The Copa América (officially Conmebol Copa América) is the main official international men’s football tournament in South America. Initially called Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones, Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol or simply Campeonato Sudamericano (in Portuguese Campeonato Sul-Americano de Seleções or Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol), it acquired its current name in 1975. It is organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and its results have been officially recognized by FIFA. The current champion team is Argentina, which reached its fifteenth title after 28 years.
| Copa America | ||
|---|---|---|
| General data | ||
| Sport | Football | |
| Official name | Conmebol Copa América (formerly: South American Championship) |
|
| Motto | The oldest continental tournament in the world | |
| Organizer | Conmebol | |
| Participating teams | 10 | |
| Historical data | ||
| Foundation | (1916-02-02-02) 2 July 1916 (age 106) | |
| Season One | Argentina 1916 | |
| First champion | Uruguay | |
| Last season | Brazil 2021 | |
| Statistical data | ||
| Current champion | Argentina | |
| More championships |
Argentina (15) Uruguay (15) |
|
| More participations | Uruguay (45) | |
| Official website | Copa America Conmebol.com |
|
| Chronology | ||
| South American Championship (1916-1967) |
America’s Cup (1975-present) | |
It has been conquered by eight of the ten teams of Conmebol: Uruguay and Argentina, the top winners of the tournament, have fifteen titles each; Brazil, nine; Peru, Paraguay and Chile, two; and Bolivia and Colombia, one. A non-South American team has never won the title.
In addition to the ten CONMEBOL teams, two invited teams usually participate, usually from Concacaf, although exceptions have occurred. Sixteen teams participated in the 2016 commemorative edition, ten from CONMEBOL and six from Concacaf. The 2021 championship was the first in which the invited teams were dispensed with, leaving the tournament exclusively for the Conmebol teams. To date, nineteen teams have participated.
It is the only continental tournament at the national team level in which there are no qualifiers to qualify – only in the 1967 and 2016 editions a preliminary qualifying phase was played (although in 2016 it was for North American teams). It also has some other peculiarities: it is the only tournament in which the runner-up receives a trophy (the Copa Bolivia) in which the fourth place receives a significant prize (the copper medal) and, in addition, all the participating teams (affiliates and invitees) receive a diploma for competing.
At the international level, it is the football tournament at the level of major teams that has been held more times, surpassing the World Cup, and it is also the mega sporting event that has been held more times, surpassing the Olympic Games. It is one of the three main football events at the national team level, along with the FIFA World Cup (1930) and the European Championship (1960). This football tournament is the third oldest in the world at the level of senior teams, after the British Home Championship (played between 1883-1884 and 1984), and the Olympic Games (whose first football tournament was played in 1908, and its last edition with senior teams was in 1948).
History of Copa America
Background
In the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth, football was a booming sport after its arrival in South America by immigrants and merchants of British origin. The first recorded football match in South America was played between British workers at the Buenos Aires Cricket Club ground, located in the forests of Palermo (Argentina), on June 20, 1867.
The first international tournament held between teams of that subcontinent occurred in 1910 when Argentina organized an event to commemorate the centenary of the May Revolution, to which it invited the selected of Chile and Uruguay. On October 15, 1913, it was proposed to play a South American tournament and put into play a trophy called Copa América.
Beginning
For the celebration of the centenary of its independence, Argentina held a tournament between July 2 and 17, 1916, attended by the guests of the 1910 Cup along with Brazil, Uruguay being consecrated as champion of the tournament. This “South American National Team Championship” was the first edition of what is now known as Copa América.
After Uruguay emerged champion, one of its leaders, Héctor Rivadavia Gómez, seeing the success of the tournament, proposed the foundation of a confederation that would bring together the federations of the four countries present. On July 9, 1916, leaders of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay met in Buenos Aires to study the integrating idea of Héctor Rivadavia Gómez, which was approved ad-referendum of the respective national associations. Finally, on December 15 of that same year, in Montevideo, the Constitutional Congress was held, in which everything acted was ratified, giving birth to the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol or CSF).
Once Conmebol was founded, the following year the South American Championship was organized again, this time in Uruguay. For this, the confederation bought a trophy to deliver to the champion: a silver cup with a wooden base, acquired in a jewelry store of French origin in Buenos Aires at a cost of 3000 Swiss francs of the time.
The select group of four participants opened in 1921 when the selection of Paraguay was admitted, an event in which Argentina reached its first title. In the following years, Uruguay dominated the event taking advantage of the team that consecrated them as Olympic champions, which at that time was the largest football tournament in the world. Argentina, however, was not far behind and disputed supremacy against the Charrúas, winning the South American Championships of 1925 and 1927.
The 1923 and 1924 editions were held in Uruguay, being the first time in history that the same country organized the tournament consecutively. The 1923 edition served to qualify for the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris – only the champion qualified, which turned out to be Uruguay and was also the Olympic champion. It was the first time that the tournament served to qualify for the Olympic Games.
In 1925, for different reasons, only three teams participated, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, resulting in the edition with fewer participants in the history of the tournament. The funny thing was that despite applying the system of all against all, the three teams that played this edition had to face each other twice.
In the 1926 edition, the Bolivian national team made its debut in the tournament. And in the 1927 edition, the Peruvian national team made its debut in the tournament, curiously as host of this.
The 1927 edition served to qualify for the second time to the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam – only the champion (which turned out to be Argentina) and the runner-up (which turned out to be Uruguay) qualified. Coincidentally, both teams faced each other in the final of the Olympic Games, and in the end Uruguay was crowned two-time Olympic champion.
