South America is home to some of the biggest stars in world football, and they are about to collide on the international stage this summer.
The 46th edition of the Copa América will take place this year in Rio de Janeiro, as the best teams in South America compete for the continental title.
Football powerhouses like Argentina and Brazil will engage in intense battles, alongside the most successful team in the tournament’s history, Uruguay.
With some of the best players in the world on display, including Neymar and possibly Lionel Messi, the tournament has a unique appeal, infused with the continent’s Joga Bonito philosophy.
When is the 2019 Copa América?
The 2019 Copa América is scheduled to start on June 14 and will last three weeks until the final on July 7.
The group stage matches will conclude on June 24, with a three-day break before the knockout matches begin on June 27.
Who are the participants?
There are 10 representatives from CONMEBOL and two extra teams from the AFC, Qatar and Japan, who accepted invitations to participate.
This is the first Copa América without representatives from CONCACAF since teams were first invited.
The South American teams are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The Host Country
Brazil will host the 2019 edition of the tournament, marking the first time the country has hosted the event since 1989.
This will be the fifth time the Copa América is held in Brazil, with the country having previously hosted in 1919, 1922, and 1949, in addition to 1989.
The matches will take place in six stadiums across five cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Salvador.
The opening match will be held at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, and the final at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.
Where to Watch and Live Streaming
In the U.S., the tournament will be broadcast in Spanish and English, with Telemundo holding the Spanish rights. beIN Sports will provide coverage in English.
Who won the last Copa América?
Chile is the current champion after winning the Copa América Centenario in 2016 in the United States.
La Roja, then led by Juan Antonio Pizzi, defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. It was Chile’s second consecutive title after their first in 2015.
After the teams were tied at the end of regular time and extra time, the match went to penalties, and Chile won 4-2 in the shootout, with Francisco Silva scoring the decisive penalty.
Lionel Messi, who failed to convert his penalty, controversially announced his retirement shortly after. It was his third consecutive defeat in finals of major tournaments — having lost in the previous year’s Copa América and the 2014 World Cup against Germany — and the fourth overall with Argentina.
“It’s difficult and a complicated moment,” Messi said after the defeat. “The first thing that comes to my mind and that I thought is that the end has come for me and our team (Argentina).”
The Barcelona star eventually reversed his decision and competed in the 2018 World Cup, but again without success.