Copa América facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CONMEBOL Copa América

Organizing body	CONMEBOL
Founded	1916; 109 years ago (1916)
Region	South America
Number of teams	16 (2024)
Qualifier for	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Panamerican Championship (1952–1960) FIFA Confederations Cup (1992–2017)
Current champion(s)	Argentina (16th title)
Most successful team(s)	Argentina (16 titles)

The Copa América is a super exciting football tournament for men's national teams in South America. It's the oldest football competition for countries that is still played today! The tournament happens every four years and decides which country is the champion of South American football.

Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to join the fun. Out of the ten South American teams, eight have won the tournament at least once. Only Ecuador and Venezuela are still waiting for their first win.

Argentina has won the most championships, with an amazing 16 titles! Argentina has also hosted the tournament more than any other country, nine times, including the very first one in 1916. The United States is the only country outside South America to host, doing so in 2016 and 2024. Sometimes, the tournament has even been held in several South American countries at once, like in 1975, 1979, and 1983.

Since 1993, the tournament usually has 12 teams. This includes all 10 South American teams and two invited teams from other parts of the world. For example, Mexico played in almost every tournament between 1993 and 2016. In 1999, Japan from Asia joined, and in 2019, Japan and Qatar played. The 2016 and 2024 tournaments were even bigger, with 16 teams, including six from North America!

History of the Copa América

How it All Started

Uruguay won the first Copa América in 1916.

Football became very popular in South America in the early 1900s. The first international football game between South American countries happened in 1910. Argentina hosted it to celebrate 100 years since their May Revolution. Chile and Uruguay played, but this event isn't officially counted by CONMEBOL, the South American football organization.

The real start of the Copa América was in 1916. Argentina hosted a tournament with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil. This was called the Campeonato Sudamericano de Football, and it's now known as the first Copa América. Uruguay won this first tournament after a 0-0 tie with Argentina in the final match.

Because the tournament was such a hit, a man named Héctor Rivadavia Gómez from Uruguay suggested creating a football group for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. So, on July 9, CONMEBOL was officially started!

The next year, in 1917, Uruguay hosted the competition and won again, beating Argentina 1-0. This showed everyone how successful the tournament could be.

Brazil won its first championship in 1919.

In 1918, the tournament was canceled because of a flu outbreak. But in 1919, Brazil hosted and won their first title! Uruguay won again in 1920.

In 1921, Paraguay joined the tournament for the first time. Argentina won that year, their first title. For many years, Uruguay and Argentina were the strongest teams, often battling for the championship. Bolivia and Peru also joined the tournament in 1926 and 1927.

Changes and Breaks

After the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, there was a break in the Copa América for a few years. Teams from Uruguay and Argentina had some disagreements. The tournament finally returned in 1935 and became official again in 1939. Peru hosted and won their first title in 1939, and Ecuador played for the first time.

In 1941, Chile hosted the tournament and expanded their stadium for it. Argentina won that year. Uruguay won when they hosted in 1942. Argentina then made history by winning three titles in a row in 1945, 1946, and 1947!

The "Carasucias" (dirty faces) was the nickname for the Argentina team that won in Peru in 1957.

After this, the tournament schedule became a bit mixed up. It wasn't played regularly every year. Sometimes, teams didn't send their best players. In 1959, there were even two tournaments in the same year, one in Argentina and one in Ecuador!

Bolivia won their first title when they hosted in 1963. In 1967, Venezuela played in the tournament for the first time.

After an eight-year break, the tournament came back in 1975 and was officially named Copa América. For a while, there was no single host country. Games were played in different countries throughout the year. This system continued until 1987.

New Beginnings and Hosting Turns

Carlos Valderrama and Diego Maradona greet each other before a match in 1987.

In 1986, CONMEBOL decided to go back to having one country host the tournament every two years. From 1987 to 2001, each of the ten South American countries took turns hosting. This helped the tournament become more popular, and people in Europe and North America started watching it on TV.

