay
2–2
(4–3 p)
Flag of Canada
Canada

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. Eight nations have won the Copa América, only six 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 28, and on the podium, with 32, while Uruguay have made the most appearances in the top four, with 35.

Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile 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. Only Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Chile 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
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 15 (1916, 1917*, 1920, 1923*, 1924*, 1926, 1935, 1942*, 1956*, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967*, 1983, 1987, 1995*, 2011) 6 (1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999) 9 (1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004) 5 (1945, 1946, 1955, 2001, 2007)
Flag of Argentina Argentina 15 (1921*, 1925*, 1927, 1929*, 1937*, 1941, 1945, 1946*, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959 (Argentina)*, 1991, 1993, 2021) 14 (1916*, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967, 2004, 2007, 2015, 2016) 4 (1919, 1956, 1963, 1989) 2 (1922, 1987*)
Brazil Brazil 9 (1919*, 1922*, 1949*, 1989*, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019*) 12 (1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959 (Argentina), 1983, 1991, 1995, 2021*) 7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1975, 1979) 3 (1923, 1956, 1963)
Flag of Paraguay Paraguay 2 (1953, 1979) 6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011) 7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959 (Argentina), 1983) 7 (1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989, 2015)
Flag of CHI Chile 2 (2015, 2016) 4 (1955*, 1956, 1979, 1987) 5 (1926*, 1941*, 1945*, 1967, 1991*) 11 (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920*, 1924, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1953, 1999, 2019)
Flag of Peru Peru 2 (1939*, 1975) 1 (2019) 8 (1927*, 1935*, 1949, 1955, 1979, 1983, 2011, 2015) 6 (1929, 1941, 1957*, 1959 (Argentina), 1997, 2021)
Flag of Colombia Colombia 1 (2001*) 1 (1975) 4 (1987, 1993, 1995, 2016) 2 (1991, 2004)
Flag of Bolivia Bolivia 1 (1963*) 1 (1997*) 2 (1927, 1949)
Flag of Mexico Mexico^ 2 (1993, 2001) 3 (1997, 1999, 2007)
Flag of Honduras Honduras^ 1 (2001)
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador 2 (1959 (Ecuador)*, 1993*)
Flag of the United States United States^ 2 (1995, 2016)
Flag of Venezuela Venezuela 1 (2011)
*=hosts
^=invitees

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) and only 3 edition when neither Brazil nor Uruguay has finished in the top four (1993, 2015, 2016). There has never been an edition in which none of the three countries Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil made it to the top four. All Copa America tournaments held in Brazil and Uruguay have been won by the host nation, while Argentina have won 6 South American Championships as hosts and Uruguay have won 3 of their 15 Copa Americas in Argentina (1916, 1987, 2011).

General statistics[]

Team Po Pl W D L GF GA GD
1 Flag of Argentina Argentina 398 189 120 38 31 455 173 +282
2 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 358 197 108 34 55 399 218 +181
3 Brazil Brazil 332 178 99 35 44 405 200 +205
4 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay 225 168 62 39 67 253 293 -40
5 Flag of CHI Chile 222 177 64 30 83 281 304 -23
6 Flag of Peru Peru 197 148 54 35 59 213 232 -19
7 Flag of Colombia Colombia 150 113 42 24 47 131 184 -53
8 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia 86 112 20 26 66 104 279 -175
9 Flag of Mexico Mexico 70 48 19 13 16 66 62 +4
10 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador 70 118 16 22 80 127 311 -184
11 Flag of Venezuela Venezuela 34 62 7 13 42 47 171 -124
12 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 18 17 5 3 9 17 31 -14
13 Flag of the United States United States 17 18 5 2 11 18 29 -11
14 Flag of Honduras Honduras 10 6 3 1 2 7 5 +2
15 Panama Panama 3 3 1 0 2 4 10 -6
16 Flag of Japan Japan 1 3 0 1 2 3 8 -5
17 Flag of Jamaica Jamaica 0 6 0 0 6 0 9 -9
18 Flag of Haiti Haiti 0 3 0 0 3 1 12 -11

Copa América player of the tournament[]

