Football in South America

Football in South America is the most popular hobby and professional sport played by the continent's inhabitants. Football was introduced to South America in the nineteenth century thanks to the worldwide diffusion of British culture caused by the British diaspora and the acceptance of the sport by the region's Anglophile elite. Widely regarded as a symbol of modernity and good health, football overtime displaced older fashionable sports such as Bochas to become, by the middle of the twentieth century, the primary mainstream sport throughout most of the continent.

The sport's organization is governed by domestic federations (or associations) and continental confederations, all members of FIFA. Most South American federations are part of CONMEBOL (the South American Football Confederation), with the exception of associations from The Guianas, which are part of CONCACAF (the North American Football Confederation). Football's development is also organized by these domestic and international federations in conjunction with governmental sports authorities. Every country in South America has a unique football development structure with varying results, arguably some more successful than others.

Organization

Domestic

CONMEBOL

CONCACAF

French Guiana is in italics because they are a French overseas department, so, they can't affiliate to FIFA.

International

CONCACAF

CONMEBOL

Culture

Notes

    References

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