Copa America Most Successful Teams

There are several international competitions, such as the FIFA world cup, European Championships, Olympics, etc. Copa America is another big tournament, one of the oldest international competitions involving members of the Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol (CONMEBOL), the tournament’s governing body. 

Simply put, the Copa America tournament is a competition among South American national football teams, and the most successful teams in this competition are widely respected in other international competitions. The last edition of the Copa America was held in Brazil in 2021; Argentina won the tournament after beating Brazil 1-0 in the final, with Colombia national football team finishing in the third place.

Like other international football competitions, the final match is the last in the South American football championship, and the winner in the final will lift the Copa America Title. If the teams play a draw throughout the regular time, Copa America winners will be decided through a penalty shootout. 

There was a round-robin group from the beginning of the tournament in 1916 till 1967; It implies that if the two best teams finish with the same point, there will be a final match to determine who will lift the Copa America Trophy. Round-robin final matches took place in 1919, 1922, 1937, 1949, and 1953.

The competition began to use the knockout format in 1975, with a final match to conclude the South American Football Championship. Argentina and Uruguay are the most successful national team in Copa America history. Brazil won nine Copa America titles, and the other Copa America winners are Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia national team, and Colombia.

The Copa America tournament is one of the most difficult international competitions, and since the beginning in 1916, about eight teams have lifted the Copa America trophy. Below is a list of Copa America’s top 10 most successful teams. 

Most Successful Teams In Copa America History

Copa America started in 1916, and it involves 10 CONMEBOL teams and 2 other national teams from the competition. Argentina and Uruguay are the joint most successful team in the competition, and below are the winners since the inception of the South American football tournament;

Argentina – 15 Time Champions

Argentina comes first on the list because they have won the tournament 15 times and have the most history in the competition. Argentina owns the record for the most victories in the tournament’s history, and they are the only national team to win the Copa America title in three consecutive years (1945, 1946, and 1947).

Argentina has won three FIFA world cups, a Confederation cup in 1992, Artemio Franchi Trophy in 1993, and is twelve times South American championship winner. The Argentina national team has featured stars like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and so on, and has won 120 out of 189 matches scoring 455 goals in the process with 173 goals conceded. 

Argentina won the last Copa America edition in 2021, and the team led by Lionel Messi defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final, with the only goal coming from Di Maria through a Raul De Paul assist. Diego Maradona led the team that won the last one before 2021, and it is no doubt that Argentina is a force to reckon with in the competition.  

Uruguay – 15 Time Champions

The Uruguayan team governed by the Uruguayan football association has also won the tournament fifteen times. The Uruguayan national football team is part of the South American football confederation and has been a regular participant since the competition started in 1916. Uruguay team won the Confederation cup in 1997 and two summer Olympics gold medals in 1963 and 1983.

Uruguay national football team hosted the FIFA world cup in 1950, winning it after defeating Argentina in the final. Uruguay national football team has scored 183 goals in Copa America and conceded 218, and the last time they won the tournament was in 2011. 

Brazil – 9 Time Champion

The Brazilian team sits in the third position for winning nine Copa America titles; they have many of the finest players in the world and are among the most successful national teams in the South American tournament and FIFA world rankings. Brazil is a South American football confederation member and has established itself as one of the most successful teams in the South American Championship.

Brazil has played 178 matches in Copa America, scoring 205 goals. They have won five FIFA World Cups and four confederation cups and produced talented football players such as Pele, Ronaldo, and Neymar. Brazil did not participate in the world cup between 1926-1935 (ten consecutive years), and they dominated the tournament between 1997 to 2007. 

Brazil won four Copa America titles between 1997 and 2007; their last victory was in 2019. Brazil made it to the final in the 2021 edition but lost the trophy to Argentina. 

Chile – 2 Time Champions

The La Roja is one of the most difficult national teams to defeat in Copa America, their strength and speed are out of this world, and this is why they are on the list of the most successful teams among South American Nations. Chile has won the tournament twice and they bost excellent players such as Vidal, Sanchez and so on. 

Chile won their first Copa America title on home soil in 2015 as they defeated Argentina in the final match through Penalty Shootout. La Roja has never defeated Argentina in regular football time because they won both trophies through penalties. 

Peru – 2 Time Champions

Peru comes fifth on the list after winning the Copa America tournament twice and qualifying for the world cup three times. As of 2021, the Peruvian team ranked 27th on the FIFA world rankings and has been consistent in Copa America with the likes of Brazil and Argentina. 

Peru has played 148 matches in Copa America, scoring 213 goals in the process, and is on the list of Copa America winners. Apart from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, Peru was the next team to win the South American cup, and they won their first Copa America title in 1939, with the second coming in 1975. 

When they won the first title in 1939, Brazil and Argentina missed the tournament and only played against five South American teams. 

Paraguay – 2 Time Champion

The Paraguayan football association governs the Paraguayan national team, and the team won the Copa America title twice. They won their first Copa America title in 1953, and the second silverware in the South American football tournament came in 1979. Since then, Paraguay has not dropped much impressive performance in the tournament as they only made it to the final in 2011. 

Paraguay has participated in four world cups and made it to the quarter-finals in 2010. Paraguay has played 168 matches in Copa America, scoring 253 goals.

Bolivia – 1-Time Champion

Bolivia is among the Conmebol teams that have won Copa America just once. They are on the list of the most successful teams in Copa America because of their consistency in the tournament. Bolivia made it to the list of Copa America winners in 1963; they hosted the tournament that year. 

Bolivia has played in three world cups and 112 matches in Copa America, scoring 104 goals. They have hosted the Copa America tournament three times. 

Colombia – 1-Time Winner

Colombia national team is also a successful team in Copa America; they have won the competition once and did that in a unique style. In 2002, Columbia made it to the list of Copa America winners by winning the tournament without losing a match or conceding a single goal. Colombia has participated in six world cups making it to the quarter-finals in 2014. 

Colombia has played 113 games in Copa America, scoring 131 goals. Columbia ranks 17th in the FIFA world rankings and is a regular participant in Copa America, reaching the final twice. 

Mexico

The country does not belong to the South American area but gets invitations to participate in the Copa America; they are the ninth most successful team in Copa America history after making it to the final twice, finishing as the runners-up. Mexico played in Copa America from 1993 to 2016 but was not part of the 2019 and 2021 editions. 

They have also finished third in the Copa America on three occasions, played 48 matches, and won 19. Mexico has also scored 66 goals in Copa America. Mexico has performed well in the tournament with Brazil, Argentina, and CO.

Conclusion 

Copa America is a football tournament for the South American national teams. Argentina and Uruguay have dominated the competition by winning it fifteen times each, with Argentina’s latest victory coming in the Copa America 2021. Brazil comes next on the list after winning it nine times; the latest was in 2019; Brazil made it to the final in Copa America 2021, but Argentina was the victorious team.