Copa America Betting
Where Copa America Betting comes from
This lively football competition is known for the incredible skills, talent and flair of the professional footballers from the Americas. It is now an event that draws massive crowds and is televised and transmitted to households around the world.
The Copa América is Spanish for "America Cup" and is one of the oldest international football tournaments - having started in 1916. It's made up of teams from the "Americas" continent and run and organized by CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation.
There are 10 South American nations which include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, and there are two invited teams from other football confederations that make up the 12-team field. As CONMEBOL only has the 10 members mentioned above, no qualification for the tournament is necessary. The invitees also do not have to qualify as they are invited on their own merits, such as good performances in the World Cup finals or from other qualification stages in their own confederations. This year, 2007, the two invitees are Mexico and USA.
History of the Copa America
This South American Championship, first held in 1916, has normally been hosted every two years but from this year, 2007, it will be staged once every four years. Now called the Copa America, the event is the oldest running international tournament in the Football Betting Calendar and is contested by the ten teams that make up Conmebol in South America and the two guest teams.
It was held for the first time, in July 1916, as part of the centenary commemorations of Argentina's independence. The confederation making up CONMEBOL was established on Argentina's independence day, July 9th. The tournament was normally held every two years (but the intervals sometimes changed) until 2007.
This prestigious tournament was previously known as Campeonato Sudamericano de Selecciones or South American Championship of Nations - its official English language name. The current name has been in existence since 1975. For eight years between 1975 and 1983 it had no host nation, and was held in a home-away fashion. In 1984, the CONMEBOL's policy was to rotate the right to host the Copa América amongst the ten member confederations. The first rotation will be completed in 2007, when the competition will take place in Venezuela.
Since 1993, two teams from other confederations (often CONCACAF), are invited as many of its members are geographically and culturally close to CONMEBOL's members).
Over the years, invited teams have included :
Costa Rica (1997, 2001, 2004),
Honduras (2001),
Japan (1999),
Mexico (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007),
The United States (1993, 1995, 2007).
The USA has also been invited every year since 1997, but turned down these invitations due to scheduling conflicts with their own top professional league. However, on October 30, 2006, the US Soccer Federation accepted the invitation for participation in the 2007 tournament, ending a 12 year absence. For the Copa América 2001, Canada was an invitee, but later withdrew because of security concerns.
Previous Winners of the Copa America
Winners of the last five tournaments have included:
Brazil 2-2 Argentina (4-2 Pens)
Colombia 1-0 Mexico
Brazil 3-0 Uruguay
Brazil 3-1 Bolivia
Uruguay 1-1 Brazil (5-3 Pens)