Copa América Centenario facts for kids
| Centennial Cup America (English) Copa América Centenário (Portuguese) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United States |
| Dates | June 3 – 26 |
| Teams | 16 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 10 (in 10 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Chile (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Argentina |
| Third place |  Colombia |
| Fourth place |  United States |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 91 (2.84 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,483,855 (46,370 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Eduardo Vargas (6 goals) |
| Best player | Alexis Sánchez |
| Best goalkeeper | Claudio Bravo |
| Fair play award | Argentina |
The Copa América Centenario was a special international men's soccer tournament. It took place in the United States in 2016. The name "Centenario" means "Centennial" in English. This tournament celebrated 100 years of CONMEBOL, the main soccer organization in South America, and the Copa América competition. It was the first time the Copa América was held outside South America.
This event was a special version of the Copa América. It was not the regular tournament held every four years. It was planned between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the soccer organization for North and Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament had 16 teams, which was more than the usual 12. All ten teams from CONMEBOL played, plus six teams from CONCACAF.
Even though it was an official Copa América, the winner did not get a direct spot in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. This was because it was a special celebration tournament. However, Chile won the tournament. They had already earned a spot in the Confederations Cup by winning the 2015 Copa América. Chile became the fourth country to win two big CONMEBOL tournaments in a row. The other countries to do this were Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Argentina, on the other hand, lost in the final for the third major tournament in a row. They had also lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and the 2015 Copa América final to Chile.
Contents
- Planning the Tournament
- The Special Trophy
- Choosing the Host Country
- Stadiums for the Games
- Teams That Played
- How Teams Were Grouped
- Players and Officials
- Opening Ceremony
- Group Stage Matches
- Knockout Stage
- Tournament Statistics
- Awards and Recognition
- Tournament Marketing
- Where to Watch: Broadcasting Rights
- See also
Planning the Tournament
In February 2012, soccer officials started talking about holding a special tournament in 2016. This event would celebrate CONMEBOL's 100th birthday. They wanted to make it a big celebration.
The tournament was officially announced by CONMEBOL in October 2012. CONCACAF confirmed it in May 2014. In September 2014, FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, added the tournament to its official calendar. This meant that soccer clubs had to let their players join their national teams for the competition. The Copa América Centenario happened in June 2016, at the same time as the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament in Europe.
Challenges Before the Tournament
There were some concerns about the tournament happening because of issues with sports officials. However, in October 2015, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and the U.S. Soccer Federation all confirmed that the tournament would go ahead as planned.
The Special Trophy
A brand new trophy was made just for the Copa América Centenario. It was first shown to the public on April 28, 2016, in Bogotá, Colombia. This "new" trophy was a special commemorative one. The winning country got to keep it forever. The original silver Copa América trophy would still be given to winners of the regular tournament, including the 2016 champion.
The Centenario trophy looks similar to the original one, shaped like a Greek urn. But it is covered in matte gold. The front has the Copa América Centenario logo. On its sides, there are raised images of North and South America connected, showing that this was the first Copa América held outside South America. Instead of a wooden base with past winners' names, this special trophy has 16 spots for the names of all 16 participating nations. It also features the logos of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the years "1916–2016" (celebrating 100 years), and the phrases "La Copa del Siglo" ("The Cup of the Century") and "Uniting the Americas."
Choosing the Host Country
Officials thought about the United States and Mexico as possible hosts for the tournament. Many preferred the United States because it had big stadiums and a large audience for soccer.
On May 1, 2014, it was officially announced that the tournament would be held in the United States. It would take place from June 3 to June 26, 2016. Some people, like the president of Uruguay's soccer association, were not happy with the U.S. being the host. They felt that soccer was not as popular there, which could cause problems.
Stadiums for the Games
On January 8, 2015, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL announced that 24 U.S. cities were interested in hosting matches. The stadiums chosen had to be large, with a minimum capacity of 50,000 seats.
The final list of ten stadiums was announced on November 19, 2015. These venues were chosen after a careful selection process.
| Pasadena, California (Los Angeles Area) |
East Rutherford, New Jersey (New York City Area) |
Houston, Texas | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose Bowl | MetLife Stadium | NRG Stadium | Lincoln Financial Field |
| Capacity: 92,542 | Capacity: 82,566 | Capacity: 71,000 | Capacity: 69,176 |
_(cropped).jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.JPG) |
| Foxborough, Massachusetts (Boston Area) |
Santa Clara, California (San Francisco Bay Area) |
||
| Gillette Stadium | Levi's Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 68,756 | Capacity: 68,500 | ||
.jpg) |
 |
||
| Seattle, Washington | Chicago, Illinois | Glendale, Arizona (Phoenix Area) |
Orlando, Florida |
| CenturyLink Field | Soldier Field | University of Phoenix Stadium | Camping World Stadium |
| Capacity: 67,000 | Capacity: 63,500 | Capacity: 63,400 | Capacity: 60,219 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Teams That Played
The tournament included all ten CONMEBOL member teams. Six teams from CONCACAF also joined. The United States (as the host) and Mexico automatically qualified.
