Are you a true soccer fan? Are you among the tens of millions of football fans who are waiting with increasing anticipation for upcoming South America’s Copa America 2020? Today, when sports fans all over the world are growing more and more knowledgeable about stats and facts, there are several little known aspects of the extremely popular soccer tournament that many soccer fans do not know.
If you pride yourself in knowing even the smallest details and information about soccer and global soccer tournaments, then you should read the list of amazing Copa America facts given below. Here we will be sharing some quick Copa America Facts which every football fan must know. These are the basic facts that will give you brief information about the upcoming Copa America 2020.
Copa America Quick Facts Every Football Fan Must Know
Here are the top quick Copa America facts you should know:
Dual Hosts
The 2020 Copa America marks the first time that the tournament will be held in two different countries – Argentina and Colombia – after more than 36 years since it was played such in 1983 on a home-away basis. This is also the first time that the Copa America tournament will be co-hosted by two countries. A total of 9 venues (5 in Argentina and 4 in Colombia) have been chosen to host the tournament matches. Argentina will host the matches for the North Zone group while Colombia is responsible for hosting matches for the teams in the South Zone group.
This decision to have the tournament hosted by two countries came after CONMEBOL president, Alejandro Dominguez announced it as a step towards “bringing the parties to the people and feeding the football festival”, as per a statement given to AS.
Also Read: Copa America Winners, Runners-up List (1916 – 2020)
Dates & Venues
The 2020 Copa America tournament will be inaugurated with the first match on 12th June 2020 in Argentina and will end exactly a month later, with the finale planned to be held on 12th July 2020 in Colombia.
The two countries will altogether host a total of 38 matches, with 12 matches more than the 2019 Copa America. This increase in the number of matches is to facilitate the 12 different teams that are set to participate in the 2020 Copa America tournament.
Guest Teams
Apart from the ten member nations of the CONMEBOL, the 2020 Copa America will also see two guest nations – Australia and Qatar – playing for the Copa America crown this year. In addition to the two guest teams of Qatar and Australia, the other participants in the 2020 Copa America tournament include co-hosts Argentina and Colombia, along with current champions Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela.
The decision to invite the two non-member nations was taken after witnessing the impressive performance of team Qatar in the recently concluded 2019 Asian Cup championship where the team clinched the title after having won all seven games in the tournament. Team Qatar also played in the 2019 Copa America tournament.
Although team Australia fell short of expectations of soccer fans at the 2019 Asian Cup when it was knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, the team’s overall impressive performance made them ideal candidates for the guest team at the 2020 Copa America tournament.
Copa America Facts
Copa America in 2019 and in 2020 too
Why is the CONMEBOL holding the Copa America tournament, which is a quadrennial tournament, in the consecutive year this time?
The decision was taken after approval from FIFA so that the tournament can be held in even – number years after 2020, as opposed to odd – number years. This will also ensure that the tournament does not create an inconvenience for players who are selected to play in the Euro tournament and the Copa America tournament as well.
Top Title Winners
Team Uruguay holds the record for winning the most number of Copa America tournaments, with 15 title wins under their belt, having won the 2011 Copa America as their 15th title.
Team Argentina is a close second, with a total 14 Copa America wins, with the last tournament won being the 1993 Copa America.
Team Brazil is the third in line for the maximum numbers of Copa America wins, with 9 titles after having reached 12 Copa America finals to date.
Also Read: Copa America 2020 Prize Money for Winners, Runners Up & Participants
Top Favorite Teams
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay are the top three favorite teams who are expected to win the 2020 Copa America title.
Team Brazil’s 2019 Copa America victory makes them the top favorite to win the upcoming tournament. Brazil is followed closely by Argentina as a top as the Argentinean side seeks to break the losing streak in the Copa America tournament despite having shown extremely impressive performance in other international tournaments. Last, but not the least, team Colombia, the co-hosts are also expected to perform up to expectations of the team’s fans and justify its top FIFA ranking.
No North American teams this time
The 2020 Copa America will be the first time that no team from North America has been able to qualify for the tournament since 1993.
Team Mexico is known as the top team from the North American continent who has been a regular feature of the Copa America tournament.
Fewer Teams than expected
Earlier, the CONMEBOL would normally select 16 teams from member nations as well as guest teams to play in the Copa America tournament.
However, the decision was changed to include only 12 teams for the upcoming 2020 Copa America soccer tournament.
Next Tournament Hosts
Ecuador has won the draw and chosen to host the 2024 Copa America tournament.
Grand Finale in Colombia
The 2020 Copa America tournament’s final match is scheduled to be held in the immense Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla, Colombia.
