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Copa America is the premier football tournament for national teams in South America and it is controlled by the CONMEBOL.
The competition was founded in 1916 and is the oldest still-running international football tournament.
Some of the greatest players in history, including Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona, Luis Suarez and Ronaldo Nazario, have participated in the Copa America. And it has certainly increased its allure to fans around the globe.
Countries like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are among the most-followed national teams in the world. It therefore stands to reason that Copa America ranks among the most prestigious international tournaments on the planet.
The competition is also notoriously difficult to win. The extremely physical nature of South American football, coupled with the similar styles of participants, adds extra intrigue to Copa matches.
Since 1916, there have been 47 editions of the Copa America, with the schedule and format taking different forms and shapes throughout its 105-year history.
Of the 10-member nations of CONMEBOL, only two, Ecuador and Venezuela, are yet to win the Copa America.
In contrast, some of the more established sides on the continent have enjoyed far more success in the tournament.
Here is a rundown of the five countries with the most Copa America titles.
Note: Where two or more countries have the same number of trophies, runners-up medals are used as a tie-breaker.
Honorable mention: Peru - 2 titles (1 runners-up)
#5 Chile - 2 titles (4 runners-up)
Chile finished in third place at the 2007 FIFA world Youth Championship. The core of that squad, including Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel and Mauricio Isla, went on to become mainstays in the senior national team.
Three years later, Chile ended a 12-year absence from the World Cup by making it to the knockout round in South Africa, a feat they repeated four years later.
Their most glorious moment came in 2015 when they lifted the Copa America on home turf, seeing off Argentina in the final on penalties. Chile finally ended their 99-year wait for continental glory.
Lightning happened to strike twice for the Chileans. Just a year later, they defeated the same opponent on penalties again in a special edition to mark the 100th-year anniversary of the tournament.
This happened to be the third consecutive final that Argentina had lost in as many years and prompted a visibly dejected Lionel Messi to infamously announce his international retirement.
Chile also finished as runners-up on four occasions, 1955, 1956, 1979 and 1987.
Also See: Six greatest players who never received an international cap
#4 Paraguay - 2 titles (6 runners-up)
Paraguay occupy a unique position in South American football. They are not quite big enough to constantly challenge the big three but they have historically been better than the rest of the competition.
It therefore comes as no surprise that they are the fourth most successful side in the history of the Copa America.
La Albirroja finished as champions of South America in 1953 and 1979. Furthermore, they were runners-up on six occasions, with their most recent final loss coming in 2011.
Also See: Seven European clubs to win a treble
#3 Brazil - 9 titles (12 runners-up)
Brazil are by far the most popular and successful national team in the history of football. The distinct yellow and blue jersey associated with the Samba Boys has wowed and captivated several generations of football fans over the years.
The country is famed for being something of a conveyor belt for world-class football talent. Some of the very greatest names in footballing history have come from the home of the Maracana.
Perhaps a bit surprisingly, Brazil are not as dominant on the South American continent as they are in other competitions. A large reason for this has to do with the topsy-turvy history of the Copa America, as well as cumbersome logistical issues.
The Selecao pulled out of nine previous tournaments, while they have also regularly sent B-teams to dispute the Copa America in the past.
Nevertheless, Brazil still have a respectable total of nine Copa America titles, with five of these coming since 1997. Furthermore, the five-time world champions have finished as runners-up on 12 occasions, with the most recent coming on home soil in the latest edition of the tournament in 2021.
Also See: Seven greatest Brazilian defenders of all time
#2 Uruguay - 15 titles (6 runners-up)
Uruguay cemented their place in footballing history by winning the gold medal in football at the Olympics in 1924, as well as the first-ever FIFA World Cup in 1930.
Since then, La Celeste have gone on to become one of the most successful men's teams on the international stage. They have two World Cup triumphs, as well as 15 Copa America titles to their names.
Their success is belied by the fact that Uruguay is an extremely small nation with an estimated population of just 3.4 million. They are the least-populated country to have won a World Cup and one of the seven least-populated nations to have qualified for the mundial.
Uruguay enjoyed immense success in the early editions of the Copa America but have hit a dry patch in recent years as Brazil began to take the tournament more seriously.
In total, they have won the Copa America 15 times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2011. They have also finished as losing finalists on six occasions.
#1 Argentina - 15 titles (14 runners-up)
Argentina have a curious history with the Copa America, in that they have been crowned champions almost as many times as they have been losing finalists.
The country is famous for giving the world two of the greatest players to ever grace a field - Diego Maradaona and Lionel Messi. Whereas the former never got his hands on the continental crown, the latter ended decades of heartbreak with his triumph at the Maracana in 2021.
Argentina's narrow victory over Brazil in the tempestuous 2021 Copa final brought to an end a staggering 28-year wait for major honors for the football-obsessed country.
It also saw Messi lift a maiden international trophy, the previous lack of which many saw as a major blot on his otherwise immaculate career.
Prior to victory at the Maracana, Argentina last lifted the Copa America in 1993, before a testing run of four final defeats (three of which included Lionel Messi).
Also See: Brazil vs Argentina: All-time combined XI
