The 2019 Copa America will get underway on 14 June, with action that is sure to be as hot as the scorching Brazilian sun.
This summer is definitely the ideal time for sports fans to start booking their South America holidays, with our South America tours helping you to get to the heart of all the excitement.
Chile are the returning champions and they are looking to once again defend their title after winning in both 2015 and 2016. Interestingly enough, Chile were actually supposed to host this tournament and Brazil were originally intended to host the tournament in 2015.
It’s also going to be a historic tournament, as from 2020 onwards, it will follow a structure more similar to the European Champions league in terms of its dates and team numbers.
So then, this is the last we will see the tournament in this form. Based on the action from previous years, we’re sure that the 2019 Copa America will not only allow this version of the tournament to go out with a bang but will also set the standard for the future.
Brazil
It’s been well over a decade since Brazil lifted the Copa America trophy, or indeed any major title, as their last big tournament success was that victory back in 2007.
Still, a Brazil team that’s not firing on all cylinders is still better than most, and they come into this 2019 challenge as favourites for many.
They’ll be hoping that this time, they can make good on those expectations, rather than buckling beneath the pressure.
Group: A
Brazil vs Bolivia – 14th June 2019 21:30
Brazil vs Venezuela – 18th June 2019 21:30
Brazil vs Peru – 22nd June 2019 21:30
Team:
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Cassio
Defenders: Marquinhos, Eder Militao, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Alex Sandro, Filipe Luis, Fagner, Dani Alves
Midfielders: Casemiro, Fernandinho, Arthur, Allan, Lucas Paqueta
Forwards: Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Richarlison, Everton, David Neres, Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus
Odds:
Around 11/10
Chile
They might be the defending champions but it would appear that hasn’t been enough to convince the bookmakers to make them the favourites here.
Perhaps that is due to their limited success outside of this tournament. They failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and haven’t had much success elsewhere.
That being said, you don’t win the Copa America twice in a row by accident. Plenty will still be expected from the defending champions, even if they will be defying the odds if they manage to attain the hat trick.
Group: C
Japan vs Chile – 17th June 2019 20:00
Ecuador vs Chile – 21st June 2019 20:00
Chile vs Uruguay – 24th June 2019 20:00
Team:
Goalkeepers: Gabriel Arias, Brayan Cortes
Defenders: Guillermo Maripan, Igor Lichnovsky, Gonzalo Jara, Eugenio Mena, Sebastian Vegas, Paulo Diaz, Mauricio Isla, Oscar Opazo
Midfielder: Erick Pulgar, Gary Medel, Esteban Pavez, Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, Pablo Hernandez, Jimmy Martinez, Diego Valdes
Forward: Alexis Sanchez, Junior Fernandes, Jean Meneses, Jose Pedro Fuenzalida, Nicholas Castillo, Felipe Mora, Diego Rubio, Ivan Morales
Odds:
8/1 to 11/1
Ecuador
They may not be the favourites to win the tournament by a long shot – especially considering they are one of two remaining South American countries to have never won the Copa America — but Ecuador do have plenty of reasons to be positive heading into this contest.
Their coach, Hernan Gomez, has led three different countries into World Cup qualification and is exactly the type of person they need to cause an upset here.
On top of that, they have a young and exciting team, as the under-20 squad recently won the South America Under 20 Championship. Will this be Ecuador’s year? Possibly not, but it should lay the groundwork for greater things in the future.
Group: C
Uruguay vs Ecuador- 16th June 2019 19:00
Ecuador vs Chile – 21st June 2019 20:00
Ecuador vs Japan – 24th June 2019 20:00
Team:
Goalkeepers: Maximo Manguera, Alexander Dominguez, Pedro Ortiz,
Defenders: Robert Arboleda, Arturo Mina, Gabriel Achilier, Xavier Arreaga, Cristian Ramirez, Beder Caicedo. Antonio Valencia, Jose Quintero, Pedro Velasco
Midfielders: Carlos Gruezo, Jefferson Orejuela, Jefferson Intriago, Sebastian Mendez, Andres Chicaiza
Forwards: Ayrton Preciado, Romario Ibarra, Renato Ibarra, Angel Mena, Enner Valancia, Carlos Garces
Odds:
7/1 to 8/1
Argentina
Alongside hosts Brazil, this is the team most have picked as favourites to win the whole thing – and not without good reason.
