Everything you need to know about the 2021 Copa America Part 1

The Copa America 2021 Tournament is almost upon us and it has a slightly different format than in previous years. This year there are only 10 teams that span 2 groups as opposed to the typical 3 groups of 4 teams we have seen in the past. We at Philly Sports Network have you covered ahead of this tournament with a two part preview! Here’s everything you need to know about the 2021 Copa America Part 1!

2021 Copa America Part 1: Group A

Due to Covid, the CONMEBOL leadership has decided to nix Qatar and Australia from the tournament which is the first time two guest nations will not appear since 1993. There has been a lot of news on this tournament off the field, as this tournament was set to be played in Colombia and Argentina.

Unfortunately, civil unrest in Colombia moved the tournament out of that nation; Shortly after that news, Argentina was pulled as host as well due to a surge in Covid cases. There was talk of moving the tournament to the United States of America, which made little sense as that is not South America. after some weeks of uncertainty, CONMEBOL decided to move the host nation to Brazil, which hosted the last tournament back in 2019.

Coming back to the actual tournament, four teams will advance from each group making the knockout rounds filled with potentially juicy matchups between top sides. Let’s take a look at the teams in Group A!

Argentina

Argentina is always a tough team to predict. On one hand, they have Leo Messi, one of, if not the greatest man to ever play this game. On the other hand, the rest of the team and the manager usually disappear in big tournaments like this. I feel as though this Argentina squad is different though and may be able to finally help Messi acquire his much-coveted international trophy.

How they can advance

Argentina can genuinely advance through this group by just showing up to the game. With four teams qualifying from each group it would be all but impossible for Argentina to bow out at this stage.

Bolivia

Bolivia enters this tournament in poor form. They currently sit 8th in World Cup Qualifying and have only four points from their last 8 matches. Their squad contains no real marquee players so they will have to improve greatly and perform well together to show well.

How they can advance

Bolivia advancing would be a surprise to most as they are the weakest team in Group A. They will have to steal points off of Chile at the very least in order to have a chance to move on, but it seems extremely unlikely.

Uruguay

Uruguay is always an extremely exciting squad to watch. They are led by La Liga winner Luis Suarez and behind him, a vast expanse of youthful talent that may carry Uruguay to a title for the first time since 2011.

How they can advance

Uruguay should have no issue advancing and when playing lesser teams in the group stage it wouldn’t surprise me if they played a lot of young guys to give them experience as they will be needed later on.

Chile

Chile is no strangers to Copa America success lifting two of the past three trophies both over Argentina. This Chile team is far less experienced than those winning teams though and will look to build cohesion in their group games before moving on to the win or go home portion of the tournament.

How they can advance

Chile should be fine to advance from this group. It will contain some good tests against Uruguay, Argentina, and even Paraguay to really show them and us how far this team can go this summer.

Paraguay

Paraguay loves a draw. In their last six games, they have drawn four times against the likes of Argentina and Uruguay among others. This is a good sign for advancement for a Paraguay team that is probably not looking at the trophy, but certainly looking to make some noise.

How they can advance

Stealing points from everyone they can and beating Bolivia are the keys to success for this team. They should be fine in the group unless Bolivia does a madness.

Who will advances to the Knockouts?

I am one who loves a good hot take, but Bolivia is just too poor to bet on. Argentina should top the group with Uruguay in second followed by Chile in third with Paraguay claiming the last spot. It will be interesting to see how this new format will affect teams but the only thing I could see potentially changing in regards to qualification is the order of these teams.

Part 2 Coming Tomorrow

We have a lot of soccer coming up which will all be covered here! The part two article covering Group B of Copa America will be live tomorrow written by the great Tim Lovenguth so be sure to check it out and enjoy all the soccer!