The 1930s and 1940s: disorganization and intermittency
1935 was the last time the tournament qualified for the Olympic Games. In the 1937 edition held in Argentina, it began to be played at the end of 1936, making it the only edition that was held between two consecutive years (1936 and 1937).
Peru hosted the tournament for the third time in 1939 when it won its first championship defeating Uruguay in the final. Then the Ecuadorian national team made its debut. In the 1945 edition held in Chile, the Mariscal Sucre Cup was also put into play, played between Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador, which ended up being obtained by Colombia. This was the only time another cup was up for grabs within the tournament.
From those years, the event began to enter a stage of great disorganization. The championship was played without fixed time intervals and many events were unofficial, although they are currently considered valid by CONMEBOL. For example, Argentina was the first and only three-time champion to date by winning the 1945, 1946, and 1947 tournaments consecutively.
The 1970s and 1980s: name change
After eight years of interruption, the tournament was resumed in 1975, when it officially acquired the name Copa América. The old round-robin system previously used was replaced by a three-group system whose three winners plus the reigning champion faced each other in a single-elimination system until the new champion was determined.
This system, in which a fixed venue was not used when conducting home-and-away matches, was carried out every four years until 1987. The biggest impact of this decision was that, for the first time, the ten affiliated teams participated in Conmebol. The system without fixed headquarters was used only in the 1975, 1979, and 1983 editions. In these three editions, the third place was not disputed either, which was shared by the two teams eliminated in the semifinals. The semi-finals were defined by points in home-and-away matches, and in the event that two teams finished level on points, goal difference would be used.
The 1990s and 2000s: the renewal of the tournament
In 1986, CONMEBOL decided to renew the tournament and for this, reestablished the format of fixed venues. Starting with the 1987 Copa América, the event would be hosted on a rotating basis every two years, by the ten members of the confederation. The format would be maintained constantly, with a first round of groups, but the final round would vary between a new group stage or a direct elimination system, until the champion was obtained; also in the direct elimination phases, extra time would be used in case of finishing tied during regulation time, and if the tie persists the key would be defined from the penalty round. The revamped Copa America would allow a boom for the tournament, which began to be broadcast to Europe and North America.
In the editions (1989 and 1991), the tournament would change its format, which consisted of 2 groups of 5 teams, and the first 2 of each group were classified to a final quadrangular and would face each other in a liguilla, and the champion would be the selection, which obtained the most points in the final quadrangular. The 1991 edition was the last edition, in which 2 points were awarded for matches won, 1 point for matches drawn and 0 points for matches lost.
In the 1993 Copa América, played in Ecuador, the tournament would adopt its current format. Along with the usual ten teams, CONMEBOL invited two CONCACAF countries. Of these twelve participants, three groups of four teams were created, with the top two from each group and the top two ranked teams moving into third place in their group to the second round. From the second round, a play-off system finally determined the winning team of the championship. Since the 1993 edition, 3 points are awarded for matches won, 1 point for matches drawn and 0 points for matches lost. In this edition, the teams of Mexico and the United States would make their debut in the tournament.
When the rotation system was implemented, Paraguay, Colombia and Venezuela were able for the first time to host the tournament. In addition, Brazil began a successful series of triumphs, winning four of the five continental titles between 1997 and 2007.
During the 1997 Copa América held in Bolivia, an anecdotal event would occur that would make the runner-up team also receive a trophy, after Bolivia (host) lost the final against Brazil by 3 to 1. The fact made that from that edition onwards, the runner-up received as a consolation prize the Bolivia Cup, a prize that is given to him apart from the silver medals. In this edition, the Costa Rican team would make its debut in the tournament.
The Copa América 1999 held in Paraguay, would be the last Copa America of the twentieth century and in that edition would participate Japan, the first non-American team to participate in the tournament. Japan was invited to participate because it was the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to America.
The Copa América 2001 held in Colombia (the first of the XXI century), had several inconveniences for its realization, due to problems of political instability and insecurity, especially with the armed group of the FARC. Due to these events, it was thought to take the headquarters from Colombia. However, the edition was played in this country. The tournament was organized with strict security measures, for each participating team. This edition is the one that had three invited teams because Argentina withdrew from the tournament alleging death threats (its place was replaced by Honduras who was an emergency guest). The Canadian team was also invited to participate, which rejected the invitation for the same reasons as Argentina. Its place was taken by the Costa Rican national team.
After the 2007 Copa América, held in Venezuela, the rotation cycle established by CONMEBOL in 1986 ended. Chile, the United States and Mexico expressed interest in organizing the next tournament, but the CONMEBOL Executive Committee decided to continue with the granting of priority to the organization of each Cup through the repetition of the cycle of venues initiated in 1987, which means that each association must confirm if it decides to organize the Cup that corresponds to it, not having the obligation to do so.
The 2010s, disorganization and the Copa America Centenario
Since 2010, Conmebol decided that the tournament will be held every 4 years, to avoid crossing with the qualifiers and other mega sporting events. Also, as of Copa América 2011, CONMEBOL decided to award individually the “best player” of the tournament, the “best youth player” of the tournament, the “best goalkeeper” of the tournament and the selection deserving of the “Fair Play Award (Fair Play Award)”. Conmebol also decided that fourth place would receive a significant prize, which would be the copper medal. For this edition, Japan was invited again, but due to the earthquake suffered by the country, it withdrew from the tournament; instead, it was invited to Spain, but also withdrew because its players were on vacation; in the end, it would be Costa Rica the other invited selection.
Following the order of rotation, the Copa América 2015 was to be held in Brazil; however, the holding of the 2013 Confederations Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in that country made the tournament reconsider. Consequently, in March 2012 it was confirmed that Brazil and Chile exchanged the organizations of the 2015 and 2019 tournaments. This was the first time that the order of rotation was changed in the organization of the tournament.
