Copa América 2021: Everything you need to know about the tournament's return
All eyes will be on Brazil for the next month, and for good reason.
The country will play host to the Copa América, which will kick off on Sunday and run through July 10, with the host team also holding the honor of being defending champions from the 2019 tournament.
The tournament will take place across four different Brazilian cities, which include Maracana and Estadio Nilson Santos in Rio de Janiero, Estadio Olimpico in Goiania, Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, and the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasilia.
Here is everything you need to know about the prestigious event:
GROUPS AND SCHEDULE
There are two separate groups for the tournament: Group A and Group B, each consisting of five South American teams.
There will be 20 matches in group play, which will take place from Sunday through June 28. The games will air on FOX, FS1 and FS2.
Sunday, June 13
5 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. Venezuela
8 p.m. ET: Colombia vs. Ecuador
Monday, June 14
5 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Chile
8 p.m. ET: Paraguay vs. Bolivia
Thursday, June 17
5 p.m. ET: Colombia vs. Venezuela
8 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. Peru
Friday, June 18
5 p.m. ET: Chile vs. Bolivia
8 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Uruguay
Sunday, June 20
5 p.m. ET: Venezuela vs. Ecuador
8 p.m. ET: Colombia vs. Peru
Monday, June 21
5 p.m. ET: Uruguay vs. Chile
8 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Paraguay
Wednesday, June 23
5 p.m. ET: Ecuador vs. Peru
8 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. Colombia
Thursday, June 24
5 p.m. ET: Bolivia vs. Uruguay
8 p.m. ET: Chile vs. Paraguay
Sunday, June 27
5 p.m. ET: Brazil vs. Ecuador
5 p.m. ET: Venezuela vs. Peru
Monday, June 28
8 p.m. ET: Uruguay vs. Paraguay
8 p.m. ET: Bolivia vs. Argentina
The knockout round will begin after the completion of group play, with the quarterfinals held on July 2-3, followed by the semifinals on July 5-6, the third-place match on July 9, and the final on July 10.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
If there is one thing that the Copa América isn't lacking, it's star power.
Argentina will be led by one of the greatest players the game's ever seen in Lionel Messi, who is looking to lead his native country to its first Copa América title since repeat wins in 1991 and 1993.
Messi isn't the only big name to watch either, with Luis Suarez also present with Uruguay.
Suarez is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and is a threat to score anytime he has control of the ball.
And then there is the native star, Neymar, who will look to lead Brazil to its second consecutive title here, which would give them five of the last 10 Copa América titles.
He is one of the best, and most polarizing, players in the world, and alongside Messi he will be the main attraction during the event in his home country.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Brazil enters as the defending champions, and as previously stated, winners of four of the last nine Copa América titles. But this year's home charge has faced some fierce competition en route to those titles.
Chile won the title in consecutive years in 2015 and 2016, topping Argentina both times.
Argentina also finished as the runner-up in 2004 and 2007, suffering losses at the hands of Brazil.
And then there are Ecuador and Venezuela, both of which are looking to finally get on the board and secure their first victory in the tournament.
Dating back to the tournament's inaugural year in 1916 – it was known as the South American Championship up until 1975, when it became the Copa America – Uruguay and Argentina have been the most dominant participants, winning 15 and 14 titles, respectively. Brazil is third with nine.
However, although Argentina has 14 Copa America titles, Messi has yet to win one.
In fact, despite being arguably the most decorated soccer player of all time at the Club level, Messi has never won a major international trophy (Copa America or World Cup). He did win a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, but the Olympics aren’t quite as significant of a tournament internationally, considering the men's Olympic soccer competitions are essentially U-23 tournaments.
Messi has reached one World Cup final and three Copa America finals with Argentina and has lost each of them.
COVID-19 RAMIFICATIONS
Much like the rest of the sports world, COVID-19 impacted this event, which was canceled last year.
In fact, Brazil was the third option to host this year's event. Colombia had to forfeit its initial hosting rights due to political tension. Later, Argentina gave up its rights to host as COVID-19 cases surged across the country.
And then there is Brazil, which had players threaten to hold out due to the country's handling of COVID-19. As of this morning, the boycott appears off and the tournament is on as scheduled.
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