During the first 2 editions (1978 and 1982) they were known as the Cruz del Sur Games, between 1998 and 2006 the football tournament was not played, instead a futsal tournament was organized.
In the first edition (1978) U-20 teams participated, while in the following ones (1982 and 1986) U-19 teams participated, for the 1990 tournament, the football section was played by U-20 teams preparing to the 1991 South American championship. Two editions of the tournament were played with Sub-17 national teams, returning to U-20 teams in 2018.