CONMEBOL confirms Copa America 2021 will take place with only 10 teams

For the first time since 1993, the Copa América will not feature two guest nations after CONMEBOL announced it will host this summer’s tournament with only the 10 South American nations.

Australia and Qatar were slated to participate in the upcoming Copa América, which was postponed from last year to this summer due to the pandemic, but both national teams were forced to withdraw due to  World Cup qualifying in Asia this summer. 

CONMEBOL confirmed that it will move forward with a 10-team tournament composed of two groups of five rather than seek out two more teams. Eight teams will still advance to the quarterfinals, meaning that only one team from each group won’t move on to the knockout stages.

“As is tradition, CONMEBOL, at the time, invited teams from other confederations,” the South American confederation said in a statement. “However, the suspended matches and delays brought about by the pandemic that affected world football prevented other nations from participating.”

For the first time in Copa América history, the tournament will take place in two countries with Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia playing their group stage matches in Argentina and defending champion Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela forming the second group with games in Colombia. The tournament opens June 13 with Argentina hosting Chile in a rematch of the eventful 2016 Centenario final and ends with the final on July 10 in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Sports Illustrated