Every Winner in Copa America History

The first Copa America tournament was in 1916, when it was known as the South American Football Championship – a name that was kept until 1975. During that time, there have been 11 different host countries and a total of eight winners since the tournament began.

While Argentina and Uruguay lead the way in the number of tournaments won, with 15 Copa America triumphs each, the former have been involved in a total of 29 finals, the most by any country involved in the tournament. The third major South American force, Brazil, are the only other nation to win more than two Copa America titles.

The 48th and most recent edition of the competition was held in the USA, as Lionel Messi’s Argentina defended their title at Copa America 2024. Here is a detailed breakdown of the tournament winners and their performances in one of South America’s most prestigious competitions.

8 Bolivia

Copa Americas titles: 1

Bolivia still fondly remember their Copa America triumph in 1963 – the year they were the host country. Maximo Alococer’s six goals – including the winner in a 5-4 epic to defeat Brazil and claim the trophy – helped Bolivia win their first and only Copa America trophy to date. In 1963, the tournament was in a league format, with no knockout rounds. Seven teams were involved as each nation faced off against one other once. Bolivia finished top of the table with 11 points from their six games, with five victories and one draw. Paraguay finished in second place with nine points, with their only loss of the tournament coming against the hosts.

Bolivia were runners-up in the 1997 Copa America, which was also staged in the nation’s high-altitude surroundings. The location may have been the same, but there had been plenty of other alternations since their triumph in 1963. The competition changed its name from the South American Football Competition to the Copa America in 1975, and in doing so, also changed the format to include a group stage and a knockout round. Bolivia had already upset the odds by reaching the final, but could not go all the way, and lost to a formidable Brazil side.

7 Colombia

Copa America titles: 1

Colombia lifted the 2001 Copa America, as home advantage paid dividends once again. Their 2001 triumph was the first and only time they have managed to get their hands on the coveted trophy. They impressed throughout the tournament, finishing top of a tricky-looking Group A which contained Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela. Colombia won all three group games, qualifying for the knockout rounds with ease, with Chile progressing in second place, losing just once. Impressively, Colombia did not concede a single goal throughout the group stages.

Los Cafeteros continued to dominate the tournament, thumping Peru in the quarter-finals 3-0, before a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras in the semi-finals of the competition. They faced Mexico in the Copa America final, in what was a tense and edgy game. Colombia’s impressive defence came out on top once again, and they went on to win the game 1-0 and lift the Copa America trophy. They are the only side in the tournament’s history to go the whole campaign without conceding a goal, an amazing achievement to say the least.

6 Peru

Copa America titles: 2

In 1939, Peru crowned an impressive tournament with the Copa America trophy. Not only did they win the competition, but Teodoro “Lolo” Fernandez also won Player of the Tournament and picked up the Golden Boot, finishing the summer with seven goals. Peru were one of five participating countries in the Copa America in 1939, alongside Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay. Peru finished the league format with eight points, winning all four of their games in the tournament, where two points were awarded for a win at that time. They finished two points ahead of Uruguay, who lost just once throughout the tournament to Peru.

Peru’s second triumph came in 1975, the first year the tournament was known as the Copa America and had knockout stages involved. They were placed in Group B alongside Chile and Bolivia. Peru topped the group, winning three of their four games, with the only blotch on their record being a 1-1 draw with Chile in the opening game. La Blanquirroja impressively drew 3-3 on aggregate with Brazil in the semi-finals, and as they were deemed to have qualified from their group first, they advanced to the final in a process called ‘the drawing of lots.’

In the two-legged final, they faced Colombia, and they won a game each, meaning the final would be decided by a third game, where Peru came out on top 1-0 to lift the trophy for a second time. Peru finished as runners-up in 2019, their first appearance in the final of the competition since winning it in 1975. Paolo Guerrero equalised for the underdogs against Brazil, before eventually losing 3-1.

