The anticipation for Copa América 2024 continues to grow especially with the recent reveal of the group stage. In the months leading up to the tournament The18 will be doing power rankings and list our picks for the best 2024 Copa América teams.
These rankings are based on recent performances and how we feel each team will perform in the tournament. After each person listed their top 16 teams, we aggregated the results into one official power rankings list.
Here’s our end of 2023 list.
Best 2024 Copa América teams power rankings
- Argentina
- Uruguay
- Brazil
- Colombia
- United States
- Mexico
- Ecuador
- Venezuela
- Canada
- Chile
- Jamaica
- Paraguay
- Panama
- Peru
- Honduras
- Bolivia
Argentina
The clear favorite coming into the tournament. This will most likely be Lionel Messi’s last major tournament with Argentina and he'll be poised to end his international career on a high note. The defending World Cup and Copa América champions are the team to beat.
Uruguay
Uruguay have become one of the hottest teams in South America led by Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa. The star power is present on this team and in World Cup qualifying Uruguay took down Argentina AND Brazil.
Brazil
Nobody knows quite what to make of this Brazil team at the moment. The usual giants of South America finished 2023 on a four-game winless streak and have several key players out with injury. The other big question looming is will Neymar recover from his ACL injury in time for the tournament?
Colombia
Colombia will pose the biggest challenge for Brazil in Group D. While the two countries are highly likely to advance, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Colombians pip the top spot. Colombia played 11 games in 2023 and went undefeated with notable wins against Brazil, Germany and Japan.
United States
We’ve given the USMNT a pass for their 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago as they were down a man and without several players. The homefield advantage for the Americans is also something to consider, but most critics agree the semifinals is the furthest they can go in Copa América.
Mexico
What to make of Mexico? A team that is either hot or terribly cold. Mexico barely snuck into the tournament after defeating Honduras in penalty kicks, and now they will need to get serious for their group with Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica.
Ecuador
Speaking of teams Mexico need to look out for, next on our list is Ecuador. The South American side have been churning out solid results to end 2023 including a big win vs. Uruguay. Ecuador could be a dark horse for the 2024 Copa América.
Venezuela
A team that has come from nowhere, Venezuela are on fire. They've been the laughingstock of CONMEBOL for some time but have recently turned things around. A team that can record draws against the likes of Brazil and Ecuador shows signs of life.
Canada* (if they qualify)
This pick was contentious among The18 as some of us rate Canada fairly high while others aren’t feeling too good about the Canucks' stock. Will we see the Canada that topped Concacaf World Cup qualifying or will we get the Canada side that conceded three at home to Jamaica?
Chile
The last team to win the Copa América on U.S. soil was Chile, however those glory days are in the rear-view mirror. Chile finished 2023 winning just one of their last six games and are severely lacking in the goalscoring department.
Jamaica
Perhaps we’ve ranked the Reggae Boyz a little low as they sit 11th on our list and two spots below a team they defeated in Canada. Jamaica have competed in two Copa América tournaments but have yet to register a point or goal. A Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. the USMNT in March could be an excellent opportunity to prove they won’t be a pushover team.
Paraguay
Paraguay are certainly a middle of the pack team without high expectations going into the tournament. That being said this team can still give the best a run for their money with a prime example being in October when they faced Argentina in Buenos Aires and only lost 1-0.
Panama
Panama’s performances in the 2023 Gold Cup were admirable making it all the way to the final. Since then, Los Canaleros eased past the lower ranked Concacaf Nations League sides and had a statement win in the quarterfinals defeating Costa Rica 6-1 on aggregate. If any team will prevent the USMNT from getting out of the group, it will be Panama.
Peru
Poor Peru have been going through it as they sit bottom of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table with no wins in six tries. Peru had a miserable 2023 calendar year winning just one of their 10 games.
Honduras* (if they qualify)
We’re giving Honduras the benefit of the doubt and believe they will defeat Costa Rica to take one of the final two spots in the tournament. Honduras looked dead in the water after 2022 World Cup qualifying where they failed to win any of their 14 games. Fast forward to the end of 2023 they performed admirably against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals losing only on penalties.
Bolivia
Bolivia’s secret weapon is playing their home games at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level in La Paz. That weapon won’t be available in Copa América and therefore Bolivia rank at the bottom of our power rankings.
