# Brazil at the Copa América

The Copa América is South America's major tournament in senior men's football and determines the continental champion. Until 1967, the tournament was known as South American Championship. It is the oldest continental championship in the world with its first edition held in 1916.
Brazil have won the tournament nine times, which makes them the third-most successful team in tournament history behind Argentina (16) and Uruguay (15). Brazil withdrew from the tournament for almost ten years between 1926 and 1935.
Brazil were particularly successful from 1997 to 2007, winning four out of five Copas during that time. Zizinho, who competed in the 1940s and 1950s, is the player with the joint-most goals (17) in tournament history.
Pelé, the "Player of the Century", never won the continental title and only competed in one South American Championship in 1959. However, he did present his impressive scoring abilities with eight goals in six matches, becoming that edition's top scorer and most valuable player.

## Overall record

South American Championship / Copa América record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad |
| 1916 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad |
| 1917 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | Squad |
| 1919 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | Squad |
| 1920 | Third place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | Squad |
| 1921 | Runners-up | 2nd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Squad |
| 1922 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | Squad |
| 1923 | Fourth place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Squad |
| 1924 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1925 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | Squad |
| 1926 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1927 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1929 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1935 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1937 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 11 | Squad |
| 1939 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1941 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1942 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7 | Squad |
| 1945 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 5 | Squad |
| 1946 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 7 | Squad |
| 1947 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1949 | Champions | 1st | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 7 | Squad |
| 1953 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 9 | Squad |
| 1955 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1956 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Squad |
| 1957 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 9 | Squad |
| 1959 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 7 | Squad |
| 1959 | Third place | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | Squad |
| 1963 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | Squad |
| 1967 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1975 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 4 | Squad |
| 1979 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | Squad |
| 1983 | Runners-up | 2nd | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 | Squad |
| 1987 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | Squad |
| 1989 | Champions | 1st | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | Squad |
| 1991 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 | Squad |
| 1993 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | Squad |
| 1995 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | Squad |
| 1997 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | Squad |
| 1999 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | Squad |
| 2001 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | Squad |
| 2004 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 6 | Squad |
| 2007 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | Squad |
| 2011 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | Squad |
| 2015 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | Squad |
| 2016 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | Squad |
| 2019 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | Squad |
| 2021 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | Squad |
| 2024 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | Squad |
| Total | 9 Titles | 38/48 | 195 | 109 | 41 | 45 | 435 | 206 | — |

## Decisive matches and finals

In the era of the South American Championship, Round Robins were more commonly played than knock-out tournaments. Listed are the decisive matches which secured Brazil the respective titles.
| Year | Match type | Opponent | Result | Manager | Brazil scorer(s) | Final location |
| 1919 | Final (Play-off) | Uruguay | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Haroldo Domingues | A. Friedenreich | Rio de Janeiro |
| 1922 | Final (Play-off) | Paraguay | 3–0 | Laís | Neco, Formiga (2) | Rio de Janeiro |
| 1949 | Final (Play-off) | Paraguay | 7–0 | Flávio Costa | Ademir (3), Tesourinha (2), Jair (2) | Rio de Janeiro |
| 1989 | Final Round Robin | Uruguay | 1–0 | Sebastião Lazaroni | Romário | Rio de Janeiro |
| 1997 | Final | Bolivia | 3–1 | Mário Zagallo | Edmundo, Ronaldo, Zé Roberto | La Paz |
| 1999 | Final | Uruguay | 3–0 | Vanderlei Luxemburgo | Rivaldo (2), Ronaldo | Asunción |
| 2004 | Final | Argentina | 2–2 (4–2 p) | Carlos Alberto Parreira | Luisão, Adriano (decisive penalty: Juan) | Lima |
| 2007 | Final | Argentina | 3–0 | Dunga | Júlio Baptista, R. Ayala (o.g.), Dani Alves | Maracaibo |
| 2019 | Final | Peru | 3–1 | Tite | Everton, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison (p) | Rio de Janeiro |

## Record by opponent

Brazil's biggest victories at continental championships were a 10–1 win against Bolivia in 1949 and a 9–0 win against Colombia in 1957, with Evaristo scoring five goals. Their largest defeat was a 0–6 loss against Uruguay in 1920.
Copa América matches (by team) :
| Opponent | W | D | L | Pld | GF | GA |
| Argentina | 10 | 8 | 16 | 34 | 40 | 53 |
| Bolivia | 9 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 42 | 13 |
| Chile | 17 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 61 | 25 |
| Colombia | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 32 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Ecuador | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 53 | 12 |
| Haiti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Honduras | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mexico | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
| Paraguay | 13 | 11 | 7 | 31 | 62 | 31 |
| Peru | 15 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 47 | 14 |
| United States | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 37 | 40 |
| Venezuela | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 2 |
| Total | 108 | 41 | 45 | 194 | 432 | 206 |