On October 25, 2012, it was announced that CONMEBOL and Concacaf reached an agreement to play, in an extraordinary way, a new version of the Copa America called Copa America Centenario, in celebration of the centenary of the first tournament played. The venue was awarded to the United States and was contested for the first time by sixteen teams (it was the edition with the most participants), since the traditional ten national teams of South America participated six from the area of North America, Central America and the Caribbean islands.
With this, the United States would become the first country not affiliated with CONMEBOL to host the tournament. Also, for that edition a single trophy was awarded, which was different from the original trophy, and unlike the original trophy, the champion team, was left with the right to keep the special trophy in perpetuity; Chile by winning this edition will keep this special tournament.
In April 2017, Conmebol had decided that the Copa América 2019 would have sixteen participants, so the organizers had to define six teams from other continents as guests to the tournament; however, on May 4, 2018, it was announced that there would be twelve participants. After reducing the number of participating teams, Conmebol initially invited the United States and Mexico – the latter with consecutive participation of 10 editions – but both teams declined the invitation to participate in the 2019 Gold Cup. For this reason, CONMEBOL subsequently invited Qatar and Japan, champion and runner-up, respectively, of the 2019 Asian Cup.
From 1991 until the 2015 Copa América, the champion of the tournament attended the Confederations Cup as a representative of the region. In the event that the champion could not participate (by its own decision, because it is already qualified for it, or because it is not affiliated with CONMEBOL), its place was taken by the next highest-ranked team, usually the runner-up.
The 2020s: Postponement of the 2020 edition and unification of calendars with the European Championship
On April 9, 2019, at the 70th ordinary congress of CONMEBOL that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it was announced that Argentina and Colombia would host the Copa América 2020. The first edition with shared venues would be held one year after the Copa América in Brazil 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to postpone the edition to 2021, coinciding with the European Championship that will also be played that same year.
Finally, on May 20, 2021, Conmebol withdrew Colombia as the host of the Copa América 2021 due to the lack of guarantees for its realization in the framework of the protests in Colombia, and on May 31, 2021, Argentina was also withdrawn as a venue at the request of the Argentine government itself due to the COVID-19 situation in the country; Conmebol awarded the venue to Brazil just ten days before the tournament was played.
With the 2021 edition of Copa América, CONMEBOL will unify calendars with the other confederations, mainly with UEFA; from 2021 the Copa America will be held every 4 years, always even. The next edition will be in 2024, based in the United States.
Trophy of Copa America
The trophy was made between 1916 and 1917 at Casa Escasany, a jewelry store in Buenos Aires, for a price of 3000 Swiss francs, and was donated to the South American Football Confederation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina. It is made of silver, placed on a wooden base on which the names of the champion teams of each edition are placed on badges. From its creation to the present, the champion of each contest has the right to keep the original trophy temporarily until the new draw for the Copa América, when it must return it to Conmebol. After returning it, the champion receives a replica of it that he keeps permanently.
For the Copa America Centenario (2016), a special trophy was awarded, commemorating the centenary of the continental contest. Chile, the champion of the Copa America Centenario, earned the right to keep the special trophy permanently.
Competition format
Copa America has two phases: a group stage and a knockout phase, which is divided into quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Exceptionally, in two editions a qualifying phase was held for the contest.
From the 1993 edition until the 2019 edition, the competition system used in the Copa América, in its group stage, was composed of three groups of four teams each, covering the twelve participating teams; The top two teams in each group qualified for the quarterfinals, as well as the top two third-place teams. In the Copa America Centenario, to accommodate the new number of teams (16), the groups were divided into four instead of three. Previously, the tournament had three groups of four teams each, two groups of five teams each, three groups of three teams each, and a league format or round-robin system.
For the 2021 edition, the tournament will be played in two groups called South American zones. In the group stage, the ten participating teams will be divided into two groups of five teams each. It is played with a system of all against all, where each team plays a match with all its group rivals, thus having at least 4 games within the cup. The four best teams in each zone are ranked according to the points obtained in each match, which are awarded as follows:
- 3 points per match won.
- 1 point per match drawn.
- 0 points per match lost.
If at the end of the phase, two or more teams finish tied on points, the following tiebreaker criteria apply:
- Best goal difference in all matches in the zone.
- Most goals scored in all matches in the zone.
- If the tie holds, the winning team of the match played between the teams involved within the zone qualifies.
- If the tie is still maintained after applying the above criteria, a draw will be made between the matched teams. The draw is carried out by a delegate appointed by the CONMEBOL Administrative Commission in the presence of the representatives of the associations involved.
- If the points tie occurs between two teams playing the last match of their respective group and if the tie persists after applying the first 3 previous criteria, the tiebreaker is determined by shooting from the penalty spot.
In the quarterfinals, they cannot face teams that have shared a group in the previous phase. The winners of each match of this phase qualify for the semifinals. The clashes of the teams in the quarterfinals and the following phases are determined according to the tournament schedule.
Qualifying round
It has been carried out on very few occasions:
- For the 1967 South American Championship, held in Uruguay, when Chile-Colombia and Ecuador-Paraguay faced each other.
- For the Copa America Centenario 2016, held in the United States, when Haiti-Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba-Panama faced.
- Starting with the 2024 Copa America, held in the United States, it will be contested by the ten CONMEBOL countries and the six best Concacaf teams, after qualifying.
