The Copa America is for teams from South America, right?
Well, for the most part, yes.
But the thing about CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, is that only 10 nations are part of it. This leaves them a bit short when they want to hold a continental competition similar to the European Championship (55 member associations), Africa Cup of Nations (54) or Asian Cup (47).
So Copa America invites guest nations to take part in the tournament, and sometimes even asks them to host it. That happened for the first time in 2016, when it took place in the United States, and it is happening there again this summer.
Not everybody likes the idea of random nations from around the globe making up the numbers, though. Especially not the Uruguay Football Association’s then president Wilmar Valdez, who complained that the U.S. is “a country where they don’t feel football”, which “brings about problems”, ahead of it hosting eight years ago.
We have run through the history of guest nations at the Copa — the invites, the performances and the controversies…
The most recent tournament, in 2021, was one of the most memorable in recent history. Lionel Messi won his first major international trophy with Argentina, beating Brazil 1-0 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro — it was the first time Brazil had not been champions of a Copa America played on their home soil.
There were no guest nations in that tournament due to COVID-19 concerns — the first time this had happened since 1991. Australia and Qatar had been due to take part but withdrew because of worries relating to the pandemic.
But this year guest nations are back.
Before the 1993 tournament, CONMEBOL began adding a rotating cast of invitees to its 10 core teams. Previously, there were two groups of five, and the top two from those progressed to the semi-finals. With the expansion, there was a minimum of 12 competing nations, allowing for an added eight-team knockout round, which meant higher viewing figures and… drum roll… greater revenue.
This summer, the United States, Mexico, Panama, Canada and Costa Rica are the guest nations representing CONCACAF — the governing body for north American, central American and Caribbean football.
While it is yet to happen in Copa America, having guest nations join in on the fun like this opens up the possibility that a country outside South America could win the continent’s premier sports tournament. Historically, Mexico has been the most likely to upset the apple cart, having got to the final twice.
Guest nations performance
Nation
|
Appearances
|
First
|
Most recent
|
Best
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico |
10 |
1993 |
2016 |
Final |
Honduras |
1 |
2001 |
– |
Third place |
USMNT |
4 |
1993 |
2016 |
Semi-finalists |
Costa Rica |
5 |
1996 |
2016 |
Quarter-finalists |
Japan |
2 |
1999 |
2016 |
Quarter-finalists |
Jamaica |
2 |
2015 |
2016 |
Group stage |
Haiti |
1 |
2016 |
– |
Group stage |
Panama |
1 |
2016 |
– |
Group stage |
Qatar |
1 |
2019 |
– |
Group stage |
On the back of a golden generation led by former Real Madrid striker Hugo Sanchez, Mexico advanced to the knockout round in 1993 as a third-placed team, finishing ahead of Venezuela on goal difference. They then comfortably defeated Peru 4-2 and hosts Ecuador 2-0, but Gabriel Batistuta scored twice in the second half as Argentina won 2-1 in the final, denying Mexico a dream start to life in Copa America. They reached the final again in 2001, beating Chile 2-0 and Uruguay 2-1 but losing 1-0 to host nation Colombia on that occasion.
The USMNT have reached the semi-finals twice, in 1995 and 2016, when they hosted the Copa America’s 100th-anniversary ‘Centenario’ edition. Is it beyond the realms of possibility that they could do well again on home turf this summer? Well, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are heavily favoured, but that does not always mean everything in Copa America. Just ask those who followed Honduras in 2001, when they beat Brazil in the quarter-finals on their way to finishing third. Suffice to say, they have never been invited back.
Despite their detractors, guest nations serve a purpose when they bring their strongest squads to the tournament. They increase competitiveness, draw foreign interest and boost financials. When they don’t, however, they weaken the tournament’s integrity and irritate some people.
In 2007, the United States made its third appearance as a guest nation — one month after the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the tournament’s North American equivalent. Coach Bob Bradley took a young, experimental group to Venezuela, where they lost all three group games.
The successful defence of their Gold Cup title, a tournament prioritised then but with decreasing significance in recent years as they’ve strengthened their position as the best team in North America, on home soil meant many of their star players were not called up.
The Americans were without Landon Donovan, the team’s star attacker, who decided to return to club duty with LA Galaxy of MLS. At the back, Everton of the Premier League recalled first-choice goalkeeper Tim Howard for pre-season preparation. Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, DaMarcus Beasley and emerging youngster Michael Bradley, the coach’s son, were also left out after winning the Gold Cup.
