All Things To Know About Brazil At The Copa América
Brazil is the third most successful Copa América squad, having won nine titles. The Copa América spectators were surprised by this team’s extraordinary and out-of-the-box performances. In exchange, this club went on to win the Copa América championships. Here is all you need to know about Brazil’s Copa América journey.
An Overview Of Brazil At The Copa América
The Copa América, South America’s premier senior men’s soccer competition, determines the continental champion. This tournament was called the South American Championship until 1967. Having debuted in 1916, it is the world’s oldest continental event.
Brazil has won the event 9 times, putting them behind Argentina and Uruguay (15 each) as the most successful teams in Copa América. Between 1926 and 1935, Brazil was absent from Copa América for nearly ten years.
From 1997 through 2007, they were exceptionally successful, winning four of the five Copas during that time. Zizinho, who played in the 1940s and 1950s, holds the record for both most matches (34) and goals (17) in tournament history, albeit he shares both. Brazil was the reigning champions after winning the Copa América in 2019 before losing in the 2021 final against Argentina.
Pelé, dubbed “The Century Player,” only appeared in one competition, in 1959. He did, however, show off his remarkable goal-scoring ability by netting eight goals in six games, earning him the edition’s top scorer and most valuable player.
The Copa América Titles Won By Brazil
In 1919, the third edition of the championship, Brazil won its first continental title. They got their hands on the trophy many more times after that, but they also had tough trophy-less spells.
Brazil has won the Copa América on nine occasions, the most recent being the 2019 edition. Brazil has had some glorious times in the last two decades, as we’ve already stated.
1st Title (1919)
The South American Championship of Nations, held in 1919, was the third continental championship for national football teams from South America. From May 11 to 29, 1919, it took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, the defending champion, were among the participants.
After finishing tied for first place in their group on points, host Brazil defeated Uruguay in the final to claim their first title.
The playoff was the longest match in the history of the competition. When the scores were tied 0-0 after 90 minutes, both captains and the referee agreed to play two 30-minute overtime sessions, leaving the playoff match 150 minutes long.
2nd Title (1922)
The sixth South American Championship was supposed to be held in Chile, but Brazil requested to host it as part of their 100th-anniversary celebrations. Between September 17 and October 22, 1922, it was hosted in Rio de Janeiro.
Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina were all present (as of 1922).
Because Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay were all tied, the three teams were scheduled to compete in a playoff match; however, Uruguay withdrew because its players had to return home.
Brazil and Paraguay met in a playoff match to determine the title. And Brazil defeated Paraguay 3-0 and then won the championship.
3rd Title (1949)
The Copa América, South America’s most important national team football competition, was held for the 21st time in 1949. Brazil hosted and won the event. Argentina withdrew from the competition, while Paraguay finished second.
The Brazilians had been without an official title for 27 years before this triumph came. With nine goals, Jair Rosa Pinto of Brazil was the Copa América’s highest scorer.
4th Title (1989)
Brazil hosted the Copa América 1989 football competition from July 1 to 16. All ten CONMEBOL member countries took part.
Brazil overcame Uruguay 1–0 in the final to win their 4th title and first since 1949. This victory brought an end to the Brazilians’ 19-year drought without an official title.
Brazilian Bebeto was the leading scorer. He scored six goals, three of which came in the final group stage.
5th Title (1997)
In its 38th edition, the Copa América was held in Bolivia for the second time. CONMEBOL, South America’s football regulatory body, organized the event.
The final event has no qualifying rounds. The tournament will feature all ten South American countries, as well as two additional invited countries, for a total of 12 teams. Mexico and Costa Rica were invited to the 1997 edition.
Brazil won the tournament, making history as the first squad to win the World Cup and the Copa América in the same year.
6th Title (1999)
From June 29 to July 18, 1999, Paraguay hosted the Copa América football tournament. Mexico and Japan were invitees with the latter becoming the competition’s first team from outside of the Americas.
Ronaldo and Rivaldo of Brazil were the top scorers in the tournament with five goals each. In total, 45 different players scored 74 goals, one of which was their own goal.
7th Title (2004)
In 2004, the Copa América held its 41st edition. From July 6 to 25, the competition was conducted in Peru and it was the 6th time this country hosted the event.
Brazil beat Argentina in a shootout to win the tournament. Brazil now has the Copa América and World Cup crowns in the same year for the 2nd time in history.
8th Title (2007)
In 2007, the 42nd Copa América took place. The event was held in Venezuela from June 26 to July 15, with Venezuela hosting the tournament for the first time.
Brazil (the defending champions) won the competition by winning the final 3–0 against Argentina. The third-place match saw Mexico upset Uruguay 3–1.
9th Title (2019)
From June 14 to July 7, 2019, the championship was held in six different locations around Brazil. It’s the first time since 1991 that no CONCACAF country has participated in the tournament.
Brazil earned their ninth title with a 3–1 win over Peru in the final. Argentina won the third-place match 2–1 over Chile.
Furthermore, Brazil had 12 runners-up in 1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1983, 1991, 1995, and 2021.The team also finished third seven times in 1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959, 1975, and 1979.
5 Best Players Of All Time For Brazil At Copa América
On practically every occasion, Brazil is one of very few teams that can boast a deep squad depth. In terms of records, let’s look at the best three players for Brazil at the Copa América, year by year.
Zizinho
Zizinho was a Brazilian football player who represented his country as an attacking midfielder. He was praised as a complete player with a wide range of offensive talents, including both-foot dribbling, passing, and shooting, as well as dead-ball precision and exceptional vision. He was Pelé’s idol and is commonly acknowledged as one of the best pre-Pelé Brazilian footballers.
- Records: Copa América all-time top goalscorer: 17 goals
Jair
Jair, an attacking midfielder in Brazilian association football, was a key figure during the 1940s and 1950s, best remembered for his contribution to Brazil’s World Cup campaign in 1950. Jair was renowned for his free-role style of play, along with his speed and technical skills. He mainly played as an inside forward.
- Records: Copa América Top Scorer: 1949
Ademir
Ademir was a Brazilian footballer who was widely known as one of the best attackers ever. Ademir had a good run at the Copa América. In 18 games, he scored 13 goals and added three assists, including a championship-clinching hat-trick against Paraguay in the final play-off in 1949.
- Records: Copa América Best Player: 1949
Didi
Didi was a Brazilian footballer who excelled as a forward or midfielder and is widely considered one of the best players of all time. Didi was an elegant and technical player who was noted for his stamina, technique, and passing range. He was also an expert in free kicks, having pioneered the Folha Seca dead ball free kicks.
- Records: Copa América Top Scorer: 1957
Pelé
Pelé played forward in Brazil’s professional football league. He was one of the twentieth century’s most successful and popular sports figures, hailed as one of the greatest players of all time and crowned “the best” by FIFA.
- Record: Copa América Top scorer 1959
In Conclusion
In short, Brazil has won a total of nine South American Championships/Copa Américas. As a result, they are Copa América’s third most successful squad. Aside from that, they’ve had five FIFA World Cups, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002.
FAQs
Zizinho is the one who has the most matches (34).
Brazil recorded the most goals (46) in a single tournament in 1949.
Zizinho is the most prolific goal scorer (17).
During 1997-1998 and 2004-2006, Brazil simultaneously held them.
It’s Zizinho. Between 1942 and 1957, he scored 6 goals.