(Photo: Pixabay) The Copa América 2024 has officially started. The tournament, which will be held at 14 locations across the United States and will end on July 14, will feature 10 teams from member countries of the South American Confederation and six teams from CONCACAF. In the opening game, Argentina, this year's favorite to win, defeated Canada with two spectacular goals. In the coming days, the excitement of the group stage continues, with millions of people eager to bet on the Copa América. We analyze the performance of the participating teams and the best odds defined by bookmakers, between already favorite teams and last-minute surprises.Argentina beats Canada, but not by much.
In this Copa América debut, Argentina managed to score two goals, but even so, the North American team managed to maintain a good pace of play. This shows that Argentina's mechanics are not yet fully adjusted and, if they do not encounter difficulties against Canada, things could change against better prepared teams.
However, Canada has shown that it can qualify for the Copa América and, in fact, place itself in the top 10 of teams that are currently favorites to win the Copa América by the bookmakers. Of course, the odds remain at 88.00, but we'll see how things change depending on the group's evolution.
All bookmakers agree that Argentina remains the favorite to win the tournament, with odds of 2.70 to win the tournament. For first place in Group A, Argentina is almost certain to win, with odds ranging from 1.20 to 1.50.
Status within the group
As mentioned above, Argentina are favorites to win Group A, but we will also be keeping an eye on Chile and Peru. Chile and Peru, the teams that occupy respectively 8th and 10th place in the South American qualifying table, represent perhaps some of the weakest teams in this tournament. The matches scheduled in Group A look perfectly balanced, with odds of victory of 3.50 for Peru and 2.25 for Chile. The difference doesn't seem to be that big, but it is extremely unlikely that these two teams will make it past the round of 16.
Group B looks to be the most exciting team, with a well-balanced squad that can potentially dominate any team over the others. In addition to Jamaica, Venezuela, Ecuador and Mexico will represent the best of this Copa América. All eyes are on Mexico, but we cannot forget their terrible performance in the last World Cup. In terms of odds of victory in each group, Mexico appears in first place with 2.10, followed closely by Ecuador with 2.50.
Group C seems the most predictable, with teams very far from each other. Uruguay seems to be the most prepared for this type of competition, but the USA has a good chance of at least reaching the quarterfinals. Bolivia and Panama, on the other hand, are completely out of reach for all bookmakers. Uruguay's group win prize is 1.70x, while the United States' prize is 2.30x.
Finally, in Group D there are no doubts in terms of strength and performance on the field. Brazil must overcome any opponent.
Colombia may be the only team that can beat them as Brazil still have a lot to prove, especially without Neymar and a new coach in place. In any case, there is no doubt that at the moment Brazil's rating is estimated at 1.40, while Colombia is a little further away, at 3.70. Paraguay with a quota of 12.00 and Costa Rica with a quota of 18.00 have little chance of advancing.