Copa América Centenario Winner 2016

Lore & Background

The tournament was announced by CONMEBOL on October 24, 2012, and confirmed by CONCACAF on May 1, 2014. It was placed in doubt after several high-profile sports executive arrests, including those involving media rights holder Datisa. On October 23, 2015, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and the U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed the tournament would go ahead. A new commemorative trophy was created, plated in matte gold, with the logos of both CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the years '1916–2016', and the phrases 'La Copa del Siglo' and 'Uniting the Americas'.

Reader's Guide

The tournament took place in June 2016 in the United States. The host was the United States, seeded in Group A. Argentina was seeded as the highest FIFA-ranked CONMEBOL team. Brazil (Group B) and Mexico (Group C) were seeded as 'the most decorated nations in the last 100 years in international competitions from their respective confederations'. The draw took place on February 21, 2016, in New York City. Each country submitted a final squad of 23 players by May 20, 2016. The opening ceremony was at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on June 3, 2016.

Did You Know?

• The winner did not receive an invitation to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup due to the commemorative nature of the tournament, though eventual winner Chile had already qualified through its 2015 victory.
• Argentina lost its third consecutive final in a major tournament, following losses to Germany at the 2014 World Cup and Chile at the 2015 Copa América.
• The tournament was added to the FIFA International Match Calendar on September 26, 2014, meaning clubs had to release players called up.
• The ten venues were announced on November 19, 2015, by CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and the U.S. Soccer Federation.