Who are the historical favourites to win the Copa America?
by Véronique MASUAKU | by Véronique MASUAKU
The Copa America is a very special competition, eagerly awaited in South America and fairly well followed in Europe. To start with some figures, the tournament was founded in 1916, the date of the very first Copa, and there have been 47 editions since then.
A trio well ahead of their time
The Copa America does have one peculiarity, however: it is very difficult to win! In fact, only 8 nations have ever lifted the trophy in the history of the competition. We focus today on these 8 countries that have made football history, with the top three including the two favourites for this Copa America 2024.
Argentina - 15 titles
Argentina is probably the king of this competition! In fact, they are tied for first place in the Copa America with 15 titles in total: 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993 and the most recent edition, 2021. A list as long as the law, to which we can also add 14 lost finals and 5 third-place finishes! As you will have gathered, the Albiceleste is a veritable behemoth in the Copa America competition, and it's not for nothing that they are once again the big favourite this year, both among the bookmakers and in our Copa America 2024 prediction!
Uruguay - 15 titles
Often underestimated by the younger generations, obviously because they have not really shone for several decades now, Uruguay is also in first place in this ranking with 15 titles! And while this statistic may come as a surprise to younger fans, it begins to make sense when you learn that La Celeste have only won the Copa America once since the turn of the millennium: victories in 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995 and 2011. Add to that 6 lost finals and 8 third-place finishes, and you have one of South America's historic nations. And Uruguay will go into the Copa America 2024 as outsiders!
Brazil - 9 titles
Some may be surprised to see Brazil so far from Argentina and Uruguay, but the Selecao have yet to win more than 10 Copa America titles! Indeed, the Brazilians are currently stuck on 9 titles: 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007 and 2019. But then again, you can add to that a total of 12 lost finals and 5 third-place finishes, and you get a historic record. Brazil, who lost out in the last final, will be hoping to go one better and claim their 10th trophy at this 2024 edition. Just behind Argentina, the team coached by Dorival Júnior is the second favourite of many observers and sports betting sites alike.
And the others...
That leaves just 5 nations with their name on the Copa America honours list! Three have won two titles and a final, and two nations are content with a single title for the time being. To begin with, it is important to divide the countries that have won twice into two. There are Paraguay (1953 and 1979) and Peru (1939 and 1975), but their titles are starting to gather dust. Chile, on the other hand, lifted the trophy in 2015 and 2016! In fact, they are much more eagerly awaited in this 2024 competition than the two aforementioned countries, and have average bookmaker odds of 30.00 (75.00 for Paraguay and Peru).
Next up are the last two nations to have won the Copa America: Colombia (2001) and Bolivia (1963)! While the former has enjoyed another golden generation in recent years with, as we all remember, James Rodriguez at the 2014 World Cup, things are more complicated for Bolivia. The odds on these two champions to win the 2024 edition of the Copa America are far apart: an average of 13.00 for Colombia and 200.00 for Bolivia. In conclusion, while winning a trophy is not enough to be a favourite at each edition of this tournament (current form and the quality of the players also play a part), it is nevertheless the countries with the most winner’s medals that are among the favourites for this 2024 edition!
Betting on Copa America 2024Copa America honours list
- Argentina - 15 titles
- Uruguay - 15 titles
- Brazil - 9 titles
- Paraguay - 2 titles
- Chile - 2 titles
- Peru - 2 titles
- Colombia - 1 title
- Bolivia - 1 title
