Colombia Heading to Copa América Final for First Time in 23 Years
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 10: Kevin Castaño of Colombia celebrates following the team's victory in the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 semifinal match between Uruguay and Colombia at Bank of America Stadium on July 10, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Copa América final is set. Defending champion Argentina will face Colombia for a shot at another title on Sunday, July 14th. The game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida at 8 PM ET.
Argentina advanced first, winning their semifinal against Canada on Tuesday, by a comfortable 2-0 score. Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi scored the goals for Argentina. Julian Alvarez is set to join Argentina’s Olympic squad at the end of this month, as the South American team looks to add an Olympic fútbol medal to the recent Copa América and World Cup titles.
Colombia, meanwhile, beat favorites Uruguay 1-0 on Wednesday (June 10) with a first half goal by Jefferson Lerma. Daniel Muñoz got a red card early in the second half, so the team played with 10 players for half of the game, but still managed to pull off the win. This brings their unbeaten streak to 28 games. They’ll look to make it 29 against the team that won not just the last World Cup, but also the last Copa América.
The albiceleste has also won 15 Copa Américas. That makes them, alongside Uruguay, the team that has won the competition the most. Colombia has only won the Copa América once in their history, 23 years ago on home soil, in a tournament that didn’t feature Argentina due to the political situation in Colombia at the time. They finished fourth in 2004, third in 2016 and third again in 2021.
The final will feature a halftime show headline by Shakira, which will “feature songs from her repertoire of hits and will blend her innovative aesthetics with the grandeur of South American fútbol.” Shakira’s recent hit “Puntería” featuring Cardi B has been used as part of the celebrations for the 2024 Copa América.