Participants of the Copa America
The number of participants has varied over the years and has ranged from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 16. However, from the 1993 edition until the 2019 edition, it was usual for the tournament to be played by 12 teams – except in 2016. Usually, the ten teams that makeup CONMEBOL participate, plus two invited countries of CONCACAF. For the 2016 edition, six teams from the North American, Central America and Caribbean region, a tournament record, participated. The exceptional circumstances surrounding the 2021 tournament caused the return to the dispute of only 10 participants.
The first five editions (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920 and 1921) had only four participants. By 1922 the number was increased to five, but decreased again in subsequent tournaments: the editions of 1923 and 1924 were with four selected, while in 1925 the edition with fewer participants occurred (only three teams). Since the 1926 tournament, Copa America has slowly increased the number of participants, reaching ten teams in 1975. This number remained until 1993 when it increased to 12 teams, a figure surpassed in the 2016 edition, with the dispute of the Copa America Centenario (16 teams). To date, a total of twenty teams have participated in the tournament.
The number of participating teams per edition:
- 3 (1925);
- 4 (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1935);
- 5 (1922, 1926, 1939, 1941, 1959-II);
- 6 (1937, 1946, 1956, 1967);
- 7 (1942, 1945, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959-I, 1963);
- 8 (1947, 1949);
- 10 (1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2021);
- 12 (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019);
- 16 (2016).
Choice of venue
The first editions alternated their headquarters between the participating teams, although without maintaining an established criterion. The 1975, 1979 and 1983 editions were the only ones that did not have a fixed venue.
In 1986 CONMEBOL determined several modifications to the contest. It decided to establish a tournament held in a fixed venue of compulsory attendance for its ten members. This system was implemented during the 1987 Copa América in Argentina, being the venue rotated among the members of CONMEBOL. This rotating system was completed with the Copa América 2007 in Venezuela, starting a new cycle with the Copa América 2011 in Argentina.
Beyond the new cycle that has begun, there were changes in the designation of headquarters. Particularly, the Copa America Centenario was held in 2016 in the United States, a country that is not even a member of the confederation, therefore this was the first held outside South America. In addition, the president of Conmebol, Alejandro Domínguez, is studying the possibility of the dual-venue system being used in the future.
In total, the country that has hosted the Copa América the most times is Argentina (9). It is followed by Chile and Uruguay (7), Brazil and Peru (6), Ecuador (3), Bolivia (2) and Colombia, the United States, Paraguay and Venezuela (1).
Copa America match history
This table shows the results of the various editions of both the South American Championship and the Copa América.
| Year | # | Equipment | Headquarters | Champion | Final Results |
Runner-up | Third | Results | Room | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South American Championship | |||||||||||
| 1916 | I | 4 | Argentina | Uruguay (1) | Lig. | Argentina | Brazil | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1917 | II | 4 | Uruguay | Uruguay (2) | Lig. | Argentina | Brazil | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1919 | III | 4 | Brazil | Brazil (1) | 1:0 | Uruguay | Argentina | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1920 | IV | 4 | Chile | Uruguay (3) | Lig. | Argentina | Brazil | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1921 | V | 4 | Argentina | Argentina (1) | Lig. | Brazil | Uruguay | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| 1922 | SAW | 5 | Brazil | Brazil (2) | 3:0 | Paraguay | Uruguay | Lig. | Argentina | ||
| 1923 | VII | 4 | Uruguay | Uruguay (4) | Lig. | Argentina | Paraguay | Lig. | Brazil | ||
| 1924 | VIII | 4 | Uruguay | Uruguay (5) | Lig. | Argentina | Paraguay | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1925 | IX | 3 | Argentina | Argentina (2) | Lig. | Brazil | Paraguay | Lig. | |||
| 1926 | X | 5 | Chile | Uruguay (6) | Lig. | Argentina | Chile | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| 1927 | XI | 4 | Peru | Argentina (3) | Lig. | Uruguay | Peru | Lig. | Bolivia | ||
| 1929 | XII | 4 | Argentina | Argentina (4) | Lig. | Paraguay | Uruguay | Lig. | Peru | ||
| 1935 | XIII | 4 | Peru | Uruguay (7) | Lig. | Argentina | Peru | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1937 | XIV | 6 | Argentina | Argentina (5) | 2:0 | Brazil | Uruguay | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| 1939 | XV | 5 | Peru | Peru (1) | Lig. | Uruguay | Paraguay | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1941 | XVI | 5 | Chile | Argentina (6) | Lig. | Uruguay | Chile | Lig. | Peru | ||
| 1942 | XVII | 7 | Uruguay | Uruguay (8) | Lig. | Argentina | Brazil | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| 1945 | XVIII | 7 | Chile | Argentina (7) | Lig. | Brazil | Chile | Lig. | Uruguay | ||
