Copa América Trivia
The Copa América is the main men's football tournament contested among national teams from South American Football Confederation. It has been played for over 100 years.
Trivia
- The Copa América is the oldest international soccer competition contested between men's national teams.
- At first the tournament was called the South American Championship. It was not called the Copa América until after 1967.
- Copa América is Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese for "Americas Cup".
- In addition to the trophy given to the winning team, the Copa Bolivia is awarded to the runner-up.
- The final play-off game in 1919 between Brazil and Uruguay required two extra time periods, and lasted a total of 150 minutes. It is the longest match in the tournament's history.
- In 1942 Argentina beat Ecuador 12–0, the 12-goal difference of that match remains the widest ever in Copa América history.
- Legendary player Pelé only competed in one South American Championship, in Argentina 1959.
- The Copa América is the third most watched football competition, behind the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
- In 1959 there were two South American Championships held in the same year, in Ecuador and Argentina.
- Since the 1990s, selected teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to participate in the tournament.
- Gardelito, the mascot for the 1987 competition, was the first Copa América mascot. See more about Copa América Mascots.
- In the 2001 Copa América tournament, Colombia set a record of not just being undefeated but not conceding any goal and winning each and every match.
- The Copa América Centenario was held in 2016, celebrating 100 years of CONMEBOL and Copa América
- The 2016 tournament was hosted in the United States, the first time the tournament was held outside of South America. USA hosted the 2024 event too.
- Argentina and Colombia were scheduled to host the Copa America in 2021 (postponed from 2020), however, The hosting rights were taken away and awarded to Brazil just two weeks before the start of the tournament. It would have been the first time two countries have shared the hosting rights.
- There is a female version of the Copa América - the Copa América Femenina.
- The Copa Sudamericana is South America's second-most prestigious cup competition after the Copa América.
- From 2004 to 2021 different replicas of the Copa America Trophy were presented to the winning teams. The restored original trophy will be presented to the 2024 winners.
- The number of years between tournaments has varied, the average is about 2.3 years. The longest break between tournaments was 8 years from 1967 to 1975.
What's With the Extra Time?
In the group stage of Copa America matches, tied games remain as a draw. In the knockout phase, if the teams are level after 90 minutes of play, the game goes straight to penalties. There is no extra time played in except for the Final. Between 1995 and 2004, even the final did not have extra time. The only tournament where extra-time was used for each knockout round was in 2011.
Related Pages
- Copa America Firsts
- More about the Copa América
- History of the Copa América
- Copa América Mascots
- FIFA World Cup Trivia
- Sports Trivia
- List of Sports Trivia
- Copa América Mascots
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