Copa America 2015 - One month to go until the tournament in Chile

With the South American showpiece on the horizon, we tell you everything you need to know about this summer's festival of football.

By Official Copa America website
The 2015 Copa América in Chile is now just one month away as the star names from South America prepare to do battle in the world’s oldest continental football competition.
Lionel Messi , Neymar , Alexis Sánchez , James Rodríguez , Edinson Cavani  and many more will take to the field this summer from June 11 with the ambition of lifting the famous trophy in the final on July 4.
Here, we bring you all the details you will need on every aspect of the tournament this summer, when the eyes of the football community will be trained firmly on Chile.
Teams
The 10 Conmebol nations – Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil ,Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Paraguay , Peru , Uruguayand Venezuela – are joined by regular invitees Mexicoand newcomers Jamaica .
Groups
The 12 competing nations were drawn into three groups of four at a glitzy ceremony in Viña del Mar back in November, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed sides.
Fixtures
Host nation Chile get the competition under way on June 11 when they tackle Ecuador at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, with the same venue hosting the final on July 4. A total of 18 group matches will be played before the knockout stage begins on June 24.

Mascot

Zincha , who is a combination between a fox and a fan, was named after the people of Chile voted in their thousands. Fans will see the emblem of the competition all around Chile before and during the tournament.

Ball

Nike’s Cachaña  ball has been created specially for the tournament, with the name a reference to the word used to describe a successful feint or dribble. The design of the ball – and in particular its colours – is strongly influenced by Chilean culture and the nation’s flag. The red represents the people, the blue symbolises the Chilean sky and the white is the Andes, which so strongly define the geography of the country.

Venues

Nine stadiums in eight cities will stage the 26 games.Santiago , which boasts two grounds, will host the opening match and the final at Estadio Nacional, with the remaining fixtures spread throughout the country from Antofagasta  in the north to Temuco  in the south via La Serena , Valparaíso , Viña del Mar , Rancagua and Concepción .  

Social media

The official Copa América website – www.ca2015.com – is represented on Twitter , Facebook  and Instagram to keep fans up to date with all the latest news.

History

This is the 44th edition of the tournament, which was first played in 1916. Uruguay are the reigning champions and have won a record 15 titles. Argentina have lifted the trophy on 14 occasions, with Brazil securing glory eight times. Peru and Paraguay both have two titles to their name, while Colombia and Bolivia have one. Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela are still searching for their first success.