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| Football in Chile | |
|---|---|
| Country | Chile |
| Governing body | Federación de Fútbol de Chile |
| National team | Chile |
| First played | 1867 |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
List
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| International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport inChile.[1] Approximately 80% of the Chilean people are interested in football[2]
The country's history ofassociation football began with English sailors and their boat trips due to various commercial links between Chile andGreat Britain in the 19th century.[3]
Football was first brought to Chile by the English that exhibited the sport during visits to the commercial ports such as inValparaiso. Chileans living in the area would watch how the sport was being played. Wealthy and notable upper class Chilean families incorporated the sport in 1880 into their regular rituals which saw the first games of football in the country.[4][5] This occurred within the confines of a significant British school,The Mackay and Sutherland School in Cerro Alegre, Valparaiso and considered to be the first football club in the country and in South America, founded by sons of British immigrants.
Chile's oldest club was founded in the port of Valparaíso, and it was namedValparaiso Football Club.[6] The governing body of Chilean footballFederación de Fútbol de Chile was established in 1895. Chile was one of the founding members ofCONMEBOL which launched the first South American international championship now known as theCopa America.
Other important factors that helped the sport of football spread in Chile were the club tours from other nations, such as Argentina and Peru, held in Chile. Furthermore, the first South American tournaments aided in making Chile a better force in the world of association football. By the time the1930 FIFA World Cup took place in Uruguay, Chile gave a decent performance but was not able to reach the second round due to losing to Argentina and thus getting second place. The next major step in the international arena took place in the1962 FIFA World Cup which was held in Chile, and a series of interesting stories were built around the victories of the Chilean team that brought the country joy after the terrible earthquake that had deeply hurt the nation. AlthoughChile did not win, the team was able to obtain 3rd place in the competition.
Chile is also one of the only one of two national teams in South America to have reached the final of any major FIFA men's senior competitions other thanArgentina,Brazil andUruguay, having finished runners-up in2017 FIFA Confederations Cup,[7] the other being Venezuela after reaching the final of2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup held earlier.
Currently, Chilean football remains a strong force inLatin America.[8][9]Colo-Colo has been the only Chilean club to win aCopa Libertadores championship: the1991 Copa Libertadores. Also won theCopa Interamericana 1991 and the1992 Recopa Sudamericana. Other clubs such asCobreloa,Unión Española andUniversidad Católica have played finals finishing in 2nd place. AndUniversidad de Chile has been the only Chilean club to win aCopa Sudamericana championship.
On women's football, Chile even earns a greater reputation.Colo-Colo was the first non-Brazilian champion inCopa Libertadores Femenina, having done so in2012 edition, and has since remained a strong force of women's football in South America.
TheChile national team representsChile at all internationalfootball competitions. The team is controlled by theFederación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895.[10] They wonCopa América in2015 and2016.[11] They have also appeared in 9FIFA World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in 3rd place.[12][13] Chile achieved their highest ever ranking in FIFA, standing third, between April and May 2016.
Awomen's team, anunder-20 team, and anunder-17 team also compete. The Chilean women team qualified for their first ever2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Chile under-17 football team has written history by becoming the first national team of Chile to play in three consecutive FIFA World Cup, having qualified to the2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup after hosting the2015 and qualified to the2017 editions.
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
| Season | League average | Best club | Best club average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,763 | Universidad de Chile | 29,632 |
| 2024 | 7,948 | Universidad de Chile | 36,767 |
| 2023 | 6,670 | Colo-Colo | 34,400 |
| 2022 | 5,005 | Colo-Colo | 20,273 |
Sources: League pages on Wikipedia
National teams competitions:
| National teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League system |
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| Domestic Cups |
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| Women's |
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