Originally, the 1959 Copa America was scheduled to be hosted by
Ecuador. However, due to financial difficulties and infrastructure challenges, Ecuador withdrew as the host nation just a few months before the tournament was set to begin. This sudden withdrawal left
CONMEBOL in a difficult situation to find a replacement host at such short notice. In response to Ecuador's withdrawal,
Argentina volunteered to step in as the new host for the tournament. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had the necessary resources and infrastructure to organize the event. Consequently, Argentina was granted the hosting rights, and the tournament was scheduled to take place in
Buenos Aires. However, a disagreement arose among some South American nations regarding the legitimacy of Argentina being granted the hosting rights without a proper bidding process. A group of countries, including
Brazil,
Uruguay, and
Chile, refused to participate in the tournament hosted by Argentina and organized their own competition called the
"Copa del Atlántico", in response. Meanwhile,
Argentina went ahead with its plans and organized the Copa America as scheduled, inviting other CONMEBOL member nations to participate. The tournament took place from March 7 to April 4, 1959, and was won by
Argentina. After the initial Copa America tournament held in Argentina from March to April 1959, there was indeed a
second Copa America held in Ecuador later that year. The second tournament took place in Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, from December 5 to 25, 1959. The decision to hold a second Copa America in Ecuador was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Eloy Alfaro, a prominent Ecuadorian political figure. The tournament was officially named the "Copa del Centenario de la Batalla de Quito" (Centenary Cup of the Battle of Quito) to honor this occasion.
Uruguay emerged as champions, securing their 10th title in the tournament's history. == Team of the Tournament ==