The Copa América Femenina (Copa América Feminina in Portuguese), previously the Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol Femenino (Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol Feminino), usually shortened to Sudamericano Femenino (Sul-Americano Feminino), is the main competition in women's association football for national teams that are affiliated with CONMEBOL.[1] It is the women's version of the Copa América.
It was first held in 1991. In the first two editions of the tournament, only one team (the champions) qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup. In the third edition, the champions qualified automatically, while the runners-up faced a team from the CONCACAF region in a play-off match to earn a spot in the World Cup. In the fourth to sixth editions, two automatic spots were given to the top two teams for the 2003 to 2011 World Cups respectively. The seventh and eighth had the top two and the play-off winners qualify for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. The ninth edition, the last one to serve as a World Cup qualification, gave automatic slots for the 2023 World Cup to the top three.
In December 2020, CONMEBOL announced the tournament would be held every two years instead of every four years,[2] actually starting with 2025,[3] three years after 2022. The confederation introduced a separate South American qualifier for the Women's World Cup in December 2024. Hence, the Copa America Fémenina from 2025 will serve as the path to women's football at the Pan American Games and as the CONMEBOL women's pre-Olympic tournament.[4]
There are also Under-20 and Under-17 versions of this tournament.