The other four CONCACAF spots went to:
- Costa Rica: They won the 2014 Copa Centroamericana.
- Jamaica: They won the 2014 Caribbean Cup.
- Haiti and Panama: They won special playoff matches. These playoffs were for the top teams from the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup that hadn't already qualified.
| CONMEBOL (10 teams) | CONCACAF (6 teams) |
|---|---|
Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile (title holders) Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela |
United States (hosts) Mexico (automatic qualifier) Costa Rica (winners of 2014 Copa Centroamericana) Jamaica (winners of 2014 Caribbean Cup) Haiti (qualified via playoffs) Panama (qualified via playoffs) |
How Teams Were Grouped
The teams were divided into groups in a special draw event. This draw took place on February 21, 2016, in New York City. The United States was placed in Group A as the host country. Argentina was placed in Group D because they were the highest-ranked CONMEBOL team by FIFA at the time. Brazil and Mexico were also chosen as top teams because they had won many international competitions over the past 100 years.
Some people thought other teams like Uruguay (who had won many Copa América titles) or Chile (who were the defending champions) should have been top seeds.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina (1) Brazil (6) Mexico (22) United States (32) (hosts) |
Chile (3) Colombia (8) Uruguay (11) Ecuador (13) |
Costa Rica (37) Jamaica (54) Panama (64) Haiti (77) |
Paraguay (46) Peru (47) Bolivia (68) Venezuela (83) |
Each group had one team from each "pot" (a group of teams with similar rankings).
Players and Officials
Each country had a team of 23 players, including three goalkeepers. These teams had to be finalized by May 20, 2016.
Match Officials
Referees and assistant referees from different countries were chosen to oversee the matches.
| Country | Referee | Assistant referees | Matches officiated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
Patricio Loustau | Ezequiel Brailovsky Ariel Mariano Scime |
Costa Rica–Paraguay (Group A) Uruguay–Venezuela (Group C) Peru–Colombia (Quarterfinals) |
| Bolivia |
Gery Vargas | Javier Bustillos Juan Pablo Montaño |
Ecuador–Haiti (Group B) |
| Brazil |
Héber Lopes | Kléber Gil Bruno Boschilia |
Colombia–Paraguay (Group A) Mexico–Chile (Quarterfinals) Argentina–Chile (Final) |
| Wilton Sampaio | Gustavo Rossi Alexander Léon |
Mexico–Jamaica (Group C) | |
| Chile |
Julio Bascuñán | Carlos Astroza Christian Schiemann |
Brazil–Ecuador (Group B) United States–Paraguay (Group A) |
| Colombia |
Wilmar Roldán | Alexander Guzmán Wilmar Navarro |
Ecuador–Peru (Group B) United States–Ecuador (Quarterfinals) |
| Wilson Lamouroux | Alexander Guzmán Corey Parker |
Uruguay–Jamaica (Group C) | |
| Costa Rica |
Ricardo Montero | Octavio Jara Juan Mora |
Panama–Bolivia (Group D) |
 Cuba |
Yadel Martínez |  Joe Fletcher Darío Gaona |
Mexico–Venezuela (Group C) |
| Ecuador |
Roddy Zambrano | Luis Vera Byron Romero |
United States–Costa Rica (Group A) Chile–Panama (Group D) |
 El Salvador |
Joel Aguilar | Juan Zumba William Torres |
Argentina–Panama (Group D) Colombia–Chile (Semifinals) |
| Mexico |
Roberto García | José Luis Camargo Alberto Morín |
United States–Colombia (Group A) Argentina–Venezuela (Quarterfinals) |
| Panama |
John Pitti | Gabriel Victoria Cristian Ramírez |
Haiti–Peru (Group B) |
| Paraguay |
Enrique Cáceres | Eduardo Cardozo Milciades Saldívar |
Mexico–Uruguay (Group C) United States–Argentina (Semifinals) |
| Peru |
Víctor Carrillo | Jorge Luis Yupanqui Namuche Coty Carrera |
Jamaica–Venezuela (Group C) Argentina–Bolivia (Group D) |
| United States |
Mark Geiger | Charles Morgante Joe Fletcher |
Brazil–Haiti (Group B) |
| Jair Marrufo | Peter Manikowski Corey Rockwell |
Chile–Bolivia (Group D) | |
| Uruguay |
Daniel Fedorczuk | Nicolás Taran Richard Trinidad |
Argentina–Chile (Group D) United States–Colombia (Third place playoff) |
| Andrés Cunha | Nicolás Taran Richard Trinidad |
Brazil–Peru (Group B) | |
| Venezuela |
José Argote | Luis Murillo Luis Alfonso Sánchez Pérez |
Colombia–Costa Rica (Group A) |
|
|
Opening Ceremony
The Copa América Centenario started with an exciting opening ceremony. It took place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on June 3, 2016. The ceremony featured musical performances by popular artists like J Balvin, Jason Derulo, and the band Magic!.
