Table of Contents
A handful of South America’s best teams plus a North American Cinderella story form a compelling Copa America semi-final series, which will take place in the US on Tuesday and Wednesday with all eyes on Sunday’s final at Hard Rock Stadium .
Argentina remain the tournament favorites having largely made their games easy so far, although their penalty shootout victory over Ecuador briefly raised concerns that Lionel Messi’s quest for perhaps one last international trophy could be cut short. They aim to re-establish themselves as heavy favorites against Canada, who have made a surprise run to the last four just weeks into Jesse Marsch’s tenure as head coach.
On the other end of the spectrum, Colombia and Uruguay meet in the midst of their respective resurgences. Colombia extended their unbeaten run to 27 matches with a 5-0 win over Panama, continuing a run that makes them one of the most impressive sides at the Copa America yet. However, Uruguay has been no slouch and has shown itself to be a top contender after beating the opposition 9-1 in the group stage and ousting Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Ahead of a fascinating bath of semi-finals, here are the storylines to keep an eye on once the games start.
Schedule of the semi-finals and how to watch
Always US/East
Tuesday July 9
Argentina vs. Canada, 8 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Wednesday July 10
Uruguay vs. Colombia, 8 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
Argentina vs. Canada, July 9, East Rutherford, NJ
Argentina’s attacking depth: As long as Messi is at a tournament, the spotlight will of course shine on him, but Argentina’s run to the semi-finals was all about sharing the winnings with the next generation. A wide variety of attackers have been deployed in the attack. While Messi has provided just one assist in the Copa America so far, Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister lead the team with four goals and two assists respectively. It is a particularly exciting development for Martinez, who has mainly been a substitute since the 2022 World Cup and even came off the bench in the first two matches of the Copa America. However, his form after winning the Golden Boot in Serie A has carried over strongly to the international tournament and he could well be the star in Argentina’s race to the last four.
That is good news for Argentina, not only in the short term, but also in the long term. After winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, La Albiceleste are determined to maintain their honors ahead of the 2026 World Cup. With a multi-generational talent list, they have every potential to be the team to beat in two years’ time to be.
Can Canada keep this up? Canada’s ambition was clear when they hired Marsch before his first stint in charge last month, but the fact that it paid off so quickly is impressive in itself. The ultimate test of their progress will come in their match against No. 1 ranked Argentina, which feels like a textbook definition of a David vs. Goliath match. It begs the question: how far can Canada actually go?
The good news for them is that as underdogs they have nothing to lose, and they will take a lot of positives from their opening day defeat to Argentina. Despite losing 2-0 that day, Canada took 10 shots and scored 1.16 expected goals, showing its ability to do some damage on offense. It reflects their biggest sore point all tournament: Canada have been wasteful at the top, putting just 35% of their shots on target and underperforming on the expected goals ratio of 5.68 by scoring just twice in the competition . They will still be underdogs even if they figure out how to score on Tuesday, but the match serves as a benchmark against which they can measure themselves as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup. There is little Argentina can do to curb the optimism erase what Canada will come out of this Copa America with, making them a very compelling Cinderella story to follow over the next two years.
Colombia vs. Uruguay, July 10, Charlotte, NC
The revival of James Rodriguez: James Rodriguez’s ability to handle an international tournament is undefeated, and this Copa America is no exception. He leads the league with five assists and 14 chances created in four games, making him the star of an equally impressive Colombia display. Their 5–0 win over Panama in the quarter-finals extended their unbeaten run to 27, making them a real contender to win only their second Copa America title.
It also means that the second Copa America semi-final will be the more competitive of the two. Colombia’s unbeaten run is not only the result of playing against clearly inferior opponents, but also includes victories over Spain and Brazil in recent months. Regardless of how this Copa America turns out for them, they are establishing themselves as one of the most exciting national teams of the moment. While the focus will be on winning the whole thing, this feels like just the beginning of what could be a very momentous cycle for Colombia.
Uruguay’s dominance: Uruguay’s historic success has looked a lot like that of the past in recent years, but the 15-time Copa America champions feel as close as they have in a long time to claiming the trophy again. The recruitment of Marcelo Bielsa last year has helped a talented group fulfill their potential, and in this tournament they have outscored their opponents 9-1. Nicolas de la Cruz has been one of the most impressive players at the Copa America so far with thirteen chances created and two assists in four games, while Darwin Nunez and Maximilliano Araujo have each scored two goals so far.
The team also demonstrated a different kind of courage in the penalty shootout victory over Brazil, when they survived a physical match and Nahitan Nandez’s red card in the 74th minute to advance to the semis for the first time since winning the Copa America in 2011 finals. The semi-final against a competitive team from Colombia will be a big test of their resolve, especially without Nandez and possibly also without Ronald Araujo, who picked up an injury against Brazil.