Argentina defended their Copa America title and stood atop the World Cup qualifying standings, while Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores.
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Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in added extra time in the Copa America final
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Botafogo won their first Copa Libertadores in incredible fashion and qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
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The continent hosted the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia
It was a year of pure football on the South American continent. Qualifying for FIFA World Cup 26™ continued as teams looked to punch their tickets to football’s biggest show next year, which will be held in USA, Canada and Mexico. Meanwhile, a new edition of the Copa America featured six teams from Concacaf, but the result was no different from three years ago as Lionel Messi’s Argentina ran out winners and secured back-to-back titles.
In the Copa Libertadores, two Brazilian sides fought it out to be crowned the new champion in an unforgettable final in Buenos Aires, making Brazilian clubs winners of the last six editions. As a result, four of the six CONMEBOL representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ will be Brazilian teams, while Argentina will account for the other two places.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ took the continent by storm and highlighted the growth that women’s football is experiencing in South America and around the world. In the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament at Paris 2024, Marta’s Brazil once again fell short in their bid for the elusive gold medal, as the Canarinhas had to settle for silver, losing out narrowly to USA in the final.
World Cup qualifying
Six rounds of South American qualifiers have been played since September, and 2025 will see a further six rounds contested, which will result in six teams qualifying automatically for the World Cup and the seventh-place team earning a spot in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Argentina maintained their place at the top of the table with 25 points – five points clear of second-place Uruguay. Despite being crowned continental champions in the summer, Lionel Scaloni’s team lost twice away from home in qualifying: a defeat in a rematch of the Copa America final to Colombia and another to Gustavo Alfaro’s Paraguay. Following turbulent spells under Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay got back on track with a home win against Colombia and a draw away against Brazil.
Ecuador changed up things in the dugout, as they cut ties with Spaniard Felix Sanchez Bas and appointed Argentinian Sebastian Beccacece. Despite an initial defeat to Brazil away from home, El Tri began to click and concluded the year beating Colombia away. Los Cafeteros managed to exact revenge from their Copa America final loss to Argentina, but poor results towards the end of the year left them sitting in fourth to start 2025.
Brazil, although still far from their dazzling best, were still able to secure 11 points from 15 in the calendar year. With some footballing issues still to be resolved, Dorival Junior’s side will have to keep improving if they want to have a chance of adding a sixth star to their shirt in 2026.
Paraguay sit sixth in the table and were the standout team of 2024. The appointment of Alfaro turned around a campaign that started disastrously. Paraguay did not lose all year and earned wins at home over Brazil and Argentina.
“It is only now that we can say that we have made up the amount of points we need to aspire to qualify for a World Cup,” said Alfaro. “What we did was important, but it’s not enough, because we are just doing okay. We have to get a lot of important points if we want to make this dream come true.”
Bolivia bounced back from a disappointing 2023 with a strong performance in beating Colombia at the Estadio Municipal de El Alto, which marked their best result of the year. La Verde look set to compete for a play-off spot with a Venezuela side that have failed to win a qualifying game all year, although strong displays at home earned them draws against Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
The Vinotinto’s dream of qualifying directly was dealt a huge blow, as they suffered a loss away to Chile, and was compounded when play-off rivals Bolivia left Santiago with all three points. La Roja, along with Peru, will be hoping to close the gap on the teams above them in the table.
Standings: 1. Argentina – 25 points (+14) 2. Uruguay – 20 points (+8) 3. Ecuador – 19 points (+7) 4. Colombia – 19 points (+5) 5. Brazil – 18 points (+6) 6. Paraguay – 17 points (+1) 7. Bolivia – 13 points (-14) 8. Venezuela – 12 points (-4) 9. Chile – 9 points (-11) 10. Peru – 7 points (-12)
Argentina defend their Copa America crown
Messi and his Argentinian team-mates put an end to their trophy drought by winning the Copa America in 2021 – and haven’t stopped winning since. After winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and completing his historic list of honours, the No.10 undeniably remains a leader on and off the pitch for La Albiceleste, demonstrated once again by their Copa America victory in the USA. With Emiliano Martinez starring in goal, Cristian Romero as a defensive bastion and Lautaro Martinez at his goal-scoring best, Scaloni’s side beat Colombia in the final and defended their title.
But it was more than that. The image of Messi sitting on the bench after suffering an ankle injury that forced him to leave the field of play was powerful. On behalf of their captain and idol, Messi’s team-mates doubled their efforts to send their national hero back to the top of the podium. Uruguay completed the top three after beating surprise package Canada in a tournament in which James Rodriguez was named best player, Emiliano Martinez best goalkeeper and Lautaro Martinez top scorer with five goals.
