Copa America: Brazil's Road to the Final

Brazil are the third-most successful country in Copa America history, having won the competition nine times before. This puts them behind Argentina and Uruguay, who have won 15 each. They have seen plenty of recent success, their latest victory coming in 2019, in which they hosted the competition. It was a dominant campaign, with them winning their group after two wins and a draw. In those three games, they scored eight and conceded zero. They advanced to the semi-finals following a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Paraguay in the quarters. This set up a meeting with Argentina, which they won 2-0 with goals from Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus. They finally conceded their first goal of the tournament in the final against Peru, but they were 3-1 victors to lift the trophy for the ninth time. Everson Soares, Jesus and Richarlison were the goalscorers.

In the last tournament in 2021, they finished as runners-up, losing the final 1-0 to Argentina at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. Angel Di Maria scored a first half winner. Before their last triumph, they had not advanced past the quarter-final stage in three tournaments. They won back to back Copa Americas in 2004 and 2007, and 1997 and 1999.

Vinicius Jr

With the absence of Neymar Jr through injury, the attacking load will mostly rest on the shoulders of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. The winger is a leading candidate to win the Ballon D’Or award, fuelled by his impressive campaign for Los Blancos, in which he could still add a Champions League trophy to his La Liga title this season. His case will be significantly strengthened if he can lead Brazil to another Copa America. In 28 caps for his nation, he has scored just three times, but with a greater role in attack, he should shine. For Madrid, he has netted 15 times and provided five assists in 25 league games, whilst adding five goals and four assists in nine Champions League appearances.

Rodrygo

Another Real Madrid attacker, Rodrygo, looks set to play a big part in Brazil’s Copa America Tournament. He has started the last eight games for his country, scoring three goals in this stretch. Alongside Vinicius, he will hope to continue his good club form into the competition. In all competitions this season, the forward has scored 16 goals and provided eight assists.

Bruno Guimaraes

Also featuring prominently in recent fixtures is Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who has started in the last nine games for his nation. He has scored just one goal in 20 appearances, but looks set for a bigger and important role in the squad. For Newcastle, he scored seven goals in the Premier League, and his excellent performances has seen him linked with big moves away this summer.

Endrick

Another key player to look out for is the 17-year old wonderkid Endrick. The youngster has already made multiple appearances for his country, and scored two goals in two friendly games, which came against England and Spain. He has been named in the provisional squad, with the hopes of making it to the final 26 that head to the tournament. He will officially sign for Real Madrid in the summer, but Endrick scored 11 goals for Palmeiras on the way to a second Brazilian Serie A title in a row.

As Brazil look to regain their Copa America crown once more, who will they have to face? They have been drawn in Group D, alongside Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stages.

The tournament is being held in the United States. Brazil’s first game will be against Costa Rica on June 24th in Los Angeles. Four days later they will travel to Las Vegas to take on Paraguay, before their final fixture against Colombia in California. As expected, they are amongst the favourites to win the competition alongside Argentina.