The Copa America, South America’s flagship tournament, is scheduled to take place this summer. Some of the world’s best players will participate in the 16-team competition, while six national teams from outside the region have also been included in the line-up.
With the big kick-off just a few months away, we have put together this guide for everything you need to know about the Copa America – from a run-through of the format and teams involved, to information about the high-profile names set to be involved.
What is the Copa America?
The Copa America is South America’s biggest football tournament involving national teams. It has a rich history dating all the way back to 1916, although for the first six decades it was known as the South American Football Championship.
The upcoming competition, which will be held in June and July of 2024, will be the 48th edition. The Copa America has had many different formats throughout its history: only four teams competed in the first few versions, but now every CONMEBOL country takes part alongside guests from other regions. The likes of Japan, Jamaica, Qatar, Mexico and the United States have featured in recent times.
The winner of the Copa America is crowned the champion of South America. An invitee has never won the tournament before, but Mexico did finish as runners-up in 2001.
The tournament takes place every four years. The cycle was recently amended so that the Copa America coincides with the European Championship. Future editions are planned for 2028 and 2032, for example.
Where Will the Copa America Be Held?
Hosting rights for the Copa America are usually shared between the 10 nations affiliated to CONMEBOL. This worked pretty neatly between 1987 and 2007, when the tournament was cycled between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Brazil hosted the 2019 edition and then stepped in again in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Copa America in 2024 was initially expected to be held in Ecuador due to the traditional rotation order. However, in November 2022 the country opted against applying for hosting rights.
The next Copa America will therefore be staged in the USA. This is a consequence of the new strategic partnership between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. It is the second time the USA has hosted the Copa America: it also provided the venues for a one-off edition in 2016, held to celebrate the tournament’s 100th anniversary.
The 32 matches will be split between 14 different venues in the USA. The opening game will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, while the final will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The 12 other stadiums are located in Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, New York City, Houston, Phoenix, Kansas City (Kansas), Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Orlando, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Which Teams Have Qualified for the Tournament?
The draw for the Copa America was held in December 2023. There are still two places to be filled, with the CONCACAF qualification play-offs scheduled for March.
The 16 teams will be split into four groups of four. Each side will play every other member of their group, with the top two advancing to the quarter-finals.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Argentina | Mexico | USA | Brazil |
| Peru | Ecuador | Uruguay | Colombia |
| Chile | Venezuela | Panama | Paraguay |
| Canada / Trinidad & Tobago | Jamaica | Bolivia | Costa Rica / Honduras |
Which Star Players Will Be Competing?
There will be an array of top-class talent competing at the Copa America next summer.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi is still going strong at international level aged 36, and the fact he now plays his club football in the USA is a bonus for the man that many fans consider to be the greatest player of all time.
Brazil will have to make do without Neymar, their all-time leading goalscorer. The Saudi Arabia-based forward suffered a serious knee ligament injury in October and he was recently ruled out of the tournament by the Brazil national team doctor. Brazil will therefore look to Vinicius Junior to make the difference in attack.
Darwin Nunez is not the most polished of centre forwards, but the Liverpool and Uruguay attacker could be key to his country’s hopes of glory in the USA. Fede Valverde is probably the key man under Marcelo Bielsa, though.
Luis Diaz is the player Colombia will look to for inspiration, while the USA will do likewise with Christian Pulisic. Meanwhile Mexico’s squad is likely to include PSV winger Hirving Lozano, and experienced Chilean Alexis Sanchez is hoping to take part at the age of 36.
Who Will Lift the Trophy?
Argentina are the favourites to win the Copa America as things stand, although plenty could change between now and the opening game on June 20.
Lionel Scaloni’s side are the reigning world champions after their success in Qatar last winter. Argentina lost their opening game of that tournament to Saudi Arabia, but they recovered brilliantly and went on to lift the trophy for the third time in their history.
Argentina are going strong in the latest set of the WC qualifiers and they have the strongest squad in South America right now. It is no surprise that they are the leading contenders to triumph in the USA next summer.
Brazil can never be written off, but the Selecao are in a state of flux right now. Fernando Diniz is the interim head coach of the national team, but it is still unclear whether or not he will be at the helm by the time the tournament gets under way. Carlo Ancelotti is thought to be their top target.
Diniz is a smart and innovative manager, but he has struggled to get his ideas across to the Brazil squad up to now. That bodes ill for the Copa America, but Brazil’s individual quality means they are still capable of going all the way.
Uruguay could be contenders. They were disappointing in the 2022 tournament in Qatar, but they have a talented crop of younger players emerging and Marcelo Bielsa is doing a promising job so far.
Colombia look like potential dark horses, chiefly because they are also going strong in the World Cup qualifiers under the guidance of Nestor Lorenzo. The USA will hope that home advantage allows them to challenge, but they will probably struggle against the best that South America has to offer.
Who Has Won the Most Copas America?
| Team | Number of Titles | Years |
| Argentina | 15 | 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941,1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993, 2021 |
| Uruguay | 15 | 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011 |
| Brazil | 9 | 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019 |
| Paraguay | 2 | 1953, 1979 |
| Chile | 2 | 2015, 2016 |
| Peru | 2 | 1939, 1975 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1963 |
| Colombia | 1 | 2001 |
What Happened at the Last Copa America?
The 2021 Copa America was a very strange tournament. Held while COVID-19 was raging across South America, the competition was almost cancelled by CONMEBOL after Argentina pulled out of hosting. Brazil ultimately stepped in, but only a couple of weeks before the tournament was due to begin.
The 10 teams were split into two groups of five, with eight going through to the knockout stage. That meant only Venezuela and Bolivia fell at the first hurdle.
Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia advanced to the semi-finals. Brazil beat Peru 1-0 in the first match, before Argentina overcame Colombia on penalties.
That set up a final between the two biggest footballing nations on the continent. It went Argentina’s way, with a goal from Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute the only difference between the Albiceleste and Brazil. The final was the only match of the entire tournament that had spectators, with 13,800 able to watch the contest.
Last Updated: 28.08.2024