## Record players

| Rank | Player | Matches | Tournaments |
| 1 | Zizinho | 33 | 1942, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1953 and 1957 |
| 2 | Claudio Taffarel | 25 | 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 |
| 3 | Djalma Santos | 22 | 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1959 (Argentina) |
| 4 | Roberto Carlos | 21 | 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 |
| 5 | Dani Alves | 19 | 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019 |
| 5 | Marquinhos | 19 | 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 |
| 7 | Jair | 18 | 1945, 1946, 1949 and 1953 |
| 7 | Aldair | 18 | 1989, 1995 and 1997 |
| 7 | Dunga | 18 | 1989, 1995 and 1997 |
| 7 | Thiago Silva | 18 | 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021 |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Goals | Tournaments (goals) |
| 1 | Zizinho | 17 | 1942 (2), 1945 (2), 1946 (5), 1949 (5), 1953 (1) and 1957 (1) |
| 2 | Jair | 13 | 1945 (2), 1946 (2) and 1949 (9) |
| 2 | Ademir | 13 | 1945 (5), 1949 (7) and 1953 (1) |
| 4 | Didi | 11 | 1957 (8) and 1959 (3) |
| 5 | Ronaldo | 10 | 1997 (5) and 1999 (5) |
| 6 | Heleno | 9 | 1945 (6) and 1946 (3) |
| 7 | Neco | 8 | 1917 (2), 1919 (4) and 1922 (2) |
| 7 | Tesourinha | 8 | 1945 (1) and 1949 (7) |
| 7 | Evaristo | 8 | 1957 |
| 7 | Pelé | 8 | 1959 (Argentina) |

## Players with multiple titles

In spite of Brazil winning four Copa Américas within ten years from 1997 to 2007, no single player has been part of more than two victorious squads. Twenty-three players, however, have won two tournaments each:
| Player | Championships |
| Amílcar | 1919 and 1922 |
| Agostinho Fortes | 1919 and 1922 |
| Arthur Friedenreich | 1919 and 1922 |
| Heitor | 1919 and 1922 |
| Marcos | 1919 and 1922 |
| Neco | 1919 and 1922 |
| Palamone | 1919 and 1922 |
| Aldair | 1989 and 1997 |
| Dunga* | 1989 and 1997 |
| Romário | 1989 and 1997 |
| Cláudio Taffarel | 1989 and 1997 |
| Cafú | 1997 and 1999 |
| Flávio Conceição | 1997 and 1999 |
| Roberto Carlos | 1997 and 1999 |
| Ronaldo | 1997 and 1999 |
| Zé Roberto | 1997 and 1999 |
| Alex | 1999 and 2004 |
| Diego | 2004 and 2007 |
| Juan | 2004 and 2007 |
| Júlio Baptista | 2004 and 2007 |
| Maicon | 2004 and 2007 |
| Vágner Love | 2004 and 2007 |
| Dani Alves | 2007 and 2019 |
* Additionally, Dunga won the title as head coach in 2007. Another Brazilian with two titles is Danilo Alvim, who won the South American Championship as player (1949) and as head coach of Bolivia (1963).

## Awards and records

Team awards
* Winners (9): 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019
* Runners-up (12): 1921, 1925, 1937, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1959 (Argentina), 1983, 1991, 1995, 2021
* Third place (7): 1916, 1917, 1920, 1942, 1959 (Ecuador), 1975, 1979
Individual awards
* MVP 1919: Arthur Friedenreich
* MVP 1922: Agostinho Fortes
* MVP 1945: Domingos da Guia
* MVP 1949: Ademir
* MVP 1959 (ARG): Pelé
* MVP 1997: Ronaldo
* MVP 1999: Rivaldo
* MVP 2004: Adriano
* MVP 2007: Robinho
* MVP 2019: Dani Alves
* Top scorer 1919: Arthur Friedenreich+Neco (4 goals) (shared)
* Top scorer 1945: Heleno (6 goals) (shared)
* Top scorer 1949: Jair (9 goals)
* Top scorer 1959 (ARG): Pelé (8 goals)
* Top scorer 1983: Roberto Dinamite (3 goals) (shared)
* Top scorer 1989: Bebeto (6 goals)
* Top scorer 1999: Rivaldo + Ronaldo (5 goals) (shared)
* Top scorer 2004: Adriano (7 goals)
* Top scorer 2007: Robinho (6 goals)
* Top scorer 2019: Everton (3 goals) (shared)
* Best goalkeeper 2019: Alisson
* Champion as coach of another nation: Danilo Alvim (with Bolivia 1963)
Team records
* Most goals in one tournament (46, in 1949)
* Victory with highest number of goals conceded (6–4 v Chile in 1937, tied with Chile 5–4 Peru in 1955 and Bolivia 5–4 Brazil in 1963)
* Only team to simultaneously hold the Copa América and the FIFA World Cup title (1997-1998 and 2004–2006. During both spells they additionally won the FIFA Confederations Cup.)
Individual records
* Most goals: Zizinho (17, shared with Norberto Méndez)
* Goals at most different tournaments: Zizinho (6, 1942–1957)
* Most goals in one tournament: Jair (9 in 1949, shared with Javier Ambrois and Humberto Maschio, both in 1957)
* Latest goal: Arthur Friedenreich (122', 1919 v Uruguay)