Seeking to win an unprecedented 16th Copa America title, defending champions Argentina lock horns with Colombia in the final of this summer’s tournament at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on Sunday.
This eagerly anticipated contest marks the first time these two nations have met in the showpiece event, with Argentina preparing for a record 30th appearance in the final, while Colombia gears up for just their third.
After advancing from the quarter-finals with a tense penalty-shootout triumph over Ecuador, Argentina secured a 2-0 victory over Copa America debutants Canada in the semi-finals on Wednesday, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 matches.
Julian Alvarez’s first-half opener was followed by a record-breaking second-half strike from Argentine icon Lionel Messi, who has overtaken Iran’s Ali Daei to become the second-highest male goalscorer in international football history with 109 goals.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni has insisted that Argentina’s course to the Copa America final has been no “bed of roses” as many predicted, and he has heaped praise on his players for overcoming “extremely tough” challenges en route to reaching a third successive major tournament final.
Ranked first in the world by FIFA, Argentina has enjoyed significant success in the United States and has not lost a major tournament knockout fixture in regulation time on American soil since their defeat by Romania at the 1994 World Cup.
Now just one victory away from an outright record 16th Copa America title—currently level on 15 with Uruguay—Argentina will have no trouble motivating themselves for Monday’s final, which will be Angel Di Maria’s 145th and last match for the national team before he retires. Lionel Messi, however, plans to continue playing beyond this summer’s tournament.
La Albiceleste will be confident of success against Colombia, having won 26 of their previous 43 meetings in all competitions, including a penalty-shootout victory in the 2021 Copa America semi-finals. However, they will be cautious of the exceptional form displayed by Los Cafeteros heading into the final.
Colombia’s football team has been on an impressive unbeaten streak since their 1-0 loss to Argentina in February 2022. Their recent 1-0 victory over Uruguay in the Copa America semi-final extended this run to 28 matches. Jefferson Lerma scored the decisive goal, and despite Daniel Munoz’s red card, Colombia held on to win.
Head coach Nestor Lorenzo, who has not lost a match since taking over in July 2022, praised his team’s bravery. However, the match ended with a brawl involving Uruguayan players and fans.
Ranked 12th by FIFA, Colombia has reached the Copa America semi-finals three times in the last four tournaments. They are now preparing for their first final since winning the tournament in 2001. Despite their strong form, they are considered underdogs against Argentina, having only beaten them three times in 21 meetings this century.
