Copa America 2021 has no guest teams and for the first time in a while, only South American nations are taking part in it. The tournament historically handed an invitation to foreign teams, Mexico being one of them for a long time, but those days are over.
La Tricolor were first invited to Conmebol's ultimate prize in 1993, and they took part in it for 23 years. They couldn't win the tournament, but they were close to doing so two times, falling in the grand final in both 1993 and 2001.
They have also finished in third place three times, but their last appearances were poorer and left a lot to be desired. The Copa America was no longer a priority for Mexico, and eventually, they wouldn't be playing in their tournaments anymore.
Why is Mexico no longer playing the Copa America?
Despite Mexico was invited to Conmebol tournaments for a long while, as not only the national team played in the Copa America but their clubs took part in Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana, that relationship broke down and so did El Tri's participation in the continental contest.
Mexico reportedly grown fed up with some decisions and started showing up to their last Copa America appearances without their best players. From then on, there was no turning back. Later, Mexico pulled their clubs out from the Libertadores and Sudamericana due to the Concachampions calendar, which has also taken a toll on their relationship with Conmebol.
Finally, the Concacaf Nations League's inception was the final straw. Besides, La Tricolor also have to take part in the 2021 Gold Cup, leaving no room for them to face more tournaments.
