16 teams, 14 stadiums, 2 federations plus two national teams from the top five of the FIFA ranking - Copa América 2024 promises to be extremely interesting. The tournament will not only be a foretaste of the upcoming World Cup, but also a serious test for the U.S. as host of a major sporting event. There is also no shortage of controversy.

Who will play at the Copa América 2024?

This year's Copa América returns to the model that was discontinued in 2019. In addition to the 10 teams from the South American federation CONMEBOL, the tournament will feature six teams from CONCACAF. In total, there will be 16 teams:

• CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela
• CONCACAF: Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, the United States, Canada and Costa Rica

The national teams of Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and the United States qualified by reaching the final stage of the 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League, while Canada and Costa Rica had to play in the play-offs, beating Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras, respectively. CONMEBOL member national teams, on the other hand, did not have to fight for the right to play in the tournament as the federation is made up of only those 10 countries.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak | Mercedes-Benz Stadium

32 matches in 25 days

The 16 teams vying for the title will play in four groups of four teams each (A,B,C and D), to give 24 matches in the group stage. The tournament will open with a clash between Argentina and Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 20, and the group phase will last until July 2. It is already known that the number of tickets sold for the Copa América has exceeded one million.

From each group, the top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals, which will face each other between July 4 and 6. On July 9 and 10, the semifinals will determine who will play on July 13 in the match for third place, and who will meet in the final on July 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The final clash will conclude the tournament after 25 days of football feasting.

Warm-up before the World Cup

Although only 32 matches will be played (24 in the group stage and eight in the knockout stage), the Copa América will be played in as many as 14 stadiums. You can learn all about them from the video on our channel:

The tournament will allow us to assess the US' ability to host a major sporting event. This is particularly relevant because 8 of the 14 Copa América host cities will also host matches of the 2026 World Cup, which is co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

As with the upcoming World Cup, the host cities will be divided into 3 regions - Central, East Coast and West Coast. Groups A and C will play 4 matches each in the East region, while B and D will play 4 matches each in the West region. In addition, each group will play 2 matches in the Central region. The division into regions is meant to prevent players and fans from being overtired by the time changes.

And here is the complete list of tournament stadiums:

The favourites: Argentina, Brazil and…

Copa América 2024 will be a warm-up for the World Cup in yet another respect. The tournament will feature Argentina and Brazil, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 5, respectively, in the FIFA rankings which puts them as the favourites for the 2026 World Cup. The Copa América will show whether the team with Leo Messi still has an appetite for trophies, or whether the Brazilians, despite Neymar's absence, can work their magic..

Or will a dark horse of the competition emerge? Uruguay could spring a surprise, but Mexico, Colombia and even the United States are also hoping to reach the final. Uruguayans preparing for the tournament beat Mexico 4:0 and tied with Costa Rica. Colombia crushed the Americans 5:1, while Mexico lost to Brazil (0:1) and Uruguay (0:4), winning only against Bolivia 1:0.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak | Hard Rock Stadium

"Chilean football is better than Argentine football".

Arturo Vidal has a different perspective, saying recently on Twitch that Chilean football is better than Argentine football. The Colo Colo player made a similar statement about Brazilian soccer, saying that the teams there have enough money to buy who they want, but technically, it's not that they are better than Chilean football.

Rodrygo, on the other hand, did not consider Chile at all, but referred to Argentina, warning them against being too confident. Brazil, in every game, in every match, is always the favourite assured the Real player for Placar, who, knowing that most fans are betting on Argentina, still believes the Canarinha can become the best national team in the world again.

There has been speculation in the U.S. media indicating that Leo Messi is taking the Real Brasil very seriously as the media has recently called the Brazilian national team (its attack is made up of Vinicius, Rodrygo and Endrick, among others). Many fans have complained about the Inter Miami star's poor form in recent MLS matches, suggesting that Messi is saving energy for the Copa América at the expense of his club.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak | AT&T Stadium

More at stake than the cup

The trophy that the winning team will lift in Miami is the same one that was awarded to Argentina in 1917, that is, after winning the second edition of the Campeonato Sudamericano (South American Tournament), as the Copa América was called until 1967. However, the game is not only about the cup.

This year's edition is special because two teams - Argentina and Uruguay - have 15 titles each, as Argentina equaled the score in the last edition of the tournament. Both the Albicelestes, led by Messi, and La Celeste, with Súarez, Araújo and Fede Valverde in its lineup, will be looking to put themselves ahead in this fierce competition.

Brazil, on the other hand, which is in the last place of the podium, will want to turn its 9 titles to date into 10, shortening the gap to the top. Time will tell who will return from Miami with the title of champion of the Americas, but it can already be said that we are in for an exciting spectacle. Or perhaps the cup will stay in Miami....

© Grzegorz Kaliciak | Q2 Stadium