| 1946 | XIX | 6 | Argentina | Argentina (8) | Lig. | Brazil | Paraguay | Lig. | Uruguay | ||
| 1947 | 20th | 8 | Ecuador | Argentina (9) | Lig. | Paraguay | Uruguay | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1949 | XXI | 8 | Brazil | Brazil (3) | 7:0 | Paraguay | Peru | Lig. | Bolivia | ||
| 1953 | XXII | 7 | Peru | Paraguay (1) | 3:2 | Brazil | Uruguay | Lig. | Chile | ||
| 1955 | XXIII | 6 | Chile | Argentina (10) | Lig. | Chile | Peru | Lig. | Uruguay | ||
| 1956 | XXIV | 6 | Uruguay | Uruguay (9) | Lig. | Chile | Argentina | Lig. | Brazil | ||
| 1957 | XXV | 7 | Peru | Argentina (11) | Lig. | Brazil | Uruguay | Lig. | Peru | ||
| 1959 | XXVI | 7 | Argentina | Argentina (12) | Lig. | Brazil | Paraguay | Lig. | Peru | ||
| 1959 | XXVII | 5 | Ecuador | Uruguay (10) | Lig. | Argentina | Brazil | Lig. | Ecuador | ||
| 1963 | XXVIII | 7 | Bolivia | Bolivia (1) | Lig. | Paraguay | Argentina | Lig. | Brazil | ||
| 1967 | XXIX | 6 | Uruguay | Uruguay (11) | Lig. | Argentina | Chile | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| America’s Cup | |||||||||||
| 1975 | XXX | 10 | South america | Peru (2) | 12:1 2:0 1 :0 AM |
Colombia | Brazil and Uruguay | ||||
| 1979 | XXXI | 10 | South america | Paraguay (2) | 3:0 0:1 0:0 |
Chile | Brazil and Peru | ||||
| 1983 | XXXII | 10 | South america | Uruguay (12) | 2:0 1:1 |
Brazil | Paraguay and Peru | ||||
| 1987 | XXXIII | 10 | Argentina | Uruguay (13) | 1:0 | Chile | Colombia | 2:1 | Argentina | ||
| 1989 | XXXIV | 10 | Brazil | Brazil (4) | Lig. | Uruguay | Argentina | Lig. | Paraguay | ||
| 1991 | XXXV | 10 | Chile | Argentina (13) | Lig. | Brazil | Chile | Lig. | Colombia | ||
| 1993 | XXXVI | 12 | Ecuador | Argentina (14) | 2:1 | Mexico | Colombia | 1:0 | Ecuador | ||
| 1995 | XXXVII | 12 | Uruguay | Uruguay (14) | 1:1 (5:3 pen.) |
Brazil | Colombia | 4:1 | United States | ||
| 1997 | XXXVIII | 12 | Bolivia | Brazil (5) | 3:1 | Bolivia | Mexico | 1:0 | Peru | ||
| 1999 | XXXIX | 12 | Paraguay | Brazil (6) | 3:0 | Uruguay | Mexico | 2:1 | Chile | ||
| 2001 | XL | 12 | Colombia | Colombia (1) | 1:0 | Mexico | Honduras | 2:2 (5:4 pen.) |
Uruguay | ||
| 2004 | XLI | 12 | Peru | Brazil (7) | 2:2 (4:2 pen.) | Argentina | Uruguay | 2:1 | Colombia | ||
| 2007 | XLII | 12 | Venezuela | Brazil (8) | 3:0 | Argentina | Mexico | 3:1 | Uruguay | ||
| 2011 | XLIII | 12 | Argentina | Uruguay (15) | 3:0 | Paraguay | Peru | 4:1 | Venezuela | ||
| 2015 | XLIV | 12 | Chile | Chile (1) | 0:0 (4:1 pen.) |
Argentina | Peru | 2:0 | Paraguay | ||
| 2016 | XLV | 16 | United States | Chile (2) | 0:0 (4:2 pen.) |
Argentina | Colombia | 1:0 | United States | ||
| 2019 Detail |
XLVI | 12 | Brazil | Brazil (9) | 3:1 | Peru | Argentina | 2:1 | Chile | ||
| 2021 | XLVII | 10 | Brazil | Argentina (15) | 1:0 | Brazil | Colombia | 3:2 | Peru | ||
| 2024 | XLVIII | 16 | United States | To be disputed | |||||||
Honors
The list below shows the teams that have been in the top four of any edition of the tournament.
| Selection | Champion | Runner-up | Third | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 15 (1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959-I, 1991, 1993, 2021) | 14 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959-II, 1967, 2004, 2007, 2015, 2016) | 5 (1919, 1956, 1963, 1989, 2019) | 2 (1922, 1987) |
| Uruguay | 15 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959-II, 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) |
| Brazil | 9 (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019) | 12 (1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959-I, 1983, 1991, 1995, 2021) | 7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959-II, 1975, 1979) | 3 (1923, 1956, 1963) |
| Paraguay | 2 (1953, 1979) | 6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011) | 7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959-I, 1983) | 7 (1921, 1926, 1937, 1942, 1967, 1989, 2015) |
| 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) |
| Peru | 2 (1939, 1975) | 1 (2019) | 8 (1927, 1935, 1949, 1955, 1979, 1983, 2011, 2015) | 6 (1929, 1941, 1957, 1959-I, 1997, 2021) |
| Colombia | 1 (2001) | 1 (1975) | 5 (1987, 1993, 1995, 2016, 2021) | 2 (1991, 2004) |
| Bolivia | 1 (1963) | 1 (1997) | 0 | 2 (1927, 1949) |
| Mexico | 0 | 2 (1993, 2001) | 3 (1997, 1999, 2007) | 0 |
| Honduras | 0 | 0 | 1 (2001) | 0 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1959-II, 1993) |
| United States | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1995, 2016) |
| Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2011) |
Consecutive champions
Teams that have won the Copa America consecutively and have become two-time champions (two consecutive titles) or three-time champions (three consecutive titles).
| Selection | Three-time championships | Bicampeonatos |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 (1945-1946-1947) | 3 (1927-1929, 1957-1959-I, 1991-1993) |
| Uruguay | 3 (1916-1917, 1923-1924, 1983-1987) | |
| Brazil | 2 (1997–1999, 2004–2007) | |
| Chile | 1 (2015-2016) |
Statistics
Historical table
The historical table is ordered by the number of points earned by each team throughout all the Copa Américas held to date. They are considered 3 points per match won and 1 point per draw. This is merely figurative given that before the 1993 Copa America 2 points were awarded per match won and 1 per draw.
