South American Youth Football Championship Explained

CONMEBOL Sudamericano Sub20
Organiser:	CONMEBOL

Region:	South America
Number Of Teams:	10
Qualifier For:	FIFA U-20 World Cup
Current Champions:	(2023)
Most Successful Team:	(12 titles)
Current:	2023 South American U-20 Championship
American:	yes

The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and Spanish; Castilian: Torneo Juventudes de América, "Campeonato Sudamericano Sub 20" or Portuguese: Juventude da América (English: "America's Youth") is a South American football tournament organized by the CONMEBOL for South American national teams of men under age of 20. This tournament also serves as qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

History

The first South American Youth Championship was hosted by Venezuela from 22 March to 13 April 1954. Initially played as an under-19 tournament, it became an under-20 event from 1977. Brazil has won the tournament on the most occasions (12 times).

Format

All matches take place in the host country, and all ten U-20 national football teams of CONMEBOL compete in every edition (if none of the associations withdraw). They are separated in two groups of five, and each team plays four matches in a pure round-robin stage. The three top competitors advance to a single final group of six, wherein each team plays five matches. The results in this last pure round-robin stage determines the champion and the South American qualification to the next FIFA U-20 World Cup. Unlike most international tournaments, in South American Youth Championships there is neither final match nor third place match nor knockout stages.

Results

width=	width=	Year	width= 120px	Host	width= 120px	Winners	width= 120px	Runners-up	width= 120px	Third place	width= 120px	Fourth place	width=
1	Venezuela
2	Chile
3	Colombia
4	Paraguay
5
6	Chile
7
8	Venezuela
9	Uruguay
10	Ecuador
11
12	Paraguay
13	Colombia
14	Argentina
15	Venezuela
16	Colombia
17	Bolivia
18	Chile
19	Argentina
20	Ecuador
21
22	Colombia
23
24	Venezuela
25
26	Argentina
27	Uruguay
28	Ecuador
29	Chile
30	Colombia
31	Peru

Performances by countries

width=12%	Team	width=22%	Titles	width=22%	Runner-up	width=22%	Third place	width=22%	Fourth place
		7 (1954, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 2003, 2005)	3 (1958, 1967, 1999)	2 (1979, 2015)
	8 (1954, 1958, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 2017)	7 (1971, 1974, 1983, 1992, 1999, 2011, 2023)	6 (1991, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015*, 2019)	3 (1985, 1987, 1997)
	5 (1967, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015)	7 (1958, 1979, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2019)	8 (1971, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 2005, 2011)	2 (1974, 2017)
	3 (1987, 2005, 2013)	2 (1988, 2015)	4 (1964, 1985, 1992, 2023)	2 (2003, 2019)
	1 (1971)	5 (1964, 1967, 1985, 2009, 2013)	6 (1974, 1977, 1979, 1997, 2001, 2003)	3 (1988, 1991, 1999)
	1 (2019)	1 (2017)		4 (1992, 1995, 2011, 2023)
		1 (1975)	1 (1995)	6 (1964, 1977, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2013)
			2 (1954, 2017)	1 (2009*)
				5 (1954, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1975)
				2 (1981, 1983*)

Top goalscorers

Competition	Player	Number of goals
1954	Juan Bautista Agüero	7
1958	Norberto Raffo	5
1964	Jaime Bravo	5
1967	Carlos Garcia Cambon	3
1971	Ricardo Islas	4
1971	Cristóbal Maldonado	4
1974	Hebert Revetria	8
1975	Hebert Revetria	4
1975	Toninho Cerezo	4
1977	Amaro Nadal (fr)	4
1977	Guinha	4
1979	Arsenio Luzardo	4
1981	Enzo Francescoli	5
1981	Lela	5
1983	Carlos Aguilera	7
1985	Romário	4
1987	Alejandro Russo	4
1988	Assís	5
1988	Ferreira	5
1991	Juan Esnáider	7
1992	Fernando Correa	5
1995	Leonardo Biagini	4
1997	Adaílton	8
1999	Luciano Galletti	9
2001	Adriano	6
2001	Ewerthon	6
2003	Fernando Cavenaghi	8
2005	Hugo Rodallega	11
2007	Edinson Cavani	7
2009	Hernán Pérez	5
	Robin Ramírez
	Abel Hernández
	Walter
2011	Neymar	9
2013	Nicolás López	6
2015	Giovanni Simeone	9
2017	Rodrigo Amaral	5
	Bryan Cabezas
	Lautaro Martínez
	Marcelo Torres
2019	Leonardo Campana	6
2023	Vitor Roque	6
2023	Andrey Santos	6

Source: RSSSF.

Men's U-20 World Cup Performances of Qualified South American teams

Legend

1st – Champions2nd – Runners-up3rd – Third place4th – Fourth place

QF – Quarterfinals
R2 – Round 2
R1 – Round 1

– Hosts

q – Qualified for upcoming tournament

																								Total
	1st	R1	2nd			QF	R1		1st	1st	R2	1st	4th	1st	1st		QF		R1	R1	R2	R2		17
3rd		QF	1st	1st	QF	3rd	2nd	1st	2nd	QF	QF	QF	1st	3rd	R2	2nd	1st		2nd			QF		19
					4th				R1			R1		R2	3rd			QF					Q	7
				QF	R1	QF		R1					3rd	R2			QF	R2	R2		QF	QF		11
												R2					R2			R1	3rd	R2		5
R1	QF			R1						R1	R2	4th	R2			R2		R2						9
4th	3rd	QF	QF				R1	QF		2nd	4th				R2	R2	R1	2nd	R2	4th	R2	bgcolor=gold	1st		16
																R2				2nd				2