RIO DE JANEIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 Copa America will be jointly held in Colombia and Argentina as part of a revamp of football's oldest international tournament.

The competition will be expanded from 26 to 38 matches with the first phase to feature two groups of six teams, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Tuesday.

The South Zone group will comprise Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia while the North Zone group will include Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and a guest nation.

Four teams from each group will then qualify for the quarterfinals, with the final to be played in Argentina.

"The new format gives fans the opportunity to attend at least five matches in a neighbouring country," CONMEBOL said in a statement.

The 2020 Copa America will be the tournament's fourth edition in six years. Chile won it for the first time as hosts in 2015 before taking the title again the next year in a centenary version played in the United States.

The competition will revert to a four-year cycle in line with the European Championship in 2020, but not before it is held in Brazil in June and July this year, completing the old quadrennial sequence.