Year Player
1916 Flag of Uruguay Isabelino Gradín
1917 Flag of Uruguay Héctor Scarone
1919 Flag of Brazil Arthur Friedenreich
1920 Flag of Uruguay José Piendibene
1921 Flag of Argentina Américo Tesoriere
1922 Flag of Brazil Agostinho Fortes Filho
1923 Flag of Uruguay José Nasazzi
1924 Flag of Uruguay Pedro Petrone
1925 Flag of Argentina Manuel Seoane
1926 Flag of Uruguay José Leandro Andrade
1927 Flag of Argentina Manuel Seoane
1929 Flag of Argentina Manuel Ferreira
1935 Flag of Uruguay José Nasazzi
1937 Flag of Argentina Vicente De la Mata
1939 Flag of Peru Teodoro Fernández
1941 Flag of Chile Sergio Livingstone
1942 Flag of Uruguay Obdulio Varela
1945 Flag of Brazil Domingos da Guia
1946 Flag of Argentina Adolfo Pedernera
1947 Flag of Argentina José Manuel Moreno
1949 Flag of Brazil Ademir Menezes
1953 Flag of Paraguay Heriberto Herrera
1955 Flag of Chile Enrique Hormazábal
1956 Flag of Uruguay Oscar Míguez
1957 Flag of Argentina Enrique Sívori
1959 (Argentina) Flag of Brazil Pelé
1959 (Ecuador) Flag of Uruguay Alcides Silveira
1963 Flag of Bolivia Ramiro Blacut
1967 Flag of Uruguay Pedro Rocha
1975 Flag of Peru Teófilo Cubillas
1979 Flag of Chile Carlos Caszely
1983 Flag of Uruguay Enzo Francéscoli
1987 Flag of Colombia Carlos Valderrama
1989 Flag of Uruguay Ruben Sosa
1991 Flag of Argentina Leonardo Rodríguez
1993 Flag of Argentina Sergio Goycochea
1995 Flag of Uruguay Enzo Francéscoli
1997 Flag of Brazil Ronaldo
1999 Flag of Brazil Rivaldo
2001 Flag of Honduras Amado Guevara
2004 Flag of Brazil Adriano
2007 Flag of Brazil Robinho
2011 Flag of Uruguay Luis Suárez
2015 Flag of Argentina Lionel Messi
2016 Flag of Chile Alexis Sánchez

Copa América winning managers[]

Year Head coach Champions
1916 Flag of Uruguay Alfredo Foglino Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1917 Flag of Uruguay Ramón Platero Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1919 Flag of Brazil Haroldo Domingues Brazil Brazil
1920 Flag of Uruguay Ernesto Fígoli Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1921 Flag of Argentina Pedro Calomino Flag of Argentina Argentina
1922 Flag of Brazil Laís Brazil Brazil
1923 Flag of Uruguay Leonardo De Lucca Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1924 Flag of Uruguay Ernesto Meliante Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1925 Flag of Argentina Américo Tesoriere Flag of Argentina Argentina
1926 Flag of Uruguay Ernesto Fígoli Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1927 Flag of Argentina José Lago Millón Flag of Argentina Argentina
1929 Flag of Argentina Fransisco Olazar Flag of Argentina Argentina
1935 Flag of Uruguay Raúl Blanco Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1937 Flag of Argentina Manuel Seoane Flag of Argentina Argentina
1939 Flag of England Jack Greenwell Flag of Peru Peru
1941 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1942 Flag of Uruguay Pedro Cea Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1945 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1946 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1947 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1949 Flag of Brazil Flavio Costa Brazil Brazil
1953 Flag of Paraguay Manuel Fleitas Solich Flag of Paraguay Paraguay
1955 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1956 Flag of Uruguay Hugo Bagnulo Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1957 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Stábile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1959 Flag of Argentina Victorio Spinetto Flag of Argentina Argentina
1959 Flag of Uruguay Juan Carlos Corazzo Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1963 Flag of Brazil Danilo Alvim Flag of Bolivia Bolivia
1967 Flag of Uruguay Juan Carlos Corazzo Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1975 Flag of Peru Marcos Calderón Flag of Peru Peru
1979 Flag of Paraguay Ranulfo Miranda Flag of Paraguay Paraguay
1983 Flag of Uruguay Omar Borrás Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1987 Flag of Uruguay Roberto Fleitas Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1989 Flag of Brazil Sebastião Lazaroni Brazil Brazil
1991 Flag of Argentina Alfio Basile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1993 Flag of Argentina Alfio Basile Flag of Argentina Argentina
1995 Flag of Uruguay Héctor Núñez Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
1997 Flag of Brazil Mário Zagallo Brazil Brazil
1999 Flag of Brazil Vanderlei Luxemburgo Brazil Brazil
2001 Flag of Colombia Francisco Maturana Flag of Colombia Colombia
2004 Flag of Brazil Carlos Alberto Parreira Brazil Brazil
2007 Flag of Brazil Dunga Brazil Brazil
2011 Flag of Uruguay Óscar Tabárez Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
2015 Flag of Argentina Jorge Sampaoli Flag of CHI Chile
2016 Flag of Spain Juan Antonio Pizzi Flag of CHI Chile

See also[]

  • Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo

External links[]

Copa América
Argentina 1910 · Argentina 1916 · Uruguay 1917 · Brazil 1919 · Chile 1920 · Argentina 1921 · Brazil 1922 · Uruguay 1923 · Uruguay 1924 · Argentina 1925 · Chile 1926 · Peru 1927 · Argentina 1929 · Peru 1935 · Argentina 1937 · Peru 1939 · Chile 1941 · Uruguay 1942 · Chile 1945 · Argentina 1946 · Ecuador 1947 · Brazil 1949 · Peru 1953 · Chile 1955 · Uruguay 1956 · Peru 1957 · 1959 (Argentina · Ecuador) · Bolivia 1963 · Uruguay 1967 · 1975 (No fixed venue) · 1979 (No fixed venue) · 1983 (No fixed venue) · Argentina 1987 · Brazil 1989 · Chile 1991 · Ecuador 1993 · Uruguay 1995 · Bolivia 1997 · Paraguay 1999 · Colombia 2001 · Peru 2004 · Venezuela 2007 · Argentina 2011 · Chile 2015 · United States 2016 · Brazil 2019 · Brazil 2021 · 2024 ·
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