Why are there Guest Nations or Invited Teams in Copa America?

There is one thing about Copa America that separates it from other continental tournaments: invited teams.

Started in 1916, the Copa America is the oldest international football competition in the world, contested by teams from South America. However, there are only ten teams in the continent. To increase the length and add more excitement to the tournament, the South American Football Federation decided to invite guest nations across the world.

Mexico was the first nation to be invited in 1993. Since then, several teams, including Qatar, Japan, the United States and Canada, have participated in the competition. However, members of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football are preferred due to their geographical suitability.

Mexico is the most successful guest nation so far, having played in the finals of the 1993 and 2001 editions. On the occasion of completing 100 years, the Copa América Centenario was played in the United States in 2016. This was the first time the tournament was hosted outside of the continent.