Thrilling Copa America Femenina final can’t hide challenges ahead

QUITO – The Copa America Femenina in Ecuador ended with a thrilling final on Aug 2, as Brazil edged out Colombia on penalties after an eight-goal spectacle to win their ninth title.

However, logistical challenges and half-empty stadiums clearly showed the hurdles that face South American women’s football.

Colombia pushed Brazil to the brink in a decider capped by a Marta masterclass, as

her side won 5-4 in a shoot-out

after a roller-coaster final in Quito had finished 4-4, delivering a level of play organisers had hoped to see when the tournament began.

Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez said ahead of the opener: “We are confident that the Copa America in Ecuador will confirm the growth and expansion that South American women’s football is currently experiencing.”

Following the final, Brazil’s Amanda Gutierres said: “I think women’s football has been growing a lot. I think the trend is for it to be more competitive. Everyone here deserved a match like this. Congratulations to Colombia too.”

However, the event faced criticism over facilities from the start when Brazil complained after teams were forced to warm up in cramped indoor spaces instead of on the pitch, while Chile forward Yanara Aedo called the lack of the video assistant referee in the early rounds “disrespectful”.

Brazil great Marta, who came out of international retirement at age 39 for the competition, led the calls for change.

“We are expected to perform well and work hard, but we also have to demand a high level of organisation,” the six-time Fifa Player of the Year told Globo Esporte.

High interest, low turnout

Widely praised as the best final in the tournament’s history, the match drew the highest attendance of the 2025 edition, with the Ecuadorian Football Federation pleased to report that 23,798 fans turned out at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado.

Still, that number fell short of filling the 41,575-seat venue, with ESPN reporting that the tournament’s average attendance stood at 962 per match before the final.

Media reports also said that locals and international visitors were unaware that the Copa America Femenina was even taking place.

Following Colombia’s penalty shoot-out win over Argentina in the semi-final at the same venue, responses gathered by CNN pointed not to a lack of interest or ticket accessibility – with prices starting at US$5 (S$6.40) – but a broader failure in promotion.

Tickets went on sale only on July 4, seven days before the opening match, underlining how late planning hurt visibility.

“It’s a shame that the tournament has been played here in Ecuador and we don’t know about it and the stadiums are empty,” a local mother who attended the match with her son told CNN.

Reuters has contacted Conmebol for comment.

The gap between on-field quality and local engagement was also highlighted by the increase in international viewers.

Fox Sports said on Aug 5 that 302,000 tuned in to watch the final – up 273 per cent from 2022 – making it their most-watched Copa America Femenina broadcast. Overall viewership averaged 79,000, a 114 per cent jump across the network’s two channels.

Looking ahead

The first Conmebol Women’s Nations League kicks off in October, serving as South America’s pathway to the 2027 World Cup, but beyond qualification, the tournament offers a fresh chance to address the off-field issues at the Copa America Femenina.

With players already performing at a world-class level, Conmebol has the audience and the talent to showcase.

The issue is whether South America’s governing body will invest in promotion and infrastructure, and is it planning to match Europe’s record-breaking Women’s Euro, which had their highest-ever attendances in 2025, while its own stadiums were half-empty. REUTERS, AFP