| # | Team | Titles | Part. | Points | PJ | PG | EP | Pp | GF | GC | Dif. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 15 | 43 | 423 | 202 | 127 | 42 | 33 | 474 | 182 | +292 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 15 | 45 | 374 | 206 | 112 | 38 | 56 | 410 | 222 | +188 |
| 3 | Brazil | 9 | 37 | 362 | 191 | 108 | 38 | 45 | 430 | 204 | +226 |
| 4 | Paraguay | 2 | 38 | 236 | 177 | 64 | 44 | 69 | 264 | 303 | –39 |
| 5 | Chile | 2 | 40 | 234 | 188 | 67 | 33 | 88 | 291 | 316 | –25 |
| 6 | Peru | 2 | 33 | 213 | 161 | 58 | 39 | 64 | 230 | 255 | –25 |
| 7 | Colombia | 1 | 23 | 172 | 124 | 49 | 25 | 50 | 142 | 191 | –49 |
| 8 | Bolivia | 1 | 28 | 86 | 119 | 20 | 26 | 73 | 108 | 298 | –190 |
| 9 | Ecuador | 0 | 29 | 74 | 126 | 16 | 26 | 84 | 134 | 327 | –193 |
| 10 | Mexico | 0 | 10 | 70 | 48 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 66 | 62 | +4 |
| 11 | Venezuela | 0 | 19 | 41 | 70 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 52 | 180 | –128 |
| 12 | Costa Rica | 0 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 31 | –14 |
| 13 | United States | 0 | 4 | 17 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 29 | –11 |
| 14 | Honduras | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 |
| 15 | Panama | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | –6 |
| 16 | Japan | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 | –9 |
| 17 | Taste | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | –3 |
| 18 | Jamaica | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | –9 |
| 19 | Haiti | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | –11 |
Goals
- Most goals:
- Goals from 7 or more goals are shown.
| Winner | Result | Rival | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 12-0 | Ecuador | Uruguay 1942 |
| Argentina | 11-0 | Venezuela | 1975 |
| Brazil | 10-1 | Bolivia | Brazil 1949 |
| Uruguay | 9-0 | Bolivia | Peru 1927 |
| Brazil | 9-0 | Colombia | Peru 1957 |
| Argentina | 9-1 | Colombia | Chile 1945 |
| Brazil | 9-1 | Ecuador | Brazil 1949 |
| Brazil | 9-2 | Ecuador | Chile 1945 |
| Argentina | 8-0 | Paraguay | Chile 1926 |
| Brazil | 8-1 | Bolivia | Peru 1953 |
| Uruguay | 7-0 | Ecuador | Uruguay 1942 |
| Uruguay | 7-0 | Colombia | Chile 1945 |
| Argentina | 7-0 | Bolivia | Ecuador 1947 |
| Paraguay | 7-0 | Bolivia | Brazil 1949 |
| Brazil | 7-0 | Paraguay | Brazil 1949 |
| Uruguay | 7-0 | Bolivia | Argentina 1959 |
| Chile | 7-0 | Venezuela | 1979 |
| Brazil | 7-0 | Peru | Bolivia 1997 |
| Brazil | 7-0 | Venezuela | Paraguay 1999 |
| Chile | 7-0 | Mexico | United States 2016 |
Historical scorers table
| Pos. | Player | G. | PJ. | Prom. | Debut | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norberto Mendez | 17 | 17 | 1.00 | Chile 1945 | Argentina |
| = | Zizinho | 17 | 33 | 0.52 | Uruguay 1942 | Brazil |
| 3 | Severino Varela | 15 | 15 | 1.00 | Argentina 1937 | Uruguay |
| = | Teodoro Fernandez | 15 | 24 | 0.63 | Peru 1935 | Peru |
| 5 | Eduardo Vargas | 14 | 23 | 0.61 | Chile 2015 | Chile |
| = | Paolo Guerrero | 14 | 25 | 0.56 | Venezuela 2007 | Peru |
| 7 | Jose Manuel Moreno | 13 | 16 | 0.81 | Chile 1941 | Argentina |
| = | Gabriel Batistuta | 13 | 16 | 0.81 | Chile 1991 | Argentina |
| = | Hector Scarone | 13 | 18 | 0.72 | Uruguay 1917 | Uruguay |
| = | Ademir | 13 | 18 | 0.72 | Chile 1945 | Brazil |
| = | Jair | 13 | 18 | 0.72 | Chile 1945 | Brazil |
| = | Lionel Messi | 13 | 34 | 0.38 | Venezuela 2007 | Argentina |
| 12 | Roberto Porta | 12 | 20 | 0.60 | Peru 1939 | Uruguay |
| = | Roman Angel | 12 | 23 | 0.52 | Argentina 1916 | Uruguay |
| 15 | Herminio Masantonio | 11 | 8 | 1.38 | Peru 1935 | Argentina |
| = | Didi | 11 | 17 | 0.65 | Peru 1953 | Brazil |
| 17 | Peter Petrone | 10 | 9 | 1.11 | Uruguay 1923 | Uruguay |
| = | Javier Ambrois | 10 | 11 | 0.91 | Uruguay 1956 | Uruguay |
| = | Ronaldo | 10 | 12 | 0.83 | Bolivia 1997 | Brazil |
| = | Hector Castro | 10 | 13 | 0.77 | Chile 1926 | Uruguay |
| = | Angel Labruna | 10 | 14 | 0.71 | Argentina 1946 | Argentina |
| = | Enrique Hormazábal | 10 | 16 | 0.63 | Peru 1953 | Chile |
| = | Oscar Sanchez | 10 | 17 | 0.59 | Peru 1953 | Peru |
| = | Arnoldo Iguarán | 10 | 19 | 0.53 | Argentina 1987 | Colombia |
| 25 | Humberto Maschio | 9 | 6 | 1.50 | Peru 1957 | Argentina |
| = | Heleno de Freitas | 9 | 10 | 0.90 | Chile 1945 | Brazil |
| = | Nicolas Falero | 9 | 10 | 0.90 | Chile 1945 | Uruguay |
| = | Raul Toro | 9 | 12 | 0.75 | Argentina 1937 | Chile |
| = | Juan Bautista Villalba | 9 | 12 | 0.75 | Argentina 1946 | Paraguay |
| = | Luis Hernandez | 9 | 12 | 0.75 | Bolivia 1997 | Mexico |
| = | Máximo Mosquera | 9 | 20 | 0.45 | Ecuador 1947 | Peru |
| = | Sergio Agüero | 9 | 24 | 0.38 | Argentina 2011 | Argentina |
| = | Victor Ugarte | 9 | 30 | 0.30 | Ecuador 1947 | Bolivia |
Updated until the last match played by one of those involved on July 10, 2021.
