The Copa America is the international football competition for Men’s national teams in South America. The championship is organized by CONMEBOL, the regulatory body responsible for regulating football in the South American region. The competition takes place every four years and it is hosted by countries selected by the CONMEBOL. The championship features all the 10 CONMEBOL teams, with additional two or four teams from other Confederations. The 2021 edition will be co-hosted by Colombia and Argentina, and it will make it the first time the tournament will be staged in more than one country since 1983.
The tournament was initially billed to be Copa America 2020, taking place between June 12- July 12 2020. However, on March 17 2020, CONMEBOL announced the postponement of the tournament due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The competition has since been rescheduled to take place from June 13 to July 10 2021.
Copa América 2021 tips
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Copa America 2021 tournament format
Copa America 2021 will mark the transition from staging the competition in odd years to even years. The tournament has always had a tradition of handing out invitations to other teams from other confederations, but the 2021 tournament will solely have teams from South America.
The 10 South American countries will be divided into two groups of five, namely Groups A and B based on geographical zoning. Group A which is designated the Southern Zone comprises Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay, while Group B which is also known as the North Zone is composed of co-hosts, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. Group matches will be played in Argentina and Colombia, and the top four teams in each group will progress to the Quater final, while the bottom-placed teams will be eliminated.
The first and second-placed teams will remain in the country where they played their group games, while the third and fourth-placed teams will move to the other country. Each country will host two-quarter final and one semi-final matches each. Colombia will host the third place and final matches. Learn more on how to predict straight win soccer matches
Copa America 2021 Tournament Groups
Copa America 2021 will have 10 teams in two groups (A and B) with each group consisting of five teams. The 10 teams were allocated into the North and South Zones, with Argentina playing host to teams in the South Zone, while Colombia will be the host of games in the North Zone. A total of 28 matches will be played at the 2021 Copa America.
Group A (South Zone)
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Uruguay
- Chile
- Paraguay
Group B (North Zone)
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Venezuela
- Ecuador
- Peru
The group matches will be played on 13th – 28th June 2021.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the Quater final stage of the competition.
Copa America 2021 Knockout Phase
The knockout phase starts with the Quater final matches which begins on the 2nd-3rd July 2021.
The Semi-finals are on 5th – 6th July 2021.
The Third-place playoff will be held on 9th July 2021.
The Finals is on 10th July 2021.
Copa America Tournament Rules
In line with the latest International Football Association Board (IFAB) rule changes, teams will be able to make up to a maximum of five substitutions in a game, as against the traditional three changes. This is a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted the football calendar, leaving the players to deal with fixture congestion.
Players who are subbed will have to exit the pitch at the nearest boundary to not slow down the game. For penalties, goalkeepers only need to have a foot on the line and players can receive treatment before a penalty is taken. A foul will be awarded against the attacking team if there is an accidental handball leading to a goal.
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Copa America Host Cities/Stadiums
Argentina
Buenos Aires – Estadio Monumental, 66,269 capacity
Cordoba – Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, 57,000 capacity
Mendoza – Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, 38,500 capacity
Santiago del Estero – Estadio Unico, 30,000 capacity
Colombia
Bogota – Estadio Elcampin 36,343 capacity
Barranquilla – Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, 46,692 capacity
Cali – Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero, 46,000 capacity
Medellin – Atanasio Girardot Sports Comples, 44,739 capacity
Both the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario in San Juan, Argentina and Estadio Hernan Ramirez Villegas in Pereira were also nominated, but they did not make the cut as part of the venues.
Copa America Qualification Path
All the 10 countries that are members of the CONMEBOL have automatic qualification and they will all participate in the competition. In June 2019, CONMEBOL announced that former AFC Asian Cup champions, Australia, will be making their debut at the Copa America along with current Asian champions, Qatar. However, both countries withdrew as a result of the postponement of the second round 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying to June 2021.
Therefore, only the 10 South American nations will compete at the 2021 Copa America.
Interesting facts about Copa America
- Uruguay is the country with the most Copa America titles, having won the trophy 15 times
- The Copa America is the oldest continental football competition and the second oldest international football competition after the Olympic Football competition.
- The Copa America tournament is switching from happening every two odd years to even
- Instead of having the customary three groups of four, the Copa America will have two groups of five, with the top four teams qualifying for the Quater final stage
- Copa America 2021 will be the first tournament without a team from the North American region present since 1993
- Co-hosts, Argentina, have scored the most number of goals in the history of the Copa America with 455 goals
- Brazil holds the record for the most goals in a single tournament with 49 goals scored in the 1949 edition of the tournament.