Group Stage Matches
The tournament began with a group stage. Teams played against others in their group. All match times were in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The top two teams from each group moved on to the next round, called the quarterfinals.
How Teams Were Ranked
If teams had the same number of points, their ranking was decided by:
- The difference between goals scored and goals allowed.
- The total number of goals scored.
- If still tied, they looked at the matches played only between the tied teams.
- If all else failed, a drawing of lots (like picking names from a hat) would decide.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (H) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Colombia |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Costa Rica |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | |
| 4 | Paraguay |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 |
(H) Host.
Copa América Centenario Group A Copa América Centenario Group A
Copa América Centenario Group A Copa América Centenario Group A
Copa América Centenario Group A Copa América Centenario Group A
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peru |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Ecuador |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 5 | |
| 3 | Brazil |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 4 | |
| 4 | Haiti |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 |
Copa América Centenario Group B Copa América Centenario Group B
Copa América Centenario Group B Copa América Centenario Group B
Copa América Centenario Group B Copa América Centenario Group B
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Venezuela |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | |
| 3 | Uruguay |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Jamaica |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
Copa América Centenario Group C Copa América Centenario Group C
Copa América Centenario Group C Copa América Centenario Group C
Copa América Centenario Group C Copa América Centenario Group C
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Chile |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Panama |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bolivia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Copa América Centenario Group D Copa América Centenario Group D
Copa América Centenario Group D Copa América Centenario Group D
Copa América Centenario Group D Copa América Centenario Group D
Knockout Stage
After the group stage, the tournament moved to the knockout stage. In these matches, if the score was tied after 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out decided the winner. This applied to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the third-place match. For the final match, if it was tied, teams would play extra time first. If it was still tied after extra time, then a penalty shoot-out would decide the champion.
Tournament Bracket
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Quarter-finals
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Semi-finals
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Third Place Match
Copa América Centenario knockout stage
Final Match
Copa América Centenario final
Tournament Statistics
Top Goal Scorers
.jpg)
Chile's Eduardo Vargas was the top scorer of the tournament. He received the Golden Boot award for scoring six goals.
There were 91 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 2.84 goals per match.
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
- Ezequiel Lavezzi
- Erik Lamela
- Renato Augusto
- José Pedro Fuenzalida
- Edson Puch
- Arturo Vidal
- Carlos Bacca
- James Rodríguez
- Enner Valencia
- Blas Pérez
- Salomón Rondón
1 goal
- Sergio Agüero
- Éver Banega
- Víctor Cuesta
- Ángel Di María
- Nicolás Otamendi
- Juan Carlos Arce
- Jhasmani Campos
- Gabriel Barbosa
- Lucas Lima
- Charles Aránguiz
- Frank Fabra
- Marlos Moreno
- Cristián Zapata
- Celso Borges
- Johan Venegas
- Michael Arroyo
- Jaime Ayoví
- Miller Bolaños
- Christian Noboa
- Antonio Valencia
- James Marcelin
- Jesús Manuel Corona
- Javier Hernández
- Héctor Herrera
- Rafael Márquez
- Oribe Peralta
- Abdiel Arroyo
- Miguel Camargo
- Víctor Ayala
- Christian Cueva
- Edison Flores
- Paolo Guerrero
- Raúl Ruidíaz
- Jermaine Jones
- Bobby Wood
- Gyasi Zardes
- Graham Zusi
- Mathías Corujo
- Diego Godín
- Abel Hernández
- Josef Martínez
- José Manuel Velázquez
1 own goal
- Frank Fabra (against Costa Rica)
- Je-Vaughn Watson (against Uruguay)
- Álvaro Pereira (against Mexico)
Awards and Recognition
Tournament Winner
| 2016 Copa América Centenario champions |
|---|
 Chile 2nd title |
Special Player Awards
At the end of the tournament, several players received special awards:
- Golden Ball Award: Given to the best player of the tournament. This went to Alexis Sánchez.
