Following on from the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany this summer, that is not where our spoils of international football end. Following that, we look forward to the Copa America 2024, which is the 48th edition of the tournament, which is being hosted in the United States, with them having hosted it once before back in 2016. There are a total of 16 teams that play in the tournament, all wanting to take home the silverware. And when it comes to hot betting offers in South Africa, the Copa America as well as the Euro 2024 offer plenty of different teams and markets to choose from. And so today we’re going to look at what teams are in the tournament this year and if anyone, apart from Argentina or Brazil, will win it.
Historical tournament form
In the previous 47 tournaments, the top spot was shared by both Argentina and Uruguay, who have won a total of 15 Copa Americas each. Argentina is the defending champion, having won back in 2021. Whereas Brazil only has nine titles to its name. And so, why are we only focusing on Brazil and Argentina? Well, to focus on the former first, Brazil have nine Copa America titles to their name, the last having been in the preceding tournament to Argentina’s last back in 2019 when they beat Peru. However, in the last 30 years, this is where 5 out of their 9 titles have come from, having also finished runners-up twice, most recently in 2019 against Argentina.
Brazil’s recent upsurge
And now let’s look at Argentina’s form in the competition in the last 30 years against Brazil’s; they have in fact only one it once, which was back in 2021, having come runners up a total of 4 times, back to back in 2016 and 2015 and also again in 2004 and 2007, which was to Brazil. And so why are these two teams talked about when you have Chile, who have won it twice back-to-back against Argentina? Well, that’s a very good question. The star and possibly one of the best players of all time, Lionel Messi, does feature again for his country after leading them to World Cup success.
Messi and Argentina
Well, when it comes to statistical favourites and from a bookmaker’s perspective, Argentina go into the tournament partly for this reason as major favourites. Brazil has lost some of the big names they had in previous tournaments, such as Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos, just to name a few. However, they aren’t to be written off. They still have stars such as Neymar Jr., who is regarded as one of the best players in the world, on their roster. There is also a lot of pressure on Argentina because, after all, they are defending their title after winning back in 2021 against Brazil and also having won the World Cup the following year in 2022. And so they are having to defend both of these titles in the foreseeable future so that is a lot of expectation and pressure to withstand.
Can Argentina be beaten?
As much as all of the expectation is on Argentina, all of this expectation can actually end up being a burden on the players and the pressure can sometimes throw them off, especially in the big games. Likewise, they have recently suffered a loss to Uruguay, who are the joint record-holders. You also have Colombia, who, alongside Brazil, come into the tournament in fine form. With a squad full of youth, experience, and hunger, having the approach of the underdogs means that they don’t have the weight of expectation on them that Argentina and Brazil might be carrying and this could prove vital in their tournament journey.
In Summary
There is going to be a lot to look forward to when the Copa America 2024 kicks off this summer. The first game is, of course, for the defending champions, Argentina, who take on the Canadians. This is on June 20th and then the tournament runs right through until July 14th. And no matter who the winner is, whether it’s Argentina, Brazil, or indeed one of the underdogs, whoever wins will end up playing against the winner of the UEFA Euro 2024 in the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions next year in 2015. And the final this year is being hosted at the beautiful Hard Rock Stadium, which is located in Miami Gardens, Florida.