Botafogo win their first Copa Libertadores
For six years running, the Copa Libertadores has had a Brazilian flavour. Following Fluminense’s success in 2023, Botafogo and Atletico Mineiro faced off to decide the new champion at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Champions with Ronaldinho in 2013, Mineiro travelled to Argentina after having knocked out a promising River Plate side looking to lift the coveted title on home soil. Led by Diego Milito, they proved too strong for Marcelo Gallardo’s side. Meanwhile, Botafogo were on the hunt for their first trophy and had eliminated surprise package Penarol in the previous round.
The final started on the wrong foot for the Fogao, as Gregore’s second-minute red card left Artur Jorge’s men down to 10 men, but goals from Luiz Henrique, Alex Telles and Junior Santos meant Botafogo ran out 3-1 winners against the odds. Eduardo Vargas had managed to cut the deficit to give Atletico Mineiro a glimmer of hope, but the wait for a second Libertadores for the side from Belo Horizonte goes on.
Botafogo’s victory meant that they qualified for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™, where they lost to Mexican side Pachuca in the FIFA Derby of the Americas. As one of the four Copa Libertadores champions, Botafogo qualified alongside compatriots Flamengo, Fluminense and Palmeiras for the 2025 Club World Cup. In addition to the four Brazilian sides, River Plate and Boca Juniors of Argentina also booked their tickets.
Colombia catches women’s football fever
The 2024 edition of the U-20 Women’s World Cup thrilled Colombia and emanated through the continent. With the popular Linda Caicedo in their squad, the hosts enjoyed a stellar campaign by reaching the quarter-finals. The last four proved a step too far as they lost to the Netherlands on penalties. Korea DPR went on to become champions and lift their third title in the category after beating Japan by the narrowest of margins at El Campin in Bogota.
At Paris 2024, another CONMEBOL representative played a major role in the tournament. Brazil, with Marta still searching for her gold medal, pulled off one upset after another to reach the final of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. After beating Nigeria 1-0 in their opening match, defeats to Japan and Spain threatened to end their tournament prematurely in the group stage, but they eventually qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.
In the quarter-finals, Brazil beat hosts France and then defeated world champions Spain 4-2 in a pulsating semi-final. Defeat in the final to USA cut short their golden dream, but Marta and her team-mates left an lasting impression in the hearts of the fans.
Standout players
Lionel Messi (Argentina and Inter Miami)
That’s now two decades at the top of international football for the Argentinian talisman. Messi was once again a champion with the national team and kept his side sitting atop the table in qualifying, registering a hat-trick against Bolivia in a display that proved he is still more than capable of producing at the highest level. He also impressed in Major League Soccer, where only the ankle injury sustained in the final of the Copa America interrupted his Most Valuable Player campaign in which he led Inter Miami to the Supporters’ Shield as the best team of the regular season.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina and Aston Villa)
The Argentinian goalkeeper is an undeniable legend for his country and club. He was instrumental in helping Argentina win their second consecutive Copa America and establishing them at the top of the qualifying table. He helped Aston Villa qualify for the UEFA Champions League, where he is excelling and he has cemented place as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Martinez capped his superb 2024 by winning The Best Men’s Goalkeeper Award.
Vinicius Junior (Brazil and Real Madrid)
Vinicius Jr was crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player for a sensational 2024. The Brazilian played a key role for Real Madrid in a year in which they reigned supreme both in Spain and Europe. His goals and clutch moments made the difference time and time again for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. His personal highlights included a goal in Real Madrid’s Champions League final win over German side Borussia Dortmund and a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Lautaro Martinez (Argentina and Inter Milan)
The Argentinian striker had a great season for both club and country. He was the top scorer at the Copa America 2024, scoring the winning goal in the final against Colombia in added extra time. Martinez also starred at club level with Inter Milan, helping the Nerazzurri win Serie A.
Luiz Henrique (Brazil and Botafogo)
Many players could be singled out for their goal scoring prowess on the South American continent. Miguel Terceros, the top scorer in the 2024 qualifiers, was instrumental in resurrecting Bolivia’s qualification hopes. Antonio Sanabria scored key goals for a revitalised Paraguay under Alfaro. But it was Luiz Henrique, who earned a call-up to the Brazil national team, who capped off a sublime year by being awarded the best player of the Copa Libertadores.
