The USA is known for the festivities surrounding big tournaments. The Copa America 2024 will be no different.
Just like in 2016, South America’s most prestigious tournament will be held in several cities in the United States.
Thankfully, the USMNT qualified and will be able to participate, with five CONCACAF teams added in Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, and Jamaica.
The groups for Copa America 2024 were announced a while back, and since then, there’s been a significant interest in the ticket marketplace for tickets.
Here’s a look at the groups and the possible outcomes.
Group A
This group is set to be the most exciting group of all, with Argentina in it. Interest in Argentina games has been at a record high in the ticket marketplace, with the defending FIFA World Cup winners looking to retain the silverware.
Three years ago, the previous edition of this tournament in Brazil finally landed Lionel Messi his first-ever international trophy. He hasn’t looked back, adding the 2022 World Cup and Finalissima to his collection.
Argentina will be the favourite in the group, but the second slot is wide open.
Chile will have fond memories of playing in the United States given that the second of its back-to-back Copa Americas- its only two titles to date- came in this country, but Peru also reached the final as recently as 2019.
With Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, and Tajon Buchanan on display, nobody can write off tournament debutants Canada. However, despite spirited performances, Canada finished bottom of its group at the World Cup.
Group B
Group B will be a story about Mexico and Ecuador – the two strongest teams on paper who will battle for the top spot.
Jamaica can surprise a few now and again, but its Copa America record is dismal. It suffered six defeats from six across 2015 and 2016, failing to score a single goal.
Venezuela rarely makes it out of the group stage, with just eight wins from 70 all-time Copa America matches. La Vinotinto should finish third, but ultimately, they won’t have enough to progress.
Group C
The second most favoured group in the Copa America is Group C, where the host United States participates.
The USMNT will be looking to top the group at all costs to gain a better tie at the quarterfinals.
Their biggest barrier to doing this will be Uruguay.
Uruguay is still among the tournament favourites, so it could all come down to their meeting at Arrowhead Stadium on July 1.
Panama isn’t a pushover. It will test both the USA and Uruguay and might well beat Bolivia, which has lost 20 and won just one of its 29 Copa America matches since finishing as the shock runner-up in 1997.
Group D
Brazil, the nine-time Copa America winner, hasn’t lost more than one game in a single tournament since 2001.
They’ve won the title three times in the last two decades and will be favourites in Group D.
It will be considered a disaster if the Seleção doesn’t top Group D.
They should have it easy, with Brazil having a complete side ready for the tournament with Rodrygo, Vinicius, and the newest sensation, Endrick.
That will leave Colombia and Paraguay battling it out for second, with the former’s superior offensive quality shining through.
Costa Rica can be rugged and hard to break, but it’s hard to make a case for anything more than a point or two at best.
Quarterfinals
The business end of the tournament will start with the last eight teams. Here, we will see the heavyweights face off for the first time.
All eyes will be on the first quarterfinal, where Argentina are set to play the second runner-up of the B team.
Tickets for this quarterfinal are almost sold out in the ticket marketplace, and fans are expecting Argentina to top the group.
The first quarterfinal pits defending champs Argentina against Group B runner-up Ecuador in a fixture La Albiceleste has yet to lose since 2015.
There’s no reason to expect any different, even if Ecuador does put up a decent fight.
Next up is Mexico vs Chile in one of the hardest quarterfinals to predict. Chile has fond memories of this tournament, but it isn’t the power it once was and should prove beatable for El Tri.
Attention then turns to Uruguay vs Colombia, a clash between a tournament giant and one of the most underperforming nations in international soccer.
Uruguay won just one of its last six meetings with Colombia, which boasts strong firepower, such as Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez. But there’s something about this new generation of Uruguayans, and they should about have enough, even if it’ll take extra time and penalties.
This year’s Copa is a redemption tournament for Colombia after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Finally, it’s arguably the world’s most iconic national team against the hosts. Finishing second in their group has cost the USMNT here, and although they’ll push Brazil to its limit, it won’t be enough. Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Co. are just too strong.
Semifinals
The CONMEBOL ‘big three’ of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay are all through, joined by two-time Copa America finalist and nine-time CONCACAF Gold Cup champion Mexico.
The stakes are high, and the show’s quality is even higher.
Although Mexican fans will travel in force and their players will employ the darkest of arts to try to put off Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez, you cannot cope with that sort of class by using dirty tricks alone. Argentina wins ugly, but they still make it comfortable.
In the other semifinal, all signs point to Brazil booking another date with arch-rivals Argentina in the showpiece. However, Uruguay recently beat Brazil for the first time since 2001 in World Cup qualifying. It’s no secret that emotion can often get the better of the five-time World Cup champions, especially in recent years.
If you’re looking for a shock, you may find it here, and Uruguay being Uruguay, it might just be on PKs again.
