The 1920 South American Championship (, ) was the fourth international association football championship for members of the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL). Hosted by Chile, the competition ran from 11–26 September 1920 and was contested by the national teams of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
During the competition, Brazil lost heavily to Uruguay 6–0. It would remain the team's largest defeat until it was equalled by a 7–1 loss to Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In the final round of matches of the round-robin tournament, Uruguay defeated 2–1 to win the championships for the third time.
The tournament is also notable for the participation of Chilean defender Ramón Unzaga Asla, who is recognized across sports historiography as the creator of the bicycle kick. During the competition, Unzaga executed his signature acrobatic maneuver on several occasions. His unprecedented displays of the technique captivated both the attendees and the international sports press.
Background In 1910, the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA) organised a tournament to mark the 100th anniversary of the May Revolution. The Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was contested by the national teams of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and is considered to be a precursor to the South American Championship. Six years later, the AFA organised a second tournament, this time to celebrate the centenary of the Argentine Declaration of Independence. Alongside the three who had contested the Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo, Brazil were invited to compete and the South American Championship was born. During the competition, the four associations of the competing teams met on 9 July 1916 and founded the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL).
Brazil were the defending champions having won the 1919 edition after defeating Uruguay 1–0 after extra time in the championship play-off. Uruguay were the most successful team in the history of the competition having won the first two editions.
Format The tournament was played as a round-robin where each team would play all of the others once. The winner would be decided by the total number of points obtained across all matches played.
Participants
Squads
Venue All matches were held at the Estadio Valparaiso Sporting Club in Viña del Mar. Viña del MarEstadio Valparaiso Sporting Club
Summary The competition began on 11 September when defending champions Brazil defeated hosts Chile 1–0. The following day, Uruguay and Argentina drew 1–1. On 18 September, Brazil experienced their biggest ever defeat, losing 6–0 to Uruguay – a result which would not be equalled for 94 years when they lost 7–1 against Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
On 20 September, Argentina drew 1–1 with Chile. Five days later, Argentina defeated Brazil 2–0 to go top of the table with just one game left to be played. However, on 26 September Uruguay defeated Chile 2–1 in the final match to move top of the table and win the competition for the third time.
Table
Results
Goalscorers
References