5 Chile

Copa America titles: 2

Before the 2015 Copa America, it felt like Chile were always the bridesmaid but never the bride, having appeared in four finals and lost every one. However, their luck would eventually change when Chile won two consecutive Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, in part largely due to Eduardo Vargas, who finished as the top scorer in both tournaments. He is just three goals away from becoming the joint-all-time Copa America top scorer with 17 goals, which is an incredible achievement considering the size of some of the other teams involved in the tournament.

In both 2015 and 2016, Chile faced Argentina in the final, beating them on penalties on each occasion and denying Lionel Messi what would then have been his first Copa America trophy. Chile went through the 2015 tournament without losing a game and only conceded once, against Peru in the semi-finals.

4 Paraguay

Copa America titles: 2

Paraguay lifted the Copa America trophy in 1953 and 1979. They won the 1953 tournament via a playoff victory over Brazil after both sides finished the round-robin phase on eight points. La Albirroja beat Brazil 3-2 in the match which saw them crowned champions for the very first time. Their second triumph was just as stressful. After topping their group, they beat the Brazilians again 2-1 in the semi-final ahead of a two-legged final against Chile. Both nations won their home tie, Paraguay claimed a 3-0 victory before losing 1-0 in Santiago, forcing a play-off on neutral territory which also ended goalless, ensuring that Paraguay were crowned champions on aggregate.

Paraguay have also faced heartache in the final of the Copa America, and probably far too many times than they’d like. They have been beaten six times in the final of the tournament, with the last time coming in 2011 when they were thumped 3-0 by Uruguay thanks to two goals from Diego Forlan and one from Luis Suarez.

3 Brazil

Copa America titles: 9

Brazil’s relatively tame return of nine continental titles may be a surprise to those who do not follow the competition closely. Their last triumph came in 2019 when they beat Peru in the final. Brazil were formidable throughout the 2019 tournament, winning all their group games apart from one, in which they drew with Venezuela.

The five-time World Cup winners beat Paraguay 4-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals before a comfortable 2-0 win over rivals, Argentina, in the semi-final. Brazil beat Peru 3-1 in the final, which was their first Copa America triumph in 12 years. They have been involved in 21 finals in total, and have suffered heartbreak in 12 of them, with the most recent one coming in 2021 when Brazil lost 1-0 to Argentina, in a game that ended Lionel Messi’s hunt for the coveted trophy.

2 Uruguay

Copa America titles: 15

Uruguay are the joint all-time most successful team in Copa America history alongside Argentina, who recently equalled the record of 15 during the 2021 tournament. Incredibly, Uruguay’s last triumph was over 10 years ago, in 2011. Their most recent Copa America win wasn’t a smooth one. They did things the hard way, finishing second in their group before scraping past Argentina on penalties in the quarter-finals. Fortunately for Uruguay, their games in the semi-final and final of the tournament were more straightforward. They beat Peru 2-0 before thumping Paraguay 3-0 in the showpiece. Uruguay have finished as runners-up in the tournament on six occasions, the last time coming in 1999 when they fell at the final hurdle to Brazil, losing the final comfortably 3-0.

1 Argentina

Copa America titles: 15

In 2021, Argentina and Lionel Messi ended their long wait to get their hands on the Copa America trophy once again. It was their first in 28 years, but in doing so, they equalled Uruguay’s all-time record of 15 trophies. Messi was determined to win the tournament after missing out on several occasions, including consecutive finals in 2015 and 2016 to Chile. He had a stellar Copa America, finishing the tournament as the top scorer with four goals and being voted the Player of the Tournament.

It turned out to be an incredible year for Argentina. Following their Copa America win, their long wait to get their hands on the World Cup trophy also came to an end in 2022, which was their first World Cup triumph since 1986. Then, to reaffirm their dominance in international football, Argentina retained their Copa America crown at the 2024 tournament held in the USA, thanks to a 1-0 win over Colombia from a goal from Lautaro Martinez.

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 17th July 2024.