This Friday, June 14 marks the beginning of a memorable month for soccer fans in the United States and Latin America, as for four weeks they will be able to watch the best national teams in the world throughout the day: in the morning and afternoon, the Euro 2024, and at night, the Copa America 2024. With the permission of Asia and Africa, but it will be like a World Cup divided in two.
The finals of both tournaments will be held on Sunday, July 14th, one in Berlin and the other in New York.
Which is the best tournament, Euro or Copa America?
Having Americans and Europeans face each other, albeit indirectly, inevitably raises the question of which is the best championship.
The competition in the Old Continent features a greater number of top-tier national teams, such as England, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal, while the talent is on this side of the "pond" with players like Messi, Vinicius Jr., Valverde, Luis Díaz, MacAllister, Núñez, Caicedo, Pulisic, and Sánchez.
Regarding stadiums, since the 2024 Copa America is being held in the United States, this time there is parity in an area where Europe usually has a clear advantage.
What are the differences between the Euro Cup and the Copa America?
- History: The Copa America began to be played in 1916 (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay were the participants) and is one of the oldest national team tournaments in the world. The 2024 edition is the 48th version, and among the teams with the most titles, Argentina and Uruguay stand out, both with 15 victories. In contrast, the European Championship has only been played since 1960, and the 17th edition of the tournament will be held in Germany. Spain and Germany are the national teams with the most titles (three each).
- Frequency: in that regard, Europeans have been more consistent, as they have been playing every four years since 1960 (except for 2020 due to the Covid pandemic). The Copa America has seen it all, even with two tournaments per season and being played every two years between 1987 and 2001.
- Format: Once again, Europeans have the advantage thanks to their better management organization. From 1960 to 1976, four teams reached the final tournament (with a direct elimination system); from 1980 to 1992, eight teams played (groups and direct elimination); from 1996 to 2012, there were 16 teams (groups and direct elimination), and since 2016, it has been played with 24 teams (groups and direct elimination). The Copa America between 1916 and 1967 used the round-robin system, in 1975 added the playoff system, in 1989 and 1991, the final round was based on points, and even in 1979, Paraguay became champion due to goal difference after three matches in the final against Chile.
- Participants: The Eurocup has only been played by UEFA teams with a knockout system to reach the final tournament. In the Copa America, Conmebol members qualify directly for the tournament (except in 1967), but it wasn't until 1975 that all ten teams from the Confederation were present. In 1993, Mexico and the United States from Concacaf were invited, opening the door for other teams like Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, and Canada to appear in other championships (like this year). But that's not all, as Japan (twice) and Qatar (once) also played as guests. The 2024 Cup will have six invited teams from Concacaf, and many are betting on continuing this format.
- Awards: it is a sensitive and very important advantage for UEFA. In the Euro 2024, they will distribute $355 million among all participating teams, with a minimum of $10 million and a maximum of $30 million for the champion. The figures for CONMEBOL are significantly lower: they will distribute $72 million, with a minimum of $2 million per team and the champion will pocket $16 million.