Players with the most matches played
| Pos. | Player | PJ. | Debut | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Livingstone | 34 | Chile 1941 | Chile |
| = | Lionel Messi | 34 | Venezuela 2007 | Argentina |
| 3 | Zizinho | 33 | Uruguay 1942 | Brazil |
| 4 | Victor Ugarte | 30 | Ecuador 1947 | Bolivia |
| 5 | Leonel Alvarez | 27 | Argentina 1987 | Colombia |
| = | Carlos Valderrama | 27 | Argentina 1987 | Colombia |
| = | Gary Medel | 27 | Argentina 2011 | Chile |
| = | Yoshimar Yotun | 27 | Argentina 2011 | Peru |
| 9 | Javier Mascherano | 26 | Peru 2004 | Argentina |
| 10 | Felix Castillo | 25 | Ecuador 1947 | Peru |
| = | Alex Aguinaga | 25 | Argentina 1987 | Ecuador |
| = | Claudio Taffarel | 25 | Brazil 1989 | Brazil |
| = | Claudio Bravo | 25 | Peru 2004 | Chile |
| = | Paolo Guerrero | 25 | Venezuela 2007 | Peru |
| 15 | Teodoro Fernandez | 24 | Peru 1935 | Peru |
| = | Jose Bustamante | 24 | Argentina 1946 | Bolivia |
| = | Cornelio Heredia | 24 | Ecuador 1947 | Peru |
| = | Mauritius Island | 24 | Argentina 2011 | Chile |
| = | Arturo Vidal | 24 | Argentina 2011 | Chile |
| = | Sergio Agüero | 24 | Argentina 2011 | Argentina |
| 21 | Roman Angel | 23 | Argentina 1916 | Uruguay |
| = | Alberto Acha | 23 | Chile 1945 | Bolivia |
| = | Carlos Sanchez | 23 | Ecuador 1947 | Ecuador |
| = | Carlos Borja | 23 | South America 1979 | Bolivia |
| Alexis Sanchez | 23 | Argentina 2011 | Chile | |
| = | Charles Aranguiz | 23 | Chile 2015 | Chile |
| = | Eduardo Vargas | 23 | Chile 2015 | Chile |
| = | Pedro Gallese | 23 | Chile 2015 | Peru |
| = | Christian Cueva | 23 | Chile 2015 | Peru |
| = | Angel Di Maria | 23 | Argentina 2011 | Argentina |
Updated to last match played by someone involved on 10 July 2021
Awards and recognitions
In addition to receiving the Copa America until the next edition, the champion team receives at the end of the competition a replica and 50 gold medals. The runner-up team is awarded the Copa Bolivia and 50 silver medals; the team that gets the third place, 50 bronze medals; and to the selection that is placed in fourth place, 50 copper medals. All participating teams are awarded a diploma to certify their participation in the competition.
The following players are also awarded a personal trophy: the best player, the best youth player, the scorer and the best goalkeeper. The team deserving of “Fair Play” receives the Fair Play trophy.
Best Player by Edition
The distinction to the best player of the tournament began to be officially delivered from the 1987 edition.
| Player | Selection | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Valderrama | Colombia | 1987 |
| Ruben Sosa | Uruguay | 1989 |
| Leonardo Rodriguez | Argentina | 1991 |
| Sergio Goycochea | Argentina | 1993 |
| Enzo Francescoli | Uruguay | 1995 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 1997 |
| Rivaldo | Brazil | 1999 |
| Amado Guevara | Honduras | 2001 |
| Adriano Leite Ribeiro | Brazil | 2004 |
| Robinho | Brazil | 2007 |
| Luis Suarez | Uruguay | 2011 |
| Lionel Messi (rejected the trophy) | Argentina | 2015 |
| Alexis Sanchez | Chile | 2016 |
| Dani Alves | Brazil | 2019 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2021 |
Best goalkeeper by edition
Since the 2011 Copa América, CONMEBOL has awarded the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
| Player | Selection | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Justo Villar | Paraguay | 2011 |
| Claudio Bravo | Chile | 2015 |
| Claudio Bravo | Chile | 2016 |
| Alisson Becker | Brazil | 2019 |
| Emiliano Martinez | Argentina | 2021 |
Fair Play Award per edition
Since the 2011 Copa América, CONMEBOL has awarded the deserving team to “Fair Play”.
| Selection | Year |
|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2011 |
| Peru | 2015 |
| Argentina | 2016 |
| Brazil | 2019 |
| Uruguay | 2021 |
Copa Bolivia by edition
Since the 1997 Copa América, CONMEBOL has awarded the tournament’s runner-up team with the Copa Bolivia.
