The 48th edition of the Copa America gets underway on June 20th and unsurprisingly, World Champions Argentina are the clear favourites to secure yet more silverware in Miami Gardens, Florida on July 14th.
Although Lionel Messi and his teammates will deservedly receive their fair share of attention this summer, there is another nation who have the potential to be a far more entertaining watch across the next four weeks.
Uruguay, who are the third favourites with the majority of online bookmakers, may not have the same level of prestige as the two sides above them in the betting, yet they come into this tournament as the in-form side. La Celeste have kept clean sheets in each of their last three 2026 World Cup qualifiers and have beaten both Argentina and Brazil during that run. They will be quietly confident of securing a 16th Copa America title and their first since 2011.
They’ve been drawn in a seemingly straightforward section which includes just one fellow CONMEBOL nation; Bolivia. With hosts USA and a limited Panama also drawn in Group C, Uruguay will be expected to progress with relative ease. Even if you don’t believe that they have what it takes to go all the way, and you are planning on betting on the Copa America this summer, you will still be able to find plenty of bookmakers offering additional markets such as ‘to reach the semi-finals’ and ‘stage of elimination’. These could be used as alternative ways to get the inaugural World Cup winners on side.
Marcelo Bielsa
Uruguay’s recent success can be attributed to one man; Marcelo Bielsa. The 68-year old took charge of his first match in June 2023, an extremely straightforward 4-1 victory over Nicaragua, however, his side have subsequently gone from strength-to-strength.
In some cases, the level of opposition has to be taken into account, yet they’ve netted 24 times during his first ten matches in charge and have been breached on just eight occasions.
This is Bielsa’s bread and butter. Although he enjoyed plenty of success at Athletic Club and is revered by Leeds fans for guiding the Whites back to the top flight, it’s his international coaching exploits which have enabled him to make a name for himself.
He wasn’t able to deliver World Cup success for his home country, yet Argentina were brilliant during qualifying and also managed to secure gold at the 2004 Olympics. During his time in charge of Chile, his side netted 69 times in 51 matches and were unlucky to come up against Brazil at the 2010 World Cup. His high-intensity style, which relies upon his side relentlessly pressing throughout the 90 minutes, requires players to expend plenty of energy and he also needs 100% buy-in from his squad. This approach hasn’t always translated effectively, yet based on a fairly limited sample size, this current Uruguayan contingent appears to be fully on board.
Bielsa’s meticulous methods tend to be fruitful when it comes to international football owing to the slightly less intense nature of the schedule. The one big question mark surrounding this Uruguay squad is whether there will be enough recovery time between games. If the demanding Argentine is asking his players to give 100% every 3-4 days, are they going to have run out of gas by the time the semi-finals come around?
Darwin Nunez
As Liverpool fans have discovered this season, Darwin Nunez is an incredibly chaotic footballer and whenever he is unleashed, anarchy tends to ensue.
He is deeply unpredictable and will happily take shots from anywhere in the opposition’s half. He is a complete nightmare to play against yet he is incredibly fun to watch. His first season at Anfield has been mixed. He’s scored 11 times in 36 appearances, although the majority of his appearances towards the end of the campaign came from the bench.
Although Suarez is still involved in the national set-up, his minutes are likely to be incredibly limited and he has largely been a bit-part player under the new regime. With Edison Cavani having recently retired and Facundo Pellistri fairly unproven, Nunez is likely to get the nod up front and he will ensure that La Celeste will be one of the most absorbing teams to watch at this upcoming tournament.
Uruguay unceremoniously bowed out of the 2022 World Cup under previous boss Diego Alonso with many players and several members of Alonso’s coaching staff bemoaning the decisions of the officials. Luis Suarez left the pitch in tears and his suggestion that the footballing authorities have an agenda against his nation did very little to attract sympathy from the neutrals. Yet, if there’s one team to catch at the 2024 Copa America, it is surely this Bielsa-led Uruguay outfit. They are likely to attack the opposition with gusto and their relentless press should enable them to create plenty of opportunities, especially during the group stage of the tournament.
