HistoryData
sports1937

1937 South American Championship — football tournament

January 1, 1937

The 1937 South American Championship was the first edition of the tournament to feature more than five participating nations.

Quick Facts

Year
1937
Category
sports

Key Facts

Edition number
14th (fourteenth)
Host country
Argentina
Number of participating nations
6 teams
Tournament dates
27 December 1936 – 1 February 1937
Primary venue
Estadio Gasómetro, Buenos Aires
Withdrawn nations
Bolivia and Colombia

By the Numbers

14
Edition number
6teams
Number of participating nations
27
Tournament dates

Location

Map of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaMap of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaBuenos Aires, Argentina

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

CONMEBOL expanded its membership, with Colombia joining as a new member. Six South American nations — Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay — confirmed participation, while Bolivia and Colombia ultimately withdrew before play began, still leaving the largest field in the tournament's history to that point.

Event

The fourteenth South American Championship was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 27 December 1936 to 1 February 1937. Six nations competed, marking the first time more than five teams had taken part. Due to summer heat, most matches were played at night under the artificial lighting of Estadio Gasómetro, with daytime matches held at Estadio Alvear y Tagle.

Consequence

The tournament established a new benchmark for participation in South American football's premier international competition, demonstrating the growing reach of CONMEBOL and the viability of staging a larger, multi-team continental championship, paving the way for expanded future editions of the event.

Result

Argentina

at Estadio Gasómetro, Buenos Aires, Argentina

First edition with more than five participating teams

Timeline Context

Timeline around 193719371934193519361938193919401937-38 Soviet ethnic cleansing of PolesNanjing Massacre — 1937 mass murder by the Japanese armyParliamentary revolt in Canada1937 part of the Spanish Civil WarWorld Chess Championship 1937 — 1937 chess championship in the NetherlandsMass arrests and executions of Estonians in the USSREuroBasket 1937 — 1937 edition of Eurobasket1937 battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War1937-south-american-championship-football-tournament-1937