Copa America tournament: General information, format and champions

Copa America tournament is one of the famous football tournaments on a continental scale. This is the long-standing cradle that produces today’s famous strikers. Join 9PH to learn detailed information about the formation as well as the competition format with the winning teams in the tournament. 

A few words about the Copa America tournament

Copa America is a South American football championship, organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). The time interval between two consecutive tournaments is 4 years.

At the continental level, this is the oldest tournament and is on par with big names such as Euro, Gold Cup, CAN, OFC Nations Cup,… However, there are still exceptions when Copa America tournament held 2 times in 1 year, the Argentine team won the championship at the beginning of the year at home. By the end of the year, the Uruguay team lifted the trophy in phase 2 at Ecuador Stadium. 

Stages of formation of the South American football tournament

As one of the oldest tournaments, Copa America makes its mark with a remarkable formation. Let’s take a look at the 3 stages that formed the prestigious playground today. 

Initial establishment phase 

Copa America tournament was first held in 1910 in Argentina. This is also an opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this country’s May Revolution. By the beginning of the twentieth century, this name became more popular and attracted the attention of many fans. Chile and Uruguay initially did not officially participate in the tournament. By 1916, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay were the first to lay the foundations. At the beginning, the tournament was held annually. But then it was postponed from 1918 to 1929 due to the flu outbreak in Rio de Janeiro.

The Copa America tournament was interrupted

After the first World Cup in Uruguay, the relationship between this country and Argentina became bitter. This had a big impact and caused the South American tournament to be suspended for many years. 

By 1935, a special version of the tournament was formed to restart a new journey in 1939. However, a crisis occurred when the tournament was held for many years but was still not officially recognized by CONMEBOL. On the other hand, the birth of the Copa Libertadores (South American Cup) in 1959 had a great influence on Copa America tournament. The competition was held under the name America’s Cup from 1975 – 1983 with 10 CONMEBOL members. 

Stability period from 1987 to present

In 1986, CONMEBOL determined to restore its structure as a permanent host country. Memorable events during this period include:

• From 1987 – 2001, the tournament was held periodically every 2 years. 
• From 2001 – 2007, the South American football championship format changed to every 3 years. 
• From 2007 until now, the South American Football Federation decided to organize it periodically every 4 years. 
• When Copa America tournament Celebrating its 100th anniversary, CONMEBOL invited 6 away teams from CONCACAF. 
• 2016 marked a special event when the tournament was held for the first time outside of South America.
• By 2020, this football tournament will be held in parallel with the European Cup. This is an opportunity to create competition between national teams. 

Detailed information about the Copa America tournament needs to be clearly understood

With the longest running time at the regional level, Copa America attracts more and more fans. Below are detailed information about the competition format as well as the roll call of the championship teams. 

Copa America tournament rules

The South American Championship is held every 4 years. The rules prescribed at this playground are as follows:

• Number of participating teams: 10 teams from South America and the remaining 6 teams are guests from Central and North America. 
• Group: 16 teams divided into 4 groups, each group has 4 teams competing.
• Competition format: Each group will play a round robin and select the top 2 teams to advance to the quarterfinals. After that, the 8 highest scoring teams participate in the quarter-finals to enter the semi-finals and then the final. 

Method of calculating points 

Since 1995, the scoring method for matches Copa America tournament regulated by CONMEBOL as follows:

• Winning team: 3 points added to the rankings.
• Draw team: 1 point added in the rankings.
• Losing team: Keep the same score as before the match.

Teams with impressive achievements at Copa America

More than a century in the making, Copa is considered a prestigious and highly attractive playground. We can take a look at the teams that have possessed the most impressive achievements to date as follows:

Argentine team

The team from the land of Tango has the greatest achievements at Copa America tournament up to now. 29 times in the finals with 15 upgrades has confirmed the strength of this giant. 

In particular, winning the championship in the 2021 season has added to Messi’s list of achievements. Along with the World Cup championship, he helped him become the world football legend he is today. 

Uruguayan team

Uruguay won the victory and lifted the championship trophy Copa America tournament 15th time in 2011. At that time, this country had the most victories in the professional tournament. So far, this team has only lost to Argentina with a respectable record. This is considered the cradle of talented strikers, affirming a formidable position. 

Brazilian team

If we mention the top 3 teams with the best results in Copa America tournament indispensable Brazil. This country has a strong passion for football, possessing talented players. Typical names in this country are Neymar, Ronaldinho, Zico or Falcao,… They have beautiful playing style and eye-catching ball control techniques that have helped the home team succeed by lifting the championship trophy 9 times. 

Conclusion 

Copa America tournament becoming one of the most impressive tournaments at the continental level to date. With famous players, this is a playground that attracts a large number of top fans. Please follow 9PH for more information about many other tournaments around the world.