| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Ecuador |
| Dates | 5–25 December |
| Teams | 5 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Uruguay (10th title) |
| Runners-up |  Argentina |
| Third place |  Brazil |
| Fourth place |  Ecuador |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 40 (4 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | José Sanfilippo (6 goals) |
1963 → | |
The 1959 South American Championship held in Ecuador was an extra South American Championship for the year. The tournament was contested between five teams; Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Peru did not participate, whilst Brazil attended with a team from Pernambuco. Uruguay won their 10th South American title.