Countdown to Copa America: Teams, Underdogs, Names to Know

The summer of 2023 belonged to Lionel Messi after signing with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer and subsequently leading them to a Leagues Cup championship as well as the final of the U.S. Open Cup.

Forward to the beginning of this summer and the incomparable soon-to-be 37-year-old (June 24) is playing for much higher stakes in Copa America 2024 when Argentina seeks back-to-back titles in the tournament that runs from June 20 to July 14 in the United States.

Argentina is the favorite among the 10 South American (CONMEBOL) entrants and the six clubs, including the U.S. men’s national team, from North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).

Not surprisingly, continental foes Brazil and Uruguay could be the biggest challenges to Messi and friends.

Here’s a look at the three likeliest winners:

Argentina

Coach Lionel Scaloni selected a squad that features 21 of 26 players that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and have a clear path to the July 14 final in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Argentina opens Group A play against Canada on Thursday before facing Chile and Peru and would not have to face Brazil or Uruguay before the championship match.

Messi said he and his teammates are taking nothing for granted in their quest for another title.

“It's going to get harder and harder for us, nothing is going to be easy for us,” he said after scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Guatemala in a friendly on Friday. “But we're going to try again.”

Brazil

This may be a pick more for name than performance with Uruguay being in better form lately but the Brazilians, even in a transition period, still possess the talent to challenge for the championship despite their two most recent results in friendlies against Mexico (3-2 win) and the United States (1-1 tie).

Prior to that, they looked better in a 1-0 win at England and a 3-3 draw at Spain.

Neymar did not make the roster because of injury and midfielder Casemiro was left off after a subpar season at Manchester United.

Brazil’s first match in Group D is June 24  vs. Costa Rica.

Uruguay

Argentina has one loss in its past 13 matches since the World Cup and that was 2-0 at home to Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier. La Celeste went 4-1-1 in qualifying last fall, including a 2-0 victory over Brazil and a 2-2 draw against Colombia.

Even better, Luis Suarez has been rejuvenated playing alongside Messi for Inter Miami with the duo tied for MLS lead with 12 goals apiece.  

Uruguay’s first Group C match is against Panama on Sunday followed by Bolivia and a showdown with the U.S. in Kansas City on July 1.

There’s a clear delineation between the top three and the rest of the field but if the trio stumbles here are candidates to claim the Copa crown:

Colombia

The Colombians are on a roll with a  23-match unbeaten streak, including 5-1 thrashing of the U.S. in a June 8 friendly.

They will rely on a strong defense and hope 32-year-old James Rodriguez can still engineer the attack.

Colombia’s first match in Group D is Friday against Costa Rica.

U.S.

This run-up to the 2026 World Cup in North America is critical.

The draw with Brazil gives the USMNT hope that coach Gregg Berhalter has the program on the upswing. Expectation are high for a team led by Christian Pulisic, beginning Sunday vs. Bolivia.

“I think anything besides making it out of the group will be bad for us, so we just want to be able to compete and get the best out of it,” U.S  forward Ricardo Pepi said.

Mexico

Much like the U.S., Mexico wants to feed off its fans to offset what has been a so-so run-up up to the tournament.

Mexico has several European standouts including forward Santiago Giménez (Feyenoord) and midfielder Edson Álvarez (West Ham United).

The Mexicans in Group B play Jamaica, Venezuela and Ecuador.

Yes, experience matters but here are three players who may have a breakout tournament:

Endrick, Brazil

He’s only 17 but has already shown the flair and skill exhibited by past Brazilian stars. He’s joining Real Madrid this summer and Copa America could be a precursor to starring in the 2026 World Cup.

Alejandro Garnacho, Argentina

He will turn 20 on July 1 but has already made appearances in the 2022 World Cup and Copa América 2021. He spearheaded Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Manchester United on May 25.

Darwin Núñez, Uruguay

First of all, the 24-year-old Liverpool striker shares a June 24th birthday with Messi. Núñez, readied for Copa by scoring a hat trick against Mexico in the final pre-tourney match.

He missed the 2021 Copa America because of an injury.