The Copa America is South America’s quadrennial international football tournament. The continent’s answer to UEFA’s European Championship, the competition has thrown up some dramatic finales over the last few years, with a centenary edition adding to the chaos.
The 48th edition of the Copa America saw the United States of America host the tournament. Usually contested between 12 teams, which include invitees from other confederations, the tournament had six nations joining the South Americans for the first time since 2016 – which was the previous time the US were hosts.
The competition, which was established in 1916, was initially a round-robin format until 1975, when it was changed to its current format of a group stage followed by knockout football.
But who has won the event more than any other country? Football FanCast has taken a look back at the list of previous Copa America winners over the last 108 years.
Year
Winners
Runners-up
1916
Uruguay
Argentina
1917
Uruguay
Argentina
1919
Brazil
Uruguay
1920
Uruguay
Argentina
1921
Argentina
Brazil
1922
Brazil
Paraguay
1923
Uruguay
Argentina
1924
Uruguay
Argentina
1925
Argentina
Brazil
1926
Uruguay
Argentina
1927
Argentina
Uruguay
1929
Argentina
Paraguay
1935
Uruguay
Argentina
1937
Argentina
Brazil
1939
Peru
Uruguay
1941
Argentina
Uruguay
1942
Uruguay
Argentina
1945
Argentina
Brazil
1946
Argentina
Brazil
1947
Argentina
Paraguay
1949
Brazil
Paraguay
1953
Paraguay
Brazil
1955
Argentina
Chile
1956
Uruguay
Chile
1957
Argentina
Brazil
1959
Argentina
Brazil
1959
Uruguay
Argentina
1963
Bolivia
Paraguay
1967
Uruguay
Argentina
1975
Peru
Colombia
1979
Paraguay
Chile
1983
Uruguay
Brazil
1987
Uruguay
Chile
1989
Brazil
Uruguay
1991
Argentina
Brazil
1993
Argentina
Mexico
1995
Uruguay
Brazil
1997
Brazil
Bolivia
1999
Brazil
Uruguay
2001
Colombia
Mexico
2004
Brazil
Argentina
2007
Brazil
Argentina
2011
Uruguay
Paraguay
2015
Chile
Argentina
2016
Chile
Argentina
2019
Brazil
Peru
2021
Argentina
Brazil
2024
Argentina
Colombia
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ByBrogan ClasperJun 11, 2024 8 Bolivia – 1 win 1963
Bolivia’s one and only Copa America triumph came in 1963 where they also played hosts. They finished top of the seven-team round-robin which included a dramatic 5-4 win over Brazil in the final game.
They won five and drew one of their six games, with Maximo Luis Alcocer the hero after scoring the winner against Brazil to ensure they would finish above runners-up Paraguay.
7 Colombia – 1 win 2001
Also winning one Copa America title is Colombia, who, like Bolivia, also hosted the event in their only tournament triumph to date. Under newly appointed manager Francisco Maturana, they progressed out of Group A by winning all three games without conceding a goal, before beating Peru in the quarter-final, Honduras in the semi-final and Mexico in the final.
Ivan Ramiro Cordoba was the match-winner in the final, and Colombia astonishingly went the whole tournament without conceding – a record that still stands today.
6 Peru – 2 wins 1939, 1975
Peru are one of three countries to win the Copa America twice, with their first coming in 1939, taking full advantage of home comforts as they won all four of their games.
They were also the first winners of the tournament which had a knockout stage in 1975, coming out on top against Brazil in the semi-finals and then Colombia in the final. In the two-legged final, both teams won a game each, meaning the final required a replay, where Peru came out on top 1-0, with Hugo Alejandro Sotil Yeren the match-winner.
5 Chile – 2 wins 2015, 2016
Before 2015, Chile had never won the Copa America, coming close on four occasions as runners-up. However, a maiden tournament win quickly brought another, with Chile lifting the trophy in successive years.
Jorge Sampaoli was the manager to lead Chile to their first-ever Copa America triumph in 2015, defeating Argentina in the final on home soil in a penalty shootout.
Then, a year later, in a centenary edition of the tournament, Juan Antonio Pizzi was the man in charge of Chile, who once again came out on top against Argentina in the final. Eduardo Vargas, Alexis Sanchez and Claudio Bravo were just some of the standout stars during the memorable two years.
Perhaps the most iconic moment would be Alexis Sanchez’s winning penalty in the 2015 final, as he showed nerves of steel to nonchalantly pass the ball in, handing his nation a first major honour.
4 Paraguay – 2 wins 1953, 1979
Paraguay are the only previous winners who didn’t win the competition on home soil. In 1953, Paraguay and Brazil required a play-off after they were tied for points in the round-robin format. Paraguay would come out as 3-2 winners in Peru.
Paraguay would lift their second Copa America title in 1979, when there was no host nation, with games simply played home and away. They defeated Brazil in the semi-final and then Chile in the final, which required three games.
The two-legged final was decided on points rather than goals scored over the two matches. Both sides finished with a win apiece, which meant a play-off was required. After the third game ended 0-0, Paraguay were only then crowned champions by virtue of their 3-1 aggregate scoreline across the three games.
Paraguay have also been runners-up on four occasions, most recently in 2011 when they were beaten by Uruguay.
3 Brazil – 9 wins 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019
Third on the list is Brazil, which may come as a surprise to some. Their tally of nine Copa America titles could be many more, but they have finished as runners-up on 11 occasions, with the most recent of those heartbreaks coming in 2021 against Argentina.
Their first title came in 1919 on home soil, as did their last in 2019, with the wins in 1922, 1949 and 1989 also coming when Brazil played hosts.
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ByJack Salveson HolmesMay 15, 2024 2 Uruguay – 15 wins 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011
The first-ever World Cup and Copa America winners were Uruguay, who have lifted the latter of the two competitions 15 times. Their last triumph came back in 2011, and the longest they have gone without a CONMEBOL title is 16 years.
Now under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay had to settle for third place after a penalty shootout victory over Canada in the bronze-medal match.
1 Argentina – 16 times 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993, 2021, 2024
Defending champions Argentina edged ahead of Uruguay after their triumph in 2024, which was secured after an extra-time victory over Colombia.
Argentina have finished as runners-up on 14 occasions, with La Seleccion suffering a number of heartbreaks in recent years prior to their 2021 triumph.
Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the trophy after a 1-0 win over Brazil in the final, 100 years after they first won the tournament on home soil in 1921 – before doing it all over again three years later thanks to substitute Lautaro Martinez’s 112th-minute winner.
Their recent triumphs are made all the sweeter as Argentina had lost four of the previous six finals before 2021, which included two penalty-shootout defeats to Chile in back-to-back championships. They also hosted and lifted the trophy in 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946 and 1959.
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