Perhaps Ecuador would have had a better chance of picking up a Copa America victory if Argentina hadn’t won it 14 times.
They were also runners-up at the last two competitions. In fact, so successful are the Argentinian side in this tournament, that you would have to go all the way back to 1989 to find an instance of this team not at least making it to the quarter final (with the exception of 2001, when they withdrew from the tournament).
On the other hand, it’s also been over a quarter of a century since they last won the tournament, meaning this year they’ll no doubt be aching to taste championship glory yet again.
Group: B
Argentina vs Colombia – 15th June 2019 19:00
Argentina vs Paraguay – 19th June 2019 21.30
Qatar vs Argentina – 23rd June 2019 16:00
Team:
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Esteban Andrada, Agustin Marchesin
Defenders: Nicolas Otemendi, German Pezzella, Juan Foyth, Ramiro Funes Mori, Nicholas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco, Renzo Saravia,
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rogriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra
Forward: Rodrigo de Paul, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Matinez, Matias Suarez
Odds:
7/2 to 9/2
Bolivia
The good news is that, unlike Ecuador, this team have a Copa America win under their belts. The bad news is that this was way back in 1963 and their international record hasn’t exactly been stellar since then.
In 2016, they were unable to gain a single point in the group stages and have failed to win throughout 2019.
They most recently lost to France, Japan and South Korea, and drew against the likes of Iraq and UAE.
On top of that, it is unlikely their opening contest against none other than Brazil is going to boost their confidence. It would be great to see Bolivia make a comeback here, but the odds are very much against them.
Group: B
Brazil vs Bolivia 14th June 2019: 21:30
Bolivia vs Peru 18th June 2019 18:30
Bolivia vs Venezuela 22nd June 16:00
Team:
Goalkeepers: Carlos Lampe, Saidt Mustafa, Ruben Cardano, Javier Rojas
Defenders: Luis Haquin, Adrian Jusino, Jordy Candia, Mario Cuellar, Jose Maria Carrasco, Marvin Bejarano, Roberto Fernandez, Erwin Saavedra, Diego Bejarano, Saul Torres
Midfielders: Diego Wayar, Alejandro Chumacero, Raul Castro, Fernando Saucedo, Samuel Galindo, Leonel Justiniano, Luis Vargas, Cristian Arano, Ramiro Vaca, Henry Vaca
Forward: Vladimir Castellon, Leonardo Vaca, Marcelo Moreno, Rodrigo Ramallo, Gilbert Alvarez
Odds:
33/1 to 75/1
Colombia
Colombia are a team of hidden depths. Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez may get most of the attention, but they also have plenty of star power down the line.
They have a fantastic goalkeeper in David Ospina – the importance of which cannot be understated in a league as fast-paced and hard-hitting as the Copa America.
That’s not to mention some quality players from the Premier League, such as Everton’s Yerry Mina.
When you really get down to it, Colombia have the potential to be a threat to any team in this league, even the mighty Brazil and Argentina.
Group: B
Argentina vs Colombia 15th June 2019 19:00
Colombia vs Qatar 19th June 2019 18:30
Colombia vs Paraguay 23rd June 2019 16:00
Team:
Goalkeepers: Ivan Arboleda, Camilo Vargas, Alvaro Montero
Defenders: Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, Jeison Murillo, Jhon Lucumi, William Tesillo, Cristian Borja, Deiver Machado, Helibelton Palacios, Luis Manuel Orejuela
Midfielders: Jefferson Lerma, Wilmar Barrios, Gustavo Cuellar, Mateus Uribe, James Rodriguez
Forward: Luis Diaz, Yimmi Chara, Sebastian Villa, Duvan Zapata, Falcao, Luis Muriel, Alfredo Morelos
Odds:
9/1 to 10/1
