The group stage of Copa América 2024 came to an end with a pleasant taste of ‘Vinotinto’. Indeed, the Venezuelan national team was the biggest surprise in the initial rounds, while Argentina and Uruguay maintained their favorite status, and Colombia excited their fans. This Copa América phase was also overshadowed by low stadium attendance and some refereeing controversies that led to strong protests from Chile.
The world’s oldest national team championship now continues with the quarterfinals, with the matchups as follows:
- Argentina vs. Ecuador – Thursday, July 4
- Venezuela vs. Canada – Friday, July 5
- Colombia vs. Panama – Saturday, July 6
- Uruguay vs. Brazil – Saturday, July 6
All matches kick off at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, except for Colombia vs. Panama, which starts at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. This edition is being held in the United States, where Mexico and the United States, unexpectedly and frankly disappointing, were eliminated. Both teams, considered hosts, confirmed themselves as the two big disappointments of this tournament.
Venezuela making history for the first time in their Copa América history, Venezuela advanced as group winners. They did it with three victories: defeating Ecuador (2-1), Mexico (1-0), and Jamaica (3-0), confirming the great moment for Venezuelan players. Today, Salomón Rondón, the team’s standout player, increased his tally as Venezuela’s all-time top scorer (43 goals). The solid defense only conceded one goal, making the team a favorite to defeat Canada in the quarterfinals.
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Lautaro Martínez shined brighter than Lionel Messi for Argentina, scoring four of the five goals that comfortably advanced Argentina. His speed, positioning, and finishing have been perfect, a ‘killer’ that excites fans in the stands. Uruguay and Colombia’s matches have been filled with goals, with the Uruguayan team scoring nine goals in their three games, and Colombia thrilling their fans with wins against Costa Rica and Paraguay. The Colombians extended their unbeaten streak to 26 matches.
Panama’s surprise qualification for the quarterfinals from Group C eliminated hosts United States, one of the major disappointments. With practical football, the Panamanians secured victories against the USA and Bolivia, placing second in Group C.
Mexico’s failure marked one of Mexico’s biggest failures in Copa América history, with poor performance from ‘El Tri’, particularly from their forwards. Peru and Chile’s performances were more than disappointing as both teams exited Copa América without scoring a single goal.
Large sections of stands were empty, mainly in matches involving less competitive teams. The average attendance for the first group stage matches was 25,000 spectators in stadiums with triple the capacity. Additionally, some stadiums had poor playing conditions. The U.S. as the Copa América venue provided CONMEBOL access to a variety of large-capacity stadiums, but this played against the tournament in most matches. Despite the support of technology, this Copa América has seen controversial decisions that many believe should no longer occur with Video Assistant Referees (VAR). Chile felt most affected by these decisions.
