On July 10th, Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 in the Copa America semi-finals. However, Argentina has enjoyed a favorable draw in this tournament, facing weaker opponents throughout the competition, leading to suggestions that they’ve been “guaranteed” a spot in the final.
The format of this Copa America differs from previous editions. Groups A and B make up the upper half of the bracket, while Groups C and D constitute the lower half. Notably, teams from the upper and lower halves will not encounter each other until the final.
According to the FIFA rankings, of the top 5 teams in South America, only Argentina (ranked 1st in the world) is in the upper half of the bracket. The remaining four teams, Brazil (ranked 4th), USA (ranked 11th), Colombia (ranked 12th), and Uruguay (ranked 14th), are all grouped together in the lower half. This has resulted in Argentina dominating the upper half, while the lower half features intense competition.
Argentina’s path to the final has been relatively smooth. In the group stage, they faced Canada (ranked 48th), Chile (ranked 40th), and Peru (ranked 31st). In the quarter-finals, they overcame Ecuador (ranked 30th). In the semi-finals, they once again faced Canada (ranked 48th). The toughest opponent Argentina has encountered en route to the final is Ecuador, ranked 30th in the world, which is surprising given the caliber of teams competing in this tournament.
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