Copa América Trivia

Matches Played and Goals

• Forty Cup editions were disputed during its 85 years of existence, with 647 matches played and 2,163 goals scored.
• Only one country, Venezuela, has never hosted the Copa América, but they are scheduled to do so in 2005. However, Venezuela already can claim to having hosted the final play-off between Peru and Colombia in 1975.
• Argentina, on the other hand, is the country that organized it most often: 8 times.
• Argentina and Uruguay have attained the Cup most times, with 14 titles each. They are followed by Brazil with 6, Paraguay and Peru with 2, and Bolivia and Colombia with 1.
• In 2001, Colombia were not only crowned champion for the first time; they did not concede a single goal during the six matches, thus establishing a record in the Cup.
• Uruguay are unbeatable as home team, having played 38 Cup matches at home, all in Montevideo and never lost one, winning 31 and drawing 7.
• Uruguay can claim another extraordinary record: they have a positive head-to-head record against all other contenders, including Argentina and Brazil.
• The longest match in the history of the Copa América is the final between Brazil and Uruguay (1-0), disputed in 1919. It lasted 150 minutes, 90 of regular time and 2 extra times of 30 minutes each.
• The greatest score was attained in 1942 when Argentina defeated Ecuador by 12-0.
• The longest tournament was played in Brazil (1949). Twenty-nine matches were played in 39 days. It was also the competition in which most goals were scored: 135.
• Argentina has an unusual distinction: five of the eleven countries that confronted it through the Cup's historical record, were unable to defeat it. These are Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela and Mexico.
• The only victory attained by Venezuela during the Cup's history was against Bolivia, by 3-0 in 1967.
• The 1989 final between Brazil and Uruguay was the Cup's match with the greatest attendance, on July 16, at the Maracanã Stadium: 170.000.
• Buenos Aires, where the Cup saw the light, and Montevideo, are the two cities where most Cup matches were played: 83.
• Santiago de Chile's Nacional stadium is the stadium in which most Cup's matches were staged: 68. Centenario, of Montevideo, with 65, comes next.
• The most common score in the Cup's history is 1-0: 96 times in total.
• Honduras was the guest added in the last edition. With this national team, the number of sides disputing throughout its history rose to 15 (10 of CONMEBOL, 4 of CONCACAF and 1 of Asia).
• As many as 3,253 players disputed the 40 Cup editions throughout its history. 871 of them scored goals.
• 161 players were sent off throughout the competition's history (24 of them in Colombia 2001). Argentina collected most red cards: 21.
• Mexico broke the unbeaten record of the winners of the last two tournaments (Brazil 1997-1999). By their 2001 victory, Mexico stopped Brazil's spell of 20 unbeaten matches, the 12 last ones of those having been won.
• With the 2001 edition Ecuadorean Alex Aguinaga disputed his seventh Cup. He participated in the tournament in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2001, playing 22 matches. The legendary Angel Romano (Uruguay) holds the record of participations: 8.
• Other players with many Cup participations are the following: José Del Solar (Peru) with 6; and Julio Baldivieso (Bolivia), Marco Sandy (Bolivia) and Estanislao Struway (Paraguay) all of them with 5.
• The tournament's first goal was scored by Uruguayan José Piendibene, "The Master" in 1916. The latest goal, number 2,163, was converted by Colombian Iván Ramiro Córdoba.
• 2001 was the fifth time Francisco "Pacho" Maturana coaches a national team. He coached Colombia in 1987, 1989 and 1993, Ecuador in 1995 and Colombia again in 2001. His countryman Hernán Darío "Bolillo" Gómez was Colombia's coach in 1995 and 1997, and Ecuador's in 2001 (so coached 3 times at the Copa).
• Oscar Córdoba, the home team's goalkeeper attained an amazing record. Within 31 days he was crowned Champion of America for both his club and National Team. On June 28, he had a lap of honour with Boca Juniors and on July 29 with Colombia.
• The Tournament's official mascot appeared for the first time in 1987 with "Gardelito" in Argentina '87. "Tico" in Brazil '89; "Guaso" in Chile '91; "Choclito" in Ecuador '93; "Torito" in Uruguay '95; "Tatú" in Bolivia '97; "Taguá" on Paraguay '99 and "Ameriko" in Colombia 2001.
• The Copa America's next edition will be played in Peru, in 2003, followed by Venezuela in 2005.

Overview File Copa América

Prepared and maintained by Roberto Mamrud for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Roberto Mamrud (robert@elsitio.net)
Last updated: 28 Oct 2001

(C) Copyright Roberto Mamrud and RSSSF 1999/2001
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.