- Golden Boot Award: Given to the top goal scorer. This went to Eduardo Vargas for his 6 goals.
- Golden Glove Award: Given to the best goalkeeper. This went to Claudio Bravo.
- Fair Play Award: Given to the team that showed the best sportsmanship. This went to Argentina.
Final Man of the Match
- Claudio Bravo was named the best player in the final match.
Best Team of the Tournament
A group of experts chose the best players to form a "Team of the Tournament":
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
Tournament Marketing
Sponsors
Many companies helped support the Copa América Centenario. These sponsors included well-known brands from different industries.
| Sponsors | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Match Balls
The official match ball for most of the tournament was the Nike Ordem Ciento. It was mainly white with red designs. For the final match, a special golden version of the ball, called the Nike Ordem Campeón, was used.
Theme Songs
The tournament had several theme songs:
- "Superstar" by American rapper Pitbull featuring Becky G. They performed this song during the final.
- "Breaking All the Rules" by English rock musician Peter Frampton. He also performed this song during the final.
- "In My City" by Indian Singer Priyanka Chopra, who performed her song during the final as well.
Where to Watch: Broadcasting Rights
In the Americas
Many TV channels in North, Central, and South America broadcasted the tournament.
| Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Latin America |
DirecTV Sports | |
| Argentina |
Televisión Pública Argentina (Argentina matches only), TyC Sports (all matches) | |
| Bolivia |
TV Boliviana (all matches) | |
| Brazil |
Rede Globo (Brazil matches only), SporTV (all matches) | |
| Canada |
Univision Canada (Spanish) | |
| Chile |
Canal 13 | |
| Colombia |
RCN TV, Caracol TV | |
| Costa Rica |
Repretel, Teletica | |
| Cuba |
Cubavision International | |
| Ecuador |
Gama TV | |
| Haiti |
CONATEL, Tele Haiti | |
| Jamaica |
CVM TV | |
| Mexico |
Televisa, TV Azteca | |
| Panama |
Telemetro, TVMax, RPC-TV | |
| Paraguay |
Paraguay TV, Unicanal | |
 Peru |
América Televisión | |
| United States |
Fox Sports (English); Univision (Spanish) | |
| Uruguay |
DirecTV, Equital (Monte Cable, Nuevo Siglo, TCC) | |
 Venezuela |
Meridiano TV |
Around the World
The Copa América Centenario was also broadcasted in many countries outside the Americas.
| Country | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Arab World | beIN Sports | |
 Australia |
beIN Sports, SBS | |
 Azerbaijan |
CBC Sport | |
| Western Balkans | Arena Sport | |
| Baltics | Viasat Sport Baltic | |
 China |
SMG, LeSports, PPTV, QQLive | |
 Equatorial Guinea |
RTVGE, Asonga TV, Canal+ | |
 Finland |
Viasat | |
 France |
beIN Sports | |
 Germany |
Sat.1, Kabel eins | |
 Greece |
Skai TV | |
 Hong Kong |
now TV, ViuTV | |
 Hungary |
Sport TV | |
 Iceland |
Stöð 2 Sport | |
 India |
Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD | |
 Indonesia |
Kompas TV | |
 Iran |
IRIB Varzesh | |
 Ireland |
Setanta Ireland | |
 Israel |
Sport 1 | |
 Italy |
Sky Italia | |
 Japan |
SKY PerfecTV! | |
 Kenya |
Startimes, Canal+ | |
 Malaysia |
Astro | |
 Myanmar |
Sky Net | |
 Netherlands |
Fox Sports Netherlands, NOS | |
 New Zealand |
Sky Sport | |
 Nigeria |
Startimes, Canal+ | |
 Norway |
Viaplay | |
 Poland |
TVP | |
 Portugal |
TVI | |
 Russia |
Match TV | |
 Singapore |
StarHub TV, Singtel TV | |
 South Africa |
Startimes | |
 South Korea |
KBS | |
 Spain |
Movistar+ | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Startimes, Canal+ | |
 Sweden |
Viasat Sport | |
 Taiwan |
CTV, TTV, CTi TV | |
 Tajikistan |
TV Varzish | |
 Thailand |
True Visions | |
 Turkey |
A Spor, A Haber | |
 United Kingdom |
Premier Sports | |
 Vietnam |
SCTV, VTVCab |
See also
In Spanish: Copa América Centenario para niños
- Soccer in the United States
- Football at the Pan American Games
