Copa America, South America’s premier tournament for the continent’s national teams, is weeks away! Great news for soccer fans from New York to Los Angeles and Santiago to Caracas. As we approach the competition you may have some questions about the schedule, where and how to watch, and more. Don’t fret! We’ve pulled all the info you need to know in our guide to Copa America.
What is Copa America?
Copa America is a competition for South American national teams and is organized by governing body, CONMEBOL. This summer’s tournament is the 47th in history, continuing its streak as the oldest continental soccer tournament.
The tournament typically features 12 teams, including the ten South American countries plus two non-South American countries. Uruguay has won the most Copa America titles (15), while Ecuador and Venezuela are the only two countries to have never won.
Historically, Copa America has been held at inconsistent increments ranging from every two, three, four, or even eight years. To resolve this, CONMEBOL announced that, staring in 2020, Copa America will be held every four years to be in sync with UEFA’s championship, the Euros.
The tournament has been conducted outside of South America just once, when the U.S. hosted a special edition called Copa America Centenario that featured 16 teams.
When is the 2021 Copa America?
June 13 to July 10, 2021.
Wait, I thought you just said the tournament was to be held in 2020? Correct. The tournament was originally scheduled tfor 2020, but was moved to 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This mirrored the decision by UEFA who moved the Euros to 2021, as well.
Where is the tournament being held?
*UPDATE – 6/3*
The 2021 edition of the South American championship tournament was to be held in Argentina and Colombia – the first time two countries were to host the event. However, thanks to political unrest in Colombia, CONMEBOL removed Colombia as a host the week of May 17th. Shortly thereafter, Argentina shut down soccer in the country because of spiking COVID-19 numbers.
As a result, CONMEBOL moved the competition to Brazil who also played host to Copa America in 2019. Five stadiums in four cities will host games – Rio de Janiero and Brasilia will host eight, Goiânia seven, and Cuiabá five.
The legendary Maracanã stadium will only play host to the final, which also hosted the final two years ago in the 2019 Copa America. The semifinals will be played at Nilton Santos and Mané Garrincha on July 5 and 6, respectively.
Due to the pandemic, there will be no spectators at any Copa America games.
| City | Country | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brasilia | Brazil | Mané Garrincha Stadium | 72,788 |
| Cuiabá | Brazil | Arena Pantanal | 41,390 |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Estadio Nilton Santos | 46,931 |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Maracanã | 74,738 |
| Goiânia | Brazil | Estadio Olimpico | 13,500 |
Where can I watch Copa America?
Great news! Whether you want to watch the tournament via English-language or Spanish-language broadcasts, you have great options.
FOX Sports reached a multiyear deal with CONMEBOL to broadcast over 1,500 hours of South American competitions. The deal kicks off with this summer’s Copa America and runs through the 2026 Women’s Copa America tournament. Expect games to be featured on FOX, FOX Sports 1, and FOX Sports 2.
For Spanish-language broadcasts, Univision’s TUDN will showcase the 28 tournament games. Like FOX Sports, Univision has also acquired future CONMEBOL events, including Women’s Copa America.
What teams are participating in the 2021 Copa America?
There are ten teams participating in the 2021 edition of Copa America. As you read above, there are traditionally 12 competing countries; however, due to COVID-19, only South American countries will compete.
| North Zone | South Zone |
|---|---|
| Brazil (host) | Argentina |
| Colombia | Bolivia |
| Ecuador | Chile |
| Peru | Paraguay |
| Venezuela | Uruguay |
What is the competition format?
The two groups of five teams will compete against each other in a roun- robin format where all teams play each other. From there, the top four teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage where the competition will turn into a single-elimination format.
From there, it becomes a March Madness-style tournament where losers are immediately eliminated while winners advance to the semifinals and eventually the Copa America final, to be held at the Maracanã in Rio.
What is the 2021 Copa America schedule?
The beauty of Copa America for viewers in the U.S. is that the timezones in the Americas, generally speaking, line up. As a result, all games will be at night and in primetime viewing. Rio, Goiânia, and Brasilia are all one-hour ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, while Cuiabá is the same as Eastern Daylight Time.
- Group Stage (North Zone): June 14 to June 28 (5pm, 6pm, 8pm, 9pm ET)
- Group Stage (South Zone): June 13 to June 27 (5pm, 6pm, 8pm, 9pm ET)
- Quarterfinals: July 2 to July 3 (TBD)
- Semifinals: July 5 to July 6 (TBD)
- Third Place: July 9 (TBD)
- Final: July 10 (TBD)
What U.S. demographics are interested in Copa America?
Now that you know the specifics surrounding the competition, let’s first highlight the Copa America fan in the U.S. Below, you can see the average age, gender, ethnicity, and more of interested fans.
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