After an exponential uptake in Europe over the past 2 decades, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is being increasingly adopted in South American countries, where it has been "embraced quickly and enthusiastically by stakeholders" (Lasagabaster & Doiz, 2016, p. 1). Although valuable lessons can be learned from the European context, their experience cannot be extrapolated to this new reality, given the different circumstances surrounding language education in both continents. This article focuses on the way CLIL is working in the diverse South American countries, with special emphasis on Brazil. CLIL's innovative traits in this setting, the chief challenges faced by its application, and the main ways forward in this scenario are also examined, to offer another perspective on CLIL implementation.