Copa América 2019

Lore & Background

Originally scheduled to be hosted by Chile, Brazil and Chile swapped host years after Brazil opted out of hosting the 2015 edition due to hosting the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup, and 2016 Summer Olympics. The tournament featured 12 teams, including guest nations Qatar and Japan from the AFC, with no CONCACAF teams participating for the first time since 1991. The draw took place on 24 January 2019 at the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro.

Reader's Guide

The tournament began with a group stage of three groups of four teams. The winners, runners-up, and the two best third-placed teams advanced to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, tied matches went directly to a penalty shoot-out; in the semi-finals, third-place play-off, and final, extra time could be played, with a fourth substitute allowed, followed by a penalty shoot-out if still tied.

Did You Know?

• This was the first Copa América since 1991 with no CONCACAF nation taking part.
• Chile entered as two-time defending champions (2015 and 2016) but were eliminated by Peru in the semi-finals and lost the third-place match to Argentina.
• Qatar made their debut appearance, becoming the first Arab nation to play in the tournament.
• Japan made their second appearance, their first since 1999.
• The mascot was Zizito, a capybara named after Zizinho, who shares the all-time Copa América goal-scoring record (17 goals).