Argentina hosted in 1987, their first time in 28 years. Even though they were the world champions from the 1986 FIFA World Cup and had superstar Diego Maradona, Argentina finished fourth. Uruguay won that year.

Brazil won their first major international title since 1970 when they hosted the 1989 Copa América. Argentina then won the Copa América in 1991 after 32 years, with a strong team led by Gabriel Batistuta.

The 1993 tournament in Ecuador introduced the format we mostly see today. Besides the 10 South American teams, CONMEBOL invited two teams from North America: Mexico and the United States.

Uruguay won the competition in 1995 when they hosted. Brazil then had a great run, winning four out of five titles between 1997 and 2007. However, in 2001, there was a huge surprise! Honduras knocked Brazil out of the tournament. The host nation, Colombia, went on to win the competition for the very first time.

A match from the 2007 Copa América, which was held in Venezuela for the first time.

From 2001 to 2007, the tournament happened every three years. Since 2007, it's been every four years, except for the special 100-year anniversary tournament in 2016.

Brazil bounced back after 2001, beating Argentina in a penalty shootout to win the 2004 competition in Peru. Three years later, they met Argentina again in the final in Venezuela, and Brazil won 3-0.

Argentina hosted the 2011 competition but was knocked out by Uruguay. Uruguay then went on to win the trophy on Argentine soil. This was the first time that neither Argentina nor Brazil reached the semifinals when both were playing.

Chile hosted the 2015 competition and won their first title ever on home soil!

100 Years and Beyond

In 2016, the Copa América celebrated its 100th birthday with a special tournament called the Copa América Centenario. It was held in the United States, making it the first time the tournament was hosted outside South America. This special edition had 16 teams from both South America and North America. Chile won the trophy again in a penalty shootout. This 2016 tournament broke records for how many people attended the games!

Brazil hosted the 2019 edition and won their ninth title. CONMEBOL decided to move the tournament to even-numbered years starting with 2020, to match the European Championship. The 2020 tournament was planned for Argentina and Colombia but was postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two invited teams, Australia and Qatar, couldn't play due to other commitments. Just before it started, the entire tournament was moved to Brazil. The 2021 Copa América was played with no fans in most stadiums because of the pandemic. Argentina won their first title in 28 years by beating Brazil in the final.

In 2023, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF (the North American football organization) agreed to work together. As part of this, the United States was chosen to host the 2024 Copa América, which will include six North American teams. Some of the stadiums used will also be used for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Host Countries

Map of CONMEBOL members, showing how many times they have hosted the Copa América as of 2024.

Since 1984, CONMEBOL has had a system where each of the ten member countries takes turns hosting the Copa América. The first full round of hosting finished in 2007 when Venezuela hosted. A new round started in 2011, with countries hosting in alphabetical order, beginning with Argentina.

Sometimes, countries swap hosting duties. For example, Brazil was supposed to host in 2015, but they were also hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. So, Brazil and Chile agreed to swap, and Chile hosted in 2015 instead.

Each Copa América since 2005 has had its own fun mascot! Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the very first Copa América mascot.

Hosts	Editions hosted
Argentina	9 (1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, 1987, 2011)
Uruguay	7 (1917, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967, 1995)
Chile	7 (1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, 1991, 2015)
Brazil	6 (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 2019, 2021)
Peru	6 (1927, 1935, 1939, 1953, 1957, 2004)
Ecuador	3 (1947, 1959, 1993)
Bolivia	2 (1963, 1997)
United StatesC	2 (2016, 2024)
Paraguay	1 (1999)
Colombia	1 (2001)
Venezuela	1 (2007)
home-and-away basis	3 (1975, 1979, 1983)

^C = non-CONMEBOL host.

How the Tournament Works

In the very first tournaments, all the teams played against each other in a round-robin style. Later, teams were split into different groups. After the group stage, the best teams would move on to a knockout stage, where losing a game meant you were out of the tournament.

Teams That Play

All ten national football federations that are part of CONMEBOL automatically get to play in the tournament. Since 1975, only once has a South American team missed out: Argentina pulled out of the 2001 tournament.

