Nearly empty stadiums, players’ criticism of the organization, and demands for equality in South American football have marked the 2025 Women’s Copa América in Ecuador, which will enter the semifinals starting Monday.
The 10th edition of the tournament has revealed major gaps compared to the UEFA Women’s Euro, whose final will be played Sunday between Spain and England. Here are three key complaints that emerged during the first phase of South America’s premier women’s football tournament:
1. No VAR
Chilean player Yanara Aedo issued a direct complaint against CONMEBOL, which is responsible for organizing the tournament, after her team lost 2–1 to Argentina amid protests over a non-awarded penalty. “It’s a huge sign of disrespect that there is no VAR in this Copa América. It’s a women’s Copa América — it should be the same as the men’s,” she told the press.
The forward compared the situation to the UEFA Women’s Euro, where VAR was implemented from the start. In Copa América, it will only be used beginning with the semifinals, where Argentina will play Colombia on Monday and Brazil will face Uruguay on Tuesday. La Roja will play Paraguay on Monday for fifth place in the overall standings, which secures a spot in the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.
“There is limited organization in this Copa América,” commented Ecuadorian sports analyst Martha Córdova. Ligia Moreira, captain of the eliminated Ecuadorian team, told the press that the inclusion of VAR “could have happened much earlier.” “Let’s hope it’s in place for the (World Cup) qualifiers,” she added.
2. Empty Seats
The stands in Quito’s stadiums are unsettling. There has been no mass attendance at matches, nor have official spectator figures been released. At Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda Stadium, which holds 18,000 and hosted Group B matches, Brazil — led by the legendary Marta — played in front of only a few dozen fans.
Runner-up Colombia and Venezuela, which have large migrant populations in Ecuador, had somewhat more support, but the overall view was one of deserted stands. The largest turnout came for Ecuador’s debut. As hosts, they drew about 6,000 people to the Independiente del Valle stadium, which has a capacity of 12,000.
“There’s still a lot of room for growth in women’s football, and we need people to show up and get interested in knowing us and in getting to know women’s football,” said Argentine defender Adriana Sachs.
In contrast, the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro has set a record global attendance of more than 623,000 spectators, according to UEFA. Tickets for 29 of the 31 matches have sold out. Analyst Martha Córdova believes that “the stadiums were very poorly chosen, and the match times didn’t allow for soccer academies and schools to attend the games and help promote women’s football.”
On Friday, ahead of the much-anticipated Brazil vs. Colombia match, fan Rossi Torrealba complained that the organizers only made a single section of the stadium available. “They say they want to support women’s football but only open one section… They should open the entire stadium, whether it fills up or not,” said the 31-year-old futsal player.
3. Basic Conditions
Uruguayan captain Pamela González once again brought up the Celeste team’s demand for better working conditions, pointing out that female players earn far less than their male counterparts. Before the tournament began, the Uruguayan team skipped a training session in protest.
“We didn’t come into this Copa América with good preparation. We asked for basic conditions that weren’t provided,” said González after qualifying for the semifinals. Even so, “we’ve made history in Uruguayan football, and I hope we get the recognition we deserve,” she insisted.
Brazilian players Kerolin and Marta also criticized the situation, noting they had to warm up in small side areas to preserve the only two fields used during the group stage. “Is this professional football? If we’re expected to perform at a high level, we also have the right to demand an organization that matches it.
I haven’t played a tournament in South America for years, and these situations deeply sadden me,” said the legendary No. 10. Following the complaints, teams were finally allowed to warm up on the main stadium fields.
