The 1916 South American Championship () was the first continental championship for national association football teams in South America. It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2 to 17 July during Argentina's Independence Centenary commemorations. The tournament was won by Uruguay, who drew (0âÂÂ0) with Argentina in the last match of the tournament at Racing Club Stadium. Uruguay's Isabelino GradÃÂn was the top scorer with three goals.
The tournament was played in only two venues. All matches, except the last one, were played at Estadio GEBA.
There was no qualifying for the tournament. The participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
The teams played a single round-robin tournament, earning two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.
Each team played one match against each of the other teams. Two points were awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.