CONMEBOL Confirms Copa América 2021 Will Take Place With Only 10 Teams

The 2021 Copa América will feature two groups of five teams after opting against inviting two guest nations to compete.

For the first time since 1993, the Copa América will not feature two guest nations after CONMEBOL announced it will host this summer's tournament with only the 10 South American nations. 

Australia and Qatar were slated to participate in the upcoming Copa América, which was postponed from last year to this summer due to the pandemic, but both national teams were forced to withdraw due to World Cup qualifying in Asia this summer. 

CONMEBOL confirmed that it will move forward with a 10-team tournament composed of two groups of five rather than seek out two more teams. Eight teams will still advance to the quarterfinals, meaning that only one team from each group won't move on to the knockout stages. 

"As is tradition, CONMEBOL, at the time, invited teams from other confederations," the South American confederation said in a statement. "However, the suspended matches and delays brought about by the pandemic that affected world football prevented other nations from participating."

Originally, the tournament was set to take place in two countries for the first time with Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia playing their group stage matches in Argentina and defending champion Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela forming the second group with games in Colombia. However, due to protests in Colombia and the worsening pandemic situation, the tournament was moved to Brazil. 

Full Copa América 2021 schedule (all times ET): 

GROUP STAGE

June 13: Brazil vs. Venezuela, 5 p.m.
June 13: Colombia vs. Ecuador, 8 p.m.
June 14: Argentina vs. Chile, 5 p.m., 
June 14: Argentina vs. Chile, 5 p.m.
June 14: Paraguay vs. Bolivia, 8 p.m.
June 17: Colombia vs. Venezuela, 5 p.m.
June 17: Peru vs. Brazil, 8 p.m.
June 18: Chile vs. Bolivia, 5 p.m.
June 18: Argentina vs. Uruguay, 8 p.m.
June 20: Venezuela vs. Ecuador, 5 p.m.
June 20: Colombia vs. Peru, 8 p.m.
June 21: Uruguay vs. Chile, 5 p.m.
June 21: Argentina vs. Paraguay, 8 p.m.
June 23: Ecuador vs. Peru, 5 p.m.
June 23: Colombia vs. Brazil, 8 p.m.
June 24: Bolivia vs. Uruguay, 5 p.m.
June 24: Chile vs. Paraguay, 8 p.m.
June 27: Ecuador vs. Brazil, 5 p.m.
June 27: Venezuela vs. Peru, 8 p.m.
June 28: Argentina vs. Bolivia, 5 p.m.
June 28: Uruguay vs. Paraguay, 5 p.m.

KNOCKOUT STAGE
Quarterfinal 1, July 2: No. 2 Group B vs. No. 3 Group A, 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2, July 2: No. 1 Group B vs. No. 4 Group A , 9 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3, July 3: No. 2 Group A vs. No. 3 Group B, 7 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4, July 3: No. 1 Group A vs. No. 4 Group B, 10 p.m.

Semifinal 1: July 5, Quarterfinal 1 Winner vs. Quarterfinal 2 winner, 8 p.m.
Semifinal 2: July 6, Quarterfinal 3 Winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner, 10 p.m
Third-Place Match, July 9: Semifinal 1 Loser vs. Semifinal 2 Loser, 9 p.m.
Final, July 10: Semifinal 1 Winner vs. Semifinal 2 Winner, 9 p.m.