South America and Europe share the supremacy over the sport, as all national team winners in FIFA World Cup history and all winning teams at the FIFA Club World Cup have come from these two continents. Brazil holds the world record at the FIFA World Cup with five titles in total. Argentina has three titles and Uruguay have two. So far four South American nations have hosted the tournament including its first edition in Uruguay (1930). The other three were Brazil (1950, 2014), Chile (1962), and Argentina (1978).
South America is home to the longest running international football tournament; Copa América, which has been regularly contested since 1916. Uruguay have won the Copa América a record 15 times, beating hosts Argentina in 2011 to reach 15 titles (they were previously equal on 14 titles each during the 2011 Copa América).
Brazil invented some variations of football, such as beach soccer and footvolley. Futsal, having been invented in Uruguay, neighboring Brazil, is also widely practiced in the country, mainly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, neighboring Uruguay.[11]
In futsal, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay are among the greatest world powers. Before the Fifa tournament, since 1982 there is the Futsal World Championship, organized by the former International Federation of Indoor Soccer (Fifusa) and now by the current AMF, where Paraguay are the current AMF world champions with four, Colombia three, Brazil & Argentina twice, and Venezuela once. In the Fifa tournaments, Brazil is the biggest champion of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, with 5 titles, with Argentina having a title in 2016. Falcão is the most renowned male Brazilian player.[12]
The FIBA World Cup took place in South America seven times: Argentina (1950, 1990), Brazil (1954, 1963), Chile (1959), Uruguay (1967) and Colombia (1982).
Volleyball is the second most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian men's team has 6 Olympic medals (3 gold, 3 silver), 7 World Championship medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) and has won nine World Leagues, while Brazil's women's team has won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Olympic Games, in addition to four runners-up and a third place at World Championships. In the 1980s, Peru women's national volleyball team was one of the strongest in the world, winning an Olympic silver medal in 1988, as well as a silver medal in 1982 and a bronze in 1986 at the World Championships. Argentina men's national volleyball team has won 2 Olympic bronzes in 1988 and 2020, and a bronze at the 1982 World Championship.[16][17][18]
Beach Volleyball
Brazil is one of the strongest countries in the world in beach volleyball, a sport widely practiced in the country due to its long coastline, mainly in Rio de Janeiro and in the Northeast Region of the country. Until the 2020 Olympic Games, the country had 2 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze in the men's modality, and 1 gold, 4 silvers and 2 bronzes in the women's modality. Argentina, Chile and Venezuela usually send representatives to the Olympic Games, but without any significant results so far. In world championships, in addition to several titles obtained by Brazilians, the Argentines Mariano Baracetti and Martín Conde were world champions in 2001.[19]
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, vale tudo, and mixed martial arts
Brazilian jiu-jitsu originated in Brazil in the 1910s, and emphasizes ground fighting techniques and submission holds involving joint-locks and chokeholds. Hélio Gracie had a rather small build and changed jiu-jitsu (originating from Japan) to be used by anyone in a real fight situation. The belt progression system goes in the following order: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, Red-black, and Red. Gracie Jiu Jitsu became known internationally in the 1990s, due to the very skilled fighters in the Gracie family, namely Hélio Gracie, Royce Gracie, and Rickson Gracie, which are also responsible for spreading the practice of vale tudo, meaning "anything goes", which evolved into mixed martial arts tournaments such as PRIDE, DREAM, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Many Brazilian fighters have become significant figures in various mixed martial art tournaments abroad, some notable Brazilian fighters in these tournaments include Anderson Silva, José Aldo, Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro, Vitor Belfort, Mauricio Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Junior dos Santos, Rafael dos Anjos, Fabricio Werdum, Lyoto Machida, Alex Pereira and Amanda Nunes. Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay have already had some fighters in MMA, but to this day none of them have won the title of champion.[21][22][23][24]
Surfing is very popular in Brazil. The country has progressively evolved to become one of the biggest forces in the sport in the world. Fábio Gouveia reached number 5 in the world in 1992. In the 2010s, the Brazilian Storm appears, with several Brazilians getting closer to the world title, until Gabriel Medina conquers the same in 2014 and Adriano de Souza wins in 2015. In 2020 surfing ascends to the category of Olympic sport and Ítalo Ferreira becomes Olympic champion. Filipe Toledo was also world champion, in 2022. Peru also has renowned surfers such as Lucca Mesinas and Miguel Tudela.[40][41]
Baseball is the most popular sport in Venezuela. In Colombia, Baseball is very popular in their north region, and has been gaining popularity recently in the other regions of Colombia. A wide list of players from Venezuela and Colombia are in the major leagues in the United States. Both countries are the only ones in this region to participate in the World Baseball Classic (plus Brazil) and the Caribbean Series.
The Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz is the best canoeist in the history of South America, being the only Olympic champion of this modality on the continent and adding a total of four Olympic medals until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Erlon Silva also won Olympic silver for Brazil in canoeing.[55][56]
Marcus Vinicius D'Almeida, in the recurve bow category, is the greatest male archery athlete in the history of South America, having been number 1 in the world in 2023, and world runner-up in 2021. The Chilean Denisse van Lamoen won a world title in the recurve bow in 2011, and the Colombian Natalia Sánchez was a world bronze medalist in 2009. In the Compound bow (which does not participate in the Olympic Games), The Colombian Sara López, multiple world champion, stands out.[57][58]
Yane Marques is the only person born in South America to win an Olympic medal in modern pentathlon (until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games), having also been the first person in Latin America to do so.[62]
Rugby union is becoming popular in South America, following the recent successes of Argentina in recent Rugby World Cup competitions (3rd place in 2007 and 4th place in 2015). The popularity of the game has spread across the continent. Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru and Bolivia all have Rugby Federations.[63]
Colombian cycling has enjoyed a renaissance in the early 2010s, with Colombian riders enjoying international success.[68][69][70][71] One of the factors cited for this success has been the establishment of the 4-72 Colombia cycling team (formerly known as Colombia es Pasión-Café de Colombia), which has developed several cyclists who have gone on to compete for UCI Worldteams.[69][72] The government-backed Colombia–Coldeportes cycling team competed at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, and was the first all-Colombian team to do so for 21 years.[70] The team aimed to secure UCI ProTeam status and compete in the Tour de France,[73] however the team announced its disbanding in October 2015 due to the withdrawal of financial support from Coldeportes, the Colombian government's sports ministry. Riders who graduated to the UCI World Tour from the team included Esteban Chaves and Darwin Atapuma.[74] High-profile riders emerging in this period include Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán, Sergio Henao, Carlos Betancur and Mariana Pajón. The two main strongholds of the sport in Colombia are the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the centre of the country and Antioquia in the west, both being mountainous regions.[75]
Golf is growing in popularity in both Brazil and Argentina but is not widely played elsewhere in South America. Bolivia has the highest tournament class golf course in the world.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Guyana. Apart from there, is mostly played in the Southern Cone, especially in areas settled by English people. Although a number of South American nations have teams, none of them are major, except for the Guyana national cricket team, which plays in inter-regional competitions in the Caribbean. Guyana is also an independent nation represented by the West Indies cricket team, the only team in the Americas with Test status.
South American Cricket Championship is a limited overs cricket tournament played since 1995 between the national teams of the continent with North American teams also often invited to participate. It is currently played annually but until 2013 was usually played biennially.
Polo is popular in some parts of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. South America is the biggest winner of the World Polo Championship, with Argentina having 5 titles, Brazil 3 and Chile 2. Adolfo Cambiaso is an Argentine polo player considered one of the greatest references in the history of this sport.[77]
Fencing
Although South America has little tradition in fencing, the continent has produced some renowned athletes. The Venezuelan Rubén Limardo was an Olympic champion in 2012 in Men's épée, in addition to being twice a silver medalist at World Championships. For Brazil, Nathalie Moellhausen was world champion in 2019 for Brazil and in 2009 for Italy, and reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympic Games in Women's épée. Guilherme Toldo reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Men's foil.[78]
The CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, is the top men's football tournament contested among national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world. The competition determines the champions of South America. Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to compete.
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournament is named after the Libertadores, the leaders of the Latin American wars of independence, so a literal translation of its former name into English is "Americas' Liberators Cup".
The South American Football Confederation is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción. CONMEBOL is responsible for the organization and governance of South American football's major international tournaments. With 10 member football associations, it has the fewest members of all the confederations in FIFA.
Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and a prominent part of the country's national identity. The Brazil national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Brazil and Germany are the only teams to succeed in qualifying for all the World Cups for which they entered the qualifiers; Brazil is the only team to participate in every World Cup competition ever held. Brazil has also won an Olympic gold medal, at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro and at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The Uruguay national football team represents Uruguay in international men's football, and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The national team is commonly referred to as La Celeste.
The Colombia national football team represents Colombia in men's international football and is managed by the Colombian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Colombia. They are a member of CONMEBOL and are currently ranked 14th in the FIFA World Rankings. The team are nicknamed Los Cafeteros due to the coffee production in their country. The national team has been a symbol of nationalism, pride, and passion for many Colombians worldwide. Colombia is known for having a passionate fan base, and the team's dances during goal celebrations have been symbolic.
The Bolivia national football team, also known as La Verde, has represented Bolivia in international football since 1926. Organized by the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF), it is one of the ten members of FIFA's South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
Sports in Brazil are those that are widely practiced and popular in the country, as well as others which originated there or have some cultural significance. Brazilians are heavily involved in sports. Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Other than football, sports like volleyball, mixed martial arts, basketball, tennis, and motor sports, especially Formula One, enjoy high levels of popularity.
The 1960 Copa de Campeones de América was the first season of the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier club tournament. Seven association's clubs entered the first competition, with three not sending a representative. The first match of the tournament was played between Uruguayan side Peñarol and Bolivian side Jorge Wilstermann on April 19 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The Paraguay national rugby team is governed by the Paraguayan Rugby Union. They compete regularly in the South American Rugby Championship, but have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.
The Paraguay women's national football team represents Paraguay in international women's football and is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association. La Albirroja has never reached the World Cup finals, but has finished fourth in both the 2006 Sudamericano Femenino and the 2022 Copa América Femenina, the only times they were not eliminated in the Group stage. Most of Paraguay's matches are in competitions rather than friendlies, although that has started to change in recent times.
This is a record of Peru's results at the Copa América. Ever since their first Copa América, Peru has had good showings. It is often remembered by fans that Peru was the fourth team to win the South American cup. Even though in 1939 Peru played against only 5 of the South American nations, in 1975 Peru won the cup once more.
The history of the Peru national football team dates back to the late 19th century, when English sailors and Peruvian travelers returning from England introduced the sport into Peru. It would take the early 20th century, in the year 1927, for Peru to finally create their first official national football team. Till the date, Peru has participated in five editions of the FIFA World Cup, its best results being the quarterfinals reached in 1970 and 1978, while in South America, it has been champion of the Copa América in 1939 and 1975.
The Sudamérica Rugby Women's Sevens, is the regional championship for women's international rugby sevens in South America. It has been contested since 2004. The tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend. It is sanctioned and sponsored by Sudamérica Rugby.
The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 July 2019 at 6 venues across the country. This is the first time since 1991 where no CONCACAF nation took part in the tournament.
Football is considered one of the greatest sports in South America. Football was first introduced to the continent during the nineteenth century, as part of the worldwide diffusion of British culture initiated by the British diaspora and subsequent acceptance of the sport by the region's Anglophile elite. Football was widely regarded as a symbol of modernity and good health, and over time it replaced older fashionable sports, such as Bochas. By the middle of the twentieth century, it had become the primary mainstream sport across most of the continent.
The history of the Colombia national football team dates back to 1924, with the founding of the Colombian Football Federation. The Colombia national football team has had five entries in the tournament World Cup from 1962 onwards. Colombia hosted the 2001 Copa América, in which they were champions.
The 2014 Copa América Femenina was the seventh edition of the Copa América Femenina, an association football competition for women's national teams in South America affiliated with CONMEBOL. The tournament was played between 11 and 28 September 2014 in Ecuador.
Hugo Marinho Borges Calderano is a table tennis player from Brazil. In January 2022, he peaked at number 3 in the world rankings, becoming the greatest Americas player of all time.
ESPN Latin America is the Latin American division of ESPN Inc., and broadcasts sports-related programming for the region in Spanish. It was launched on 31 March 1989. Its programming is adapted to the likes of viewers, who tend to prefer football and Hispanic baseball players to the more locally produced programs.
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