The 48th edition of the Copa América has just begun, as South America's iconic international tournament looks to take the football world by storm. It has been 118 years since this tournament began, with the first edition happening all the way back in 1916. Since then, some of the most legendary teams in South American history have won this competition. The tournament also gave birth to dozens of young stars who went on to become legends of the game.
Let us now look at the top 5 most successful countries in Copa América history.
Chile
Despite Peru having won the same number of Copa América titles as Chile, the latter's comparatively brilliant performance throughout tournament history has led us to pick them. The mid 2010's was the golden era of Chilean football, as they shocked the world by winning 2 consecutive Copa América titles in 2015 and 2016. In just a year, they went from no titles to 2 time champions. After suffering heartbreak in 4 different finals decades ago, they finally achieved ultimate glory. The story of Chile in Copa América is nothing short of inspirational.
Paraguay
Paraguay are another team that has won 2 titles in the Copa América, but their historical performance has been better than the Chileans. They won the competition in 1953 and 1979. Since then, they only managed to reach the final once. That was in 2011, where they suffered a 3-0 loss to Uruguay. The Paraguayans have reached 6 finals in total. Their greatest era was in the late 1940's, during which they reached 2 consecutive Copa América finals. Paraguay and their fans would be hoping to have their golden days back sooner or later.
Brazil
Next in this list is the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history with 5 titles. Brazil are thus arguably the most successful team in international football history. However, they are the third best when it comes to the Copa América. The Seleção have won the tournament on 9 occasions, with the last one being in 2019. They have reached the final on 12 occasions, including the last final which they lost 1-0 to Argentina. It is also very important to mention that Brazil had withdrawn from the Copa América for almost 10 years between 1926 and 1935. Thus, they missed out on potentially making more history.
Uruguay
It might be a shock to many to see Uruguay here. However, there was a time when they were arguably the greatest international team in world football. Such is the rich history behind them. Along with Argentina, they are the joint most successful team in Copa América history with 15 titles. They've lost the final on 6 occasions, including consecutive heartbreaks in 1939 and 1941. Another interesting fact is that Uruguay were the winners of the first ever Copa América tournament in 1916. Their final win was in 2011, and they'd be hoping to achieve glory again by winning a record 16th title.
Argentina
Argentina are the current defending champions of the Copa América, and would be hoping to regain their title in the current tournament. Their victory in the previous tournament made them the joint most successful team in Copa América history with 15 titles. Just like other cases, their comparatively better historical performance has made us choose them at first. They have finished the tournament as runners up on 14 occasions, which is simply unbelievable. Thus, they hold the bizarre record of Copa América final wins and final losses. With their current strong side, Argentina are definitely favorites to extend their Copa América legacy and claim the 16th.
