How often is the Copa America?

After recent scheduling changes, the Copa America now occurs at regular intervals that line up with the UEFA Euro tournament.

The Copa America is an international tournament that features the best South American soccer the world has to offer. All 10 CONMEBOL teams, including powerhouse nations like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, compete in the Copa America alongside several CONCACAF teams until one nation is crowned champions.

There have been 47 iterations of the Copa America since its inception back in 1916, and eight of the 10 CONMEBOL teams have claimed at least one victory over the last century. Argentina and Uruguay each have 15 titles, leading all other participating nations. With every new Copa America tournament, though, the historic list of winners constantly evolves.

So, how often does the legendary tournament take place?

How often is the Copa America?

The Copa America currently occurs every four years. Starting in 2020, the competition made the switch to even years to successfully line up with the EUFA Euro tournament. The 2020 Copa America was pushed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the four-year schedule still stands; the next Copa America will unfold in the summer of 2024.

The decision makes a once inconsistent Copa America schedule easy to follow and predict. In the past, the competition occurred at unpredictable intervals; two Copa America competitions could unfold in back-to-back years or after with an eight-year gap. There was even a special Copa America Centenario in 2016, just one year after the 2015 Copa America.

Moving forward, the tournament's schedule will be much less erratic, starting with the 2024 Copa America.

Who won the last Copa America?

Argentina won the last Copa America. Lionel Messi lifted his first major international trophy after defeating Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final. Prior to the tournament, Messi and Argentina had lost two-straight Copa America finals to Chile in 2015 and 2016.

The win marked Argentina's 15th Copa America title, and the defending champions will surely aim to break their tie with Uruguay and become the winningest nation to ever compete in the Copa America this summer.

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