The Copa América, organized by CONMEBOL since 1916, is a continental football tournament determining the South American champion.
Participants traditionally include South American countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Argentina holds the record with sixteen titles. Brazil is well aware of the strategy needed to win its 10th title at the 2024 “Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol.”
The next edition, scheduled between June 20 and July 14, will be in the United States and will feature 16 teams from South, Central, and North America.
The draw took place last Thursday, but Brazil’s opening match opponent remains unknown. They will face either Costa Rica or Honduras, who play in March 2024.
Other opponents in Brazil’s group include Paraguay and Colombia. The tournament has four groups, each with four teams.
The top two from each group will advance to the knockout stage. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, and third-place matches are single games.
A Brazil-Argentina final, with Argentina as the defending champion, is possible regardless of their group standings.
If Brazil reaches the quarter-finals, they will face a team from Group C, comprising the USA, Bolivia, Panama, and Uruguay.
Brazil’s opening match pits them against the theoretically weakest team in their group.
Costa Rica ranked 52nd in FIFA’s national team rankings, has lost three consecutive matches.
Their poor performance led to a change in management, with Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, who led Ecuador to the last World Cup, recently appointed.
The last Brazil-Costa Rica match was during the second round of the 2018 World Cup, where Brazil won 2-0.
Colombia is likely Brazil’s toughest group-stage opponent
Honduras, ranked 76th by FIFA, surprised in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals by beating Mexico 2-0 in the first leg but lost the second leg and were eliminated on penalties.
Their coach, Reinaldo Rueda, previously managed Flamengo in 2017. Rueda, in his second stint with Honduras, qualified them for the 2010 World Cup.
Paraguay, currently underperforming, sacked coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto and replaced him with Daniel Garnero.
They are seventh in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers with only one win in six games. FIFA ranks Paraguay 53rd.
Colombia is likely Brazil’s toughest group-stage opponent. Ranked 15th by FIFA and third in the qualifiers, Colombia recently beat Brazil 2-1 in Barranquilla.
Coach Néstor Lorenzo, appointed mid-last year, remains unbeaten in 14 games, with nine wins and five draws.
Despite being in a renewal phase, Colombia relies on key players like 32-year-old James Rodríguez (No. 10), Carrascal, Luis Diaz, and Borré.