In their first game, they were beaten 4-1 by Argentina after the former Fulham and MLS journeyman striker Eddie Johnson opened the scoring for Bradley’s side in the ninth minute. They then lost 3-1 to Paraguay and 1-0 to Colombia, exiting the tournament with three defeats from three games and a goal difference of minus six.
“It means a lot to our fans, and without a doubt, there are many circumstances that come into play,” Bradley said. “Nonetheless, in terms of the big picture, I certainly understand the disappointment and frustration many fans expressed.”
Good observation. I’d agree that watching a B team lose all three games thousands of miles from home would definitely fall into the “disappointing” and “frustrating” categories. I’d imagine there were a few harsher words in the stadium from the travelling fans.
However, Bradley was far from the first manager to turn up to a Copa America without it being a priority tournament.
Japan made their first appearance in 1999 without four players who started against Argentina in the World Cup a year earlier, including star playmaker Hidetoshi Nakata. They picked up one point from their three matches and finished bottom of their group, having conceded eight goals. In 2019, they were invited again and brought a squad consisting primarily of under-23s players eligible to play at the Olympic Games in Japan scheduled for a year later (though eventually postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Once again, they went home winless.
“I do not agree with guests such as Japan, who have come here with an under-23 team — they have shown a lack of respect for our competition,” said Rafael Dudamel, Venezuela head coach from 2016 to 2020. “I raise my voice and want to make myself clear: Copa America should only be for CONMEBOL teams. We have not seen South American teams being invited to the Africa Cup of Nations or European tournaments. We have to respect the hierarchy that we have historically built.”
Perhaps the most controversial invitees were Qatar, also in 2019.
They were announced in 2018, alongside Japan, before Qatar beat them in the final of the Asian Cup in February 2019. Given Qatar was set to host the World Cup three years later, it would be a fair suggestion that their inclusion was part of an effort to bring the national team to the forefront of football’s global mind. For what it is worth, the state-owned airline Qatar Airways became an official sponsor of CONMEBOL six months after Qatar’s inclusion was announced.
Qatar started that 2019 tournament in Brazil with promise, rallying from a two-goal deficit to draw with Paraguay. They lost their second game late to Colombia, conceding in the 86th minute, and went into their final group match against Argentina needing a win to secure qualification for the quarter-finals. Lautaro Martinez put Argentina ahead in the fourth minute, and Sergio Aguero added the second in the 82nd, eliminating Qatar from their first Copa America with one point from three games.
“I think it would make sense to play a Copa America with teams from all the Americas,” Paraguay’s then head coach Edwardo Berizzo told reporters after their 2-2 with Qatar. “I think we should imagine a whole Copa America, with Central America and North America playing all the same tournament. I never saw Europe inviting any South American team to compete.
“Don’t take it wrong, maybe it sounds a little acidic today, just after playing against our rival (Qatar). But I firmly believe Copa America should be played by all the American teams in one tournament — CONCACAF and CONMEBOL together.”
Speaking of cross-Americas collaboration, Mexico are the gold standard for guest nations at Copa America, with 10 consecutive appearances and several deep runs.
They’ve sat out the past two tournaments, with the Gold Cups in those same summers taking priority, but without any scheduling conflicts this summer, they will send their strongest squad to the United States in preparation for co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the U.S. and Canada. As will the United States themselves, whose two fourth-place finishes rank among the team’s greatest accomplishments.
Jamaica, Panama and fellow CONCACAF nations Canada and Costa Rica will attack this year’s tournament at full strength, too.
On this occasion, the CONCACAF sides have had to qualify through the federation’s Nations League rather than merely being invited, adding purpose to a tournament that has occasionally been overlooked in importance.
Despite the absence of Brazil’s superstar Neymar, who will miss the tournament after sustaining an ACL knee injury on international duty in October, this 2024 edition is set to rival the one eight years ago, which had a similar qualification process.
As the Americas continue collaborating beyond the World Cup, creating a process to ensure guest nations are not just there to make up the numbers will help Copa America compete with its European counterpart. This year, the guest sides are playing to win.
“For us to achieve our goals, Copa America is very important,” said USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. “We have got to do two things: we have to learn how to beat the world, and we have to learn how to thrive in knockout competition. And Copa America is going to be big for that.”
(Top photo: Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images)
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