Did you know that there are two countries in South America that do not host most tournaments? Conmebol? These two nations are part of the territory of South America, but unlike their counterparts, they form the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football (Concacaf). This is a special case in the world of football that does not normally occur on other continents.
The teams of both countries do not take part in the Copa Libertadores or in the South American qualifiers, in which several football powers such as Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay compete against each other.
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Which South American countries do not play in the Copa Libertadores?
The Copa Libertadores is about to be relaunched. On this occasion, as in previous years, the most outstanding teams in South America will be present. These come from Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Venezuela, Uruguay and Argentina.
Guyana and Suriname, on the other hand, will not have representatives as, despite being part of the Southern Zone of the Americas, they do not compete in the Conmebol. They are the only ones in the region who have not competed in the tournament since its inception in 1960.
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Why don't Guyana and Suriname play in the Conmebol Copa Libertadores?
Guyana and Suriname Due to their independence, the sporting level of their teams and the language, they do not take part in the Copa Libertadores and often in other Conmebol tournaments. In Suriname, for example, the official language is Dutch, as the country was a colony of the Netherlands for several years.
Instead, Guyana was under the rule of the United Kingdom. For this reason, they speak more English than Spanish. Furthermore, cricket is not football but the most popular sport.
The Guyana national team plays in Concacaf. Photo: Concacaf
Consequently, their ties to Europe and the beautiful sport's low popularity in both territories have resulted in both playing at a lower level than their peers in South America, according to sports portal Goal.
The late independence of Guyana and Suriname compared to the other South American countries also had an influence on their not taking part in the Conmebol tournaments. Guyana became independent in 1966 and Suriname in 1975. At this point, the South American Football Association was already over 50 years old – it was founded in 1916.
Like Guyana, Suriname does not participate in Conmebol tournaments. Photo: Concacaf
At this point, the number of participants and the format of the Conmebol had already been determined. This led, among other things, to both South American countries joining Concacaf, which consists of countries from North and Central America.
Which countries take part in the Copa Libertadores?
Clubs from the 10 Conmebol member countries take part in the Copa Libertadores. These are Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Peru.