On 20 June, the Copa America tournament will kick off for almost a month, featuring the best teams from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. The Argentina team won the tournament three years ago, who beat Brazil 1-0 in the final.
Messi scored 4 goals then and was joint top scorer with Colombian Luis Diaz. Messi was also voted the best player of the tournament. It was Argentina’s fifteenth Copa America title in total.
Argentina enters this year’s tournament as one of the main favourites. There is a reason for the high hopes for the team, which includes all the best footballers who played in the 2022 World Cup.
The Brazilians are the main contenders, while Uruguay also has the potential to surprise. However, all eyes will be on the Argentinians, who will have Lionel Messi, who will be 37 years old when the tournament starts on 24 June.
In this article, we examine Argentina’s chances in the forthcoming tournament. We examine the squad, the latest results, and a prediction. Please read on for a closer look at the Copa America 2024 favourites.
Argentina’s 2024 Copa America Squad
The future of Lionel Scaloni, the current coach of the Argentine national football team, is uncertain. The Copa America 2024 could be his last tournament, so there is no shortage of motivation to bring the strongest squad and defend the title.
The good news for the coach is that he has a choice of all the best footballers.
The four world champions he has excluded from the extended list are Juan Foyth, Alejandro Gomez, Thiago Almada, and Paulo Dybala. There is an explanation for two footballers. Thiago Almada will represent the Argentina U23 team at this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris.
Alejandro Gomez is serving a two-year disqualification. Meanwhile, the biggest surprise is Paulo Dybala’s non-invitation. As the footballer himself says, he respects the coach’s decision, but the news surprised him.
The 30-year-old AS Roma striker is the most prominent name to be left out of the Argentina squad for Copa America 2024. He had a good season in Rome, scoring 13 goals and 9 assists in 28 games in Serie A. Seeing the coach’s decision, it seems that Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, and Messi have won the competitive battle.
Here is the extended Argentinian squad of 29 players. Three of them will not join the final team.
| Goalkeepers |
|---|
| Franco Armani (River Plate), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax) |
| Defenders |
|---|
| Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Valentin Barco (Brighton), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Tafliafico (Lyon) |
| Midfielders |
|---|
| Valentin Carboni (Monza), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis) |
| Forwards |
|---|
| Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina(, Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) |
With names like these, it’s unsurprising that the Argentinians are among the main favourites. There is talent in every position, and the roster looks extremely balanced, with both experienced veterans and young, energetic players.
Three players have played more than 100 games for Argentina – Benfica Lisbon’s Nicolas Otamendi, 36, has played 111 games; Angel Di Maria, 36, has played 138; and Lionel Messi has played 180.
Alongside these three veterans, the team is also brimming with promising young talent. Emiliano Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rodrigo De Paul, and Leandro Paredes, all aged 30-32, bring a wealth of experience.
We have Enzo Fernandez, 23, and Exequiel Palacios, 25, in the midfield, ready to prove their worth. The defensive line, led by veterans, also includes 26-year-old Nahuel Molina and Cristian Romero, showing the team’s commitment to a balanced mix of experience and youth.
Looking at this line-up and seeing that three footballers will be uncoupled, it is already possible to say that Paulo Dybala is the “biggest” loss.
However, it was the coach’s decision, and we must trust that he knows what he is doing. From the current line-up, the three players who will left out should not be the main stars.
Football fans are welcome to check our Copa America 2024 betting guide.
FAQ
⚽ What is Argentina’s soccer team name?
⚽ How many trophies does Argentina have?
⚽ What Argentina team did Messi play for?
Lionel Messi has played for the Argentina national football team, “La Albiceleste.” He has represented Argentina in various international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and the Copa América.
⚽ How many players in Argentina football team?
A standard football team, including Argentina’s national team, has 11 players on the field during a match. Additionally, the squad for international tournaments typically consists of 23 players, including substitutes, although the number can vary depending on the specific regulations of the tournament or competition.
⚽ Who is Argentina’s coach?
Argentina’s national football team coach is Lionel Scaloni.
Argentina Copa America 2024 Predictions
The Argentinians come into the tournament as favourites on football betting sites. With such a solid line-up, including both veteran and young players, coping with the tension and pressure shouldn’t be too difficult.
In Group A, Argentina will play against Peru, Chile and Canada. There are two teams in the next round, and it is hard to imagine that the Argentinians are not in one of the first places.
| Argentina Copa America winner @ 2,75 |
If they reach the quarter-finals, they will play Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, or Jamaica from Group B. Even if they finish second in the group, all the teams in Group B are beatable.
The road to the semi-finals will not be very difficult. The semi-finals will be a much stronger contest, as the teams from Groups A/B will also meet here.
The format is such that teams from Groups C/D can only meet in the final. This means that the Argentines will not meet the USA, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia until the final.
| Argentina to reach Copa America final @ 1,73 |
The safer option is to bet on Argentina to reach the final, but the odds of defending the title are also worth considering.
Brazil may be the biggest challenge, but they are on a rather difficult side of the table, and there could be some surprises. Compared to all the other teams, the Argentinians are pretty clear favourites.
Argentina team arrives at the 2024 Copa America in very solid shape. If we look only at recent tournaments, they won the Copa America in 2021 and became world champions a year later, in 2022.
In the qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup, they have won five times in six matches and have already taken a big step towards qualification.
Argentina’s journey in the 2022 FIFA World Cup was marked by an unbeaten streak that lasted for several years. While there were a few draws, the team had not faced a defeat in a long time.
However, the team faced an unexpected setback in their first World Cup match, losing 1-2 to Saudi Arabia. Despite this, the team showed remarkable resilience, losing only once since that match.
In their last 17 matches, they have won 14 times. There have been draws twice, but the victories have still come after extra time. The only defeat was against Uruguay on 17 November 2023. In the qualification for the World Cup, they lost 0:2.
Over the past five years, the Argentine national team has only tasted defeat twice. These losses were not significant enough to dampen their spirits.
They bounced back after the defeat against Saudi Arabia, and the qualifying match against Uruguay was just one of many such instances.
During this period, the team has consistently triumphed in the most crucial matches, securing multiple titles. This track record bodes well for their upcoming Copa America tournament performance.