The Copa América is the oldest soccer team tournament in the world. Created in 1916, this championship has brought together those selected from the South American continent for 105 years. Uruguay is the first champion, while Brazil is the last. Do you want to know more about this exciting tournament? We present you the most incredible curiosities of the Copa América.
Edition 2021
The 2021 edition was, without a doubt, one of the most anticipated. It was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic and, until the last moment in 2021, it was not known where it was going to be played. The original headquarters were Colombia and Argentina, but both countries went through situations that did not allow them to fulfill their obligations. It was then that CONMEBOL decided that the Copa América will be played in Brazil. These are some more curiosities of the 2021 edition:
- Chile offered to host the tournament after the resignation of Colombia and Argentina, but CONMEBOL had already decided on Brazil.
- Every year invited selections participate, but this edition was the exception. Due to the pandemic, the Australian and Qatari teams could not participate in the tournament.
- Counting this Copa America final , Messi and Neymar faced the senior team a total of 5 times. The forwards also have 2 official match matches with their respective clubs.
Curiosities of other editions
Brazil and Uruguay played the longest match
In the first years of the Copa América, the regulations stipulated that in the event of a tie, the teams had to play overtime until the score was broken. In 1919, Brazil and Uruguay tied 2-2 in regulation time and therefore had to play until the tiebreaker. 150 minutes later, Uruguay scored the goal that gave them the victory. This made the match the longest in history with 2 and a half hours of football.
Paraguay reached a final without having won a match
In 2011, Paraguay reached the final of the tournament without having won a single match. In the group stage they tied all their matches and defined the two quarterfinal and semi-final matches on penalties. In the final, they faced Uruguay, the team that ended their good luck after becoming champion with a 3-0 victory.
Neither Pelé nor Maradona won the Copa América
Pelé played his only Copa América in 1959 when he was only 19 years old; Diego Maradona participated in the 1879, 1987 and 1989 editions. However, none of these soccer stars managed to lift the cup with their national teams.
Colombia had the best campaign
In 2001, Colombia was not only the host, but its team lifted the Copa América. However, what is most striking about this edition is that it did so with the best campaign in history. Colombia won all the matches, scored 11 goals and also finished the tournament with the undefeated goal.
Javier Marías es colaborador en El Demócrata, donde cubre temas de actualidad, política, negocios, tecnología, deportes, entretenimiento y estilo de vida. Su trabajo se centra en ofrecer información clara, útil y bien contextualizada, acercando a los lectores noticias, tendencias y acontecimientos relevantes para comprender mejor el mundo que los rodea.