Copa América Argentina 2011 | |
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Tournament details | |
Host country | Argentina |
Dates | 1–24 July |
Teams | 12 (from 2 confederations) |
Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
Final positions | |
Champions | Uruguay (15th title) |
Runners-up | Paraguay |
Third place | Peru |
Fourth place | Venezuela |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 26 |
Goals scored | 54 (2.08 per match) |
Attendance | 882,621 (33,947 per match) |
Top scorer(s) |
Paolo Guerrero (5 goals) |
Best player | Luis Suárez |
Best young player | Sebastián Coates |
Best goalkeeper | Justo Villar |
Fair play award | Uruguay |
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and was held in Argentina from 1 to 24 July. The draw for the tournament was held in La Plata on 11 November 2010.
Uruguay won the tournament after defeating Paraguay 3–0 in the final, giving them a record 15th Copa América title and their first since 1995. Paraguay, as the tournament runner-up, earned the Copa Bolivia; Paraguay's performance was noteworthy, as they were able to reach the finals without winning a single game in the tournament; their success in the final stages was achieved by the way of penalty shoot-outs. As the tournament champion, Uruguay earned the right to represent CONMEBOL in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, held in Brazil. Peru finished third after defeating Venezuela 4–1 in the third-place match.
Both Japan and Mexico were invited to join the CONMEBOL nations in the tournament. Following a proposal by UEFA regarding national teams competing in tournaments organised by confederations different from their own, it was reported on 23 November 2009 that the two countries might not be able to take part in the 2011 Copa América. However, on 31 March 2010, CONCACAF confirmed that Mexico would be allowed to send their 2012 U-23 Olympic Team, supplemented with five over-age players. In addition to Mexico sending a weaker team than those teams sent in previous participations, eight of the Mexican players originally called to play the Copa America 2011 were suspended because of indiscipline one week before the competition started.