Because there are only ten South American teams, countries from other continents are often invited to make up the 12 teams needed for the tournament format. Most of these invited teams come from CONCACAF, which includes countries in North and Central America and the Caribbean, because they are geographically close. For the special 2016 and 2024 tournaments, which had 16 teams, CONCACAF teams had to play special qualification games to earn their spots.

In total, ten non-South American countries have played in the Copa América. These include teams from CONCACAF like Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. Also, teams from Asia like Japan and Qatar have participated.

Some other teams, like China and Australia, were invited but couldn't play because of other games they had scheduled. Spain was also invited in 2011 but decided not to join.

Team Records

Regular participants Team Appearances as of 2024 First  Argentina 44 1916  Bolivia 29 1926  Brazil 38 1916  Chile 41 1916  Colombia 24 1945  Ecuador 30 1939  Paraguay 39 1921  Peru 34 1927  Uruguay 46 1916  Venezuela 20 1967

Invitees Team Appearances First Latest CONCACAF  Canada 1 2024  Costa Rica 6 1997 2024  Haiti 1 2016  Honduras 1 2001  Jamaica 3 2015 2024  Mexico 11 1993 2024  Panama 2 2016 2024  United States 5 1993 2024 AFC  Japan 2 1999 2019  Qatar 1 2019

The Trophies

The main Copa América trophy (left) and the special trophy for the 2016 Copa América Centenario.

The main Copa América trophy is given to the winning team. It was first given in 1910 for a special tournament Argentina hosted. This tournament was called "Copa del Centenario" (Centennial Cup).

The current Copa América trophy was bought in 1916 from a jewelry shop in Buenos Aires. It cost about 3,000 Swiss francs.

The trophy is made of silver, weighs about 9 kilograms (20 pounds), and is 77 centimeters (30 inches) tall. It has a wooden base with three levels. On these levels, there are plaques with the names of every winning team and the year they won. Before 1979, the trophy didn't have a base at all!

In 2016, a special trophy was made for the Copa América Centenario to celebrate 100 years of the competition. This trophy looked similar to the original but had the 2016 event logo. It was 61 centimeters (24 inches) tall and weighed about 7.1 kilograms (15.7 pounds). It was covered in 24-carat gold and had the logos of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF on it. The team that won this special trophy got to keep it forever.

Besides the main trophy, there's also a smaller silver trophy called the "Copa Bolivia." This has been given to the second-place team since the 1997 tournament. It's named after Bolivia, which hosted the 1997 event, and has a small Bolivian flag on it.

Tournament Winners

Summary of Results

Team	Title(s)	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place
Argentina	16 (1921*, 1925*, 1927, 1929*, 1937*, 1941, 1945, 1946*, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959*, 1991, 1993, 2021, 2024)	14 (1916*, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1959, 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, 1967*, 1983, 1987, 1995*, 2011)	6 (1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999)	10 (1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004, 2024)	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, 1983, 1991, 1995, 2021*)	7 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959, 1975, 1979)	3 (1923, 1956, 1963)
Paraguay	2 (1953, 1979)	6 (1922, 1929, 1947, 1949, 1963, 2011)	7 (1923, 1924, 1925, 1939, 1946, 1959, 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, 1997, 2021)
Colombia	1 (2001*)	2 (1975, 2024)	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*, 1993)
United States	0	0	0	2 (1995, 2016*)
Venezuela	0	0	0	1 (2011)
Canada	0	0	0	1 (2024)

^* Host nation

Awards for Players

There are five main awards given out after the tournament:

• The Best Player award goes to the most valuable player in the tournament. This award started in 1987.
• The Top Goalscorer award is for the player who scores the most goals.
• The Best Goalkeeper award is for the best goalie. This award started in 2011.
• The Team of the Tournament is a list of the best players at each position, forming a dream team from the competition.
• The Fair Play Award is given to the team that shows the best sportsmanship. This award also started in 2011.

See also

In Spanish: Copa América para niños

• Copa América Femenina (The women's Copa América)
• Copa América Centenario (The special 100-year anniversary tournament)
• Continental football championships