| Runner-up | Year |
|---|---|
| Bolivia | 1997 |
| Uruguay | 1999 |
| Mexico | 2001 |
| Argentina | 2004 |
| Argentina | 2007 |
| Paraguay | 2011 |
| Argentina | 2015 |
| No trophy was awarded | 2016 |
| Peru | 2019 |
| Brazil | 2021 |
Goalscorers by edition
| Player | Selection | Edition | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabelino Gradín | Uruguay | 1916 | 3 |
| Roman Angel | Uruguay | 1917 | 4 |
| Arthur Friedenreich Neco |
Brazil Brazil |
1919 | 4 |
| Jose Perez Angel Romano |
Uruguay Uruguay |
1920 | 3 |
| Jules Libonatti | Argentina | 1921 | 3 |
| John France | Argentina | 1922 | 4 |
| Pedro Petrone Vicente Aguirre |
Uruguay Argentina |
1923 | 3 |
| Peter Petrone | Uruguay | 1924 | 4 |
| Manuel Seoane | Argentina | 1925 | 6 |
| David Arellano | Chile | 1926 | 7 |
| Alfredo Carricaberry Second Moon Roberto Figueroa Pedro Petrone Hector Scarone |
Argentina Argentina URU Uruguay Uruguay Uruguay |
1927 | 3 |
| Aurelio Gonzalez | Paraguay | 1929 | 5 |
| Herminio Masantonio | Argentina | 1935 | 4 |
| Raul Toro | Chile | 1937 | 7 |
| Lolo Fernandez | Peru | 1939 | 7 |
| Juan Andrés Marvezzi | Argentina | 1941 | 5 |
| Herminio Masantonio Jose Manuel Moreno |
Argentina Argentina |
1942 | 7 |
| Norberto Méndez Heleno de Freitas |
Argentina Brazil |
1945 | 6 |
| Jose Maria Medina | Uruguay | 1946 | 7 |
| Nicolas Falero | Uruguay | 1947 | 8 |
| Jair | Brazil | 1949 | 9 |
| Francisco Molina | Chile | 1953 | 7 |
| Rodolfo Micheli | Argentina | 1955 | 8 |
| Enrique Hormazábal | Chile | 1956 | 4 |
| Humberto Maschio Javier Ambrois |
Argentina Uruguay |
1957 | 9 |
| Pele | Brazil | 1959-I | 8 |
| Joseph Sanfilippo | Argentina | 1959-II | 6 |
| Carlos Alberto Raffo | Ecuador | 1963 | 6 |
| Luis Artime | Argentina | 1967 | 5 |
| Jose Ernesto Diaz Leopoldo Jacinto Luque |
Colombia Argentina |
1975 | 4 |
| Eugenio Morel Jorge Peredo |
Paraguay Chile |
1979 | 4 |
| Carlos Alberto Aguilera Roberto Dinamite Jorge Burruchaga Eduardo Malásquez |
Uruguay Brazil Argentina Peru |
1983 | 3 |
| Arnoldo Iguarán | Colombia | 1987 | 4 |
| Baby | Brazil | 1989 | 6 |
| Gabriel Omar Batistuta | Argentina | 1991 | 6 |
| Jose Luis Dolgetta | Venezuela | 1993 | 4 |
| Gabriel Omar Batistuta Luis Garcia |
Argentina Mexico |
1995 | 4 |
| Luis Hernandez | Mexico | 1997 | 6 |
| Rivaldo Ronaldo | Brazil Brazil |
1999 | 5 |
| Victor Hugo Aristizábal | Colombia | 2001 | 6 |
| Adriano | Brazil | 2004 | 7 |
| Robinho | Brazil | 2007 | 6 |
| Paolo Guerrero | Peru | 2011 | 5 |
| Eduardo Vargas Paolo Guerrero |
Chile Peru |
2015 | 4 |
| Eduardo Vargas | Chile | 2016 | 6 |
| Everton Paolo Guerrero |
Brazil Peru |
2019 | 3 |
| Lionel Messi Luis Diaz |
Argentina Colombia |
2021 | 4 |
Best Young Player by Edition
Since the 2007 Copa América, CONMEBOL has awarded the best youth player of the tournament, who has been chosen among the youngest players of each participating team. However, the distinction has not been made since the 2016 Copa America.
| Player | Selection | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2007 |
| Sebastian Coates | Uruguay | 2011 |
| Jeison Murillo | Colombia | 2015 |
Guest teams of Copa America
In total, nine teams have been invited since 1993, when two non-CONMEBOL participated in the contest. Preferably, the teams that belong to Concacaf are invited, except in 1999 and 2019:
- In 1999, the national team of Japan participated, a member of the AFC, which became the first non-American nation to do so.
- In 2019 the Japanese team was invited again, this time along with the debutant Qatar team, also a member of the AFC.
Of the invited teams, Mexico, with two runners-up, and Honduras, with third place, were the teams with the best results.
| Country | Confederation | Participations | Better result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Concacaf | 10 | 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2016. | Finalist (1993 and 2001) |
| Costa Rica | Concacaf | 5 | 1997, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2016. | Quarterfinals (2001 and 2004) |
| United States | Concacaf | 4 | 1993, 1995, 2007 and 2016. | Fourth Place (1995 and 2016) |
| Japan | AFC | 2 | 1999 and 2019. | Group stage |
| Jamaica | Concacaf | 2 | 2015 and 2016. | Group stage |
| Honduras | Concacaf | 1 | 2001. | Third Place (2001) |
| Haiti | Concacaf | 1 | 2016. | Group stage |
| Panama | Concacaf | 1 | 2016. | Group stage |
| Taste | AFC | 1 | 2019. | Group stage |
References (sources)
|