Copa America final: Can Colombia dethrone Argentina?

The Copa America final, a clash between defending champion Argentina and red-hot Colombia, is finally here after a wild month of action. Get ready for Sunday's title match with theScore's comprehensive preview package.

The lowdown 📝

Who: Argentina vs. Colombia
What: Copa America final
When: Sunday, July 14 at 9:15 p.m. ET
Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (Brazil)

How to watch 📺

TV: Univision, Unimas, TUDN, Fox, FS1, FS2 (U.S.); TSN, RDS (Canada)
Stream: Fox Sports App, Fubo, Sling TV, TUDN, ViX (U.S.); TSN+ (Canada)

Betting odds 🤑

Odds via theScore Bet

Argentina: +125
Draw: +200
Colombia: +260

Key questions ❓

Could this actually be Messi's send-off?

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has already declared he intends to continue representing his country beyond Sunday's match. This isn't the end, as it were. But it certainly could be his final appearance for Argentina in a major tournament. Messi will be 39 when the 2026 World Cup rolls around, and injuries have increasingly become a problem; he missed a game in this very tournament with a leg issue. Much as he would surely love to - and millions of adoring fans and football lovers would rejoice in seeing it - there's simply no guarantee he'll pull on the famous Argentina shirt at another marquee competition.

Messi, hindered by the aforementioned injury and poor pitch quality in the United States, has shown only flashes of his unmatched brilliance at this tournament, bursting to life between the lines primarily to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. His finishing has been uncharacteristically wayward, but he got off the mark in the competition with a close-range finish during Argentina's 2-0 semifinal win over Canada. If that opens the floodgates even slightly, Colombia could be in trouble.

Can James' set pieces cause problems?

James Rodriguez has endured a nomadic existence in the latter stages of his career. Frankly, he'd become something of an afterthought, spending time in Qatar and Greece before joining Brazilian side Sao Paulo last year, where he's largely failed to make much of an impact. The national team has always been the place where he looked most comfortable, dating back to his mesmerizing showing at the 2014 World Cup, when he won the Golden Boot and announced himself to the world. But even that safe haven betrayed him; prior to Nestor Lorenzo's appointment as coach, Rodriguez was at odds with previous coaches and found himself ostracized from the squad.

His resurgence at this summer's tournament, then, has been nothing short of remarkable. "The first player I went to see when I took the job was James," Lorenzo explained in a recent interview with The Athletic. "He did everything to be here at the Copa America. He showed me a great commitment to the national team, and that is why he's the captain and the leader." The 33-year-old playmaker leads the tournament with 17 chances created. Twelve of those have come from set pieces, where Colombia has scored five of its goals. If Argentina concedes any cheap fouls or corner kicks, Rodriguez can be devastating with his majestic left foot.

Will super subs save the day?

Matches that were level after 90 minutes in the quarterfinals and semifinals went directly to penalties. Not so in Sunday's main event, where the conventional 30 minutes of extra time will apply if the two sides can't be separated before then. Most major tournaments tend to get increasingly cagey as the stakes increase, making extra time a distinct possibility at Hard Rock Stadium. Is that a help or hindrance? And for whom?

Colombia, with one fewer day of rest going into the final, is coming off a physically and emotionally draining victory over Uruguay in which it played with 10 men for the entire second half following Daniel Munoz's foolish red card. The dynamic right-back, a vital part of Lorenzo's side, is suspended for the final, a blow that will be immediately felt from the opening whistle while simultaneously impacting the team's depth should extra time be required. Argentina, while pushed by Canada, clearly took its foot off the gas in the last 15 minutes of that match, and it boasts the deeper squad; tournament-leading scorer Lautaro Martinez came off the bench in the semifinals, for instance. Can Colombia, and the unrelenting Luis Diaz, in particular, dig deep and muster up the necessary energy for one more big performance?

Further reading 📖

Dive into some of the storylines surrounding the contest

• Messi intends to keep playing after Copa final
• James Rodriguez enjoying stunning revival
• Colombia, Argentina concerned about safety for Copa final
• Colombia coach critical of extended halftime for Shakira

Squad updates 🤕

The latest on the lingering lineup questions and absences

Projected lineups 👀

Argentina (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Nicolas Tagliafico, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina; Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria; Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi

Colombia (4-2-3-1): Camilo Vargas; Johan Mojica, Carlos Cuesta, Davinson Sanchez, Santiago Arias; Jefferson Lerma, Richard Rios; Luis Diaz, James Rodriguez, Jhon Arias; Jhon Cordoba

Kit matchup 👕

(Photo source: CONMEBOL)

Path to the final 🏟

Reviewing how both teams got to Miami

Argentina

Group stage: First place in Group A
Quarterfinals: Tied Ecuador 1-1 (won 4-2 on penalties)
Semifinals: Beat Canada 2-0

Colombia

Group stage: First place in Group D
Quarterfinals: Beat Panama 5-0
Semifinals: Beat Uruguay 1-0

By the numbers 🔢

Raw statistics for the two finalists

Advanced metrics

Tournament pedigree 🏆

Best Copa America finish for both nations

Argentina: Champion (1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993, 2021)

Argentina, currently level with Uruguay on 15 Copa America titles, is seeking an unprecedented 16th crown. The Albiceleste have now made a habit of reaching the tournament's showpiece match, appearing in the final in six of the last eight editions of the competition going back to 2004.

Colombia: Champion (2001)

Conversely, Los Cafeteros will be taking part in just their third Copa America final, with their lone win coming 23 years ago on home soil. They fell to Peru in their first-ever continental final in 1975. Victory on Sunday would move Colombia level with Peru, Chile, and Paraguay on a pair of titles.

Fun facts 🤯

1: Argentina can become the first South American nation to sandwich a World Cup triumph between two continental titles. Spain is the only other men's team in international football history to win three straight major tournaments.

3: Argentina has lost just three times in its last 63 matches, becoming a well-oiled machine under Lionel Scaloni that features an ideal blend of beautiful, free-flowing play combined with a gritty, combative disposition.

6: James' six assists are the most any player has recorded in a single Copa America since that data has been collected. The previous record holder, unsurprisingly, was Messi, who racked up five in 2021.

14: Messi has 14 Copa America goals in his glittering career. The all-time record is 17, shared by Norberto Mendez and Zizinho. A hat-trick to equal the benchmark? Don't put it past him.

28: Colombia is riding a team-record 28-match unbeaten streak, surpassing the previous mark set in the 1990s by the side that included the likes of Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincon. Its last loss? To Argentina, back in 2022.

What they're saying 🗣

Scaloni: "It is extremely tough to reach another final. It is tough because we know (from recent tournaments) how hard it is to get there. ... The bar has been set very high. Everyone thought it was going to be a bed of roses, and it wasn't like that at all."

Lorenzo: "This is going to be very nice, I am going to be (competing) with players I met during my career and who I admire a lot ... This is a group that wants to be a protagonist, that wants to win something, that is hungry and that is growing."

Prediction 🔮

Argentina 2, Colombia 1 AET

Colombia, powered by the singular standout player in the tournament, has been the best team at Copa America thus far. Argentina, on the other hand, hasn't yet been forced to hit its peak. Messi and Co. haven't exactly coasted, but they're yet to deliver a true statement performance. They need to now. Anything less won't be enough against an aggressive, robust, and creative Colombian side that is flying high. This is precisely when the best teams and players step up, though. Perhaps Messi has been saving his statement game for this very moment. In a thrilling, feisty, sometimes chaotic affair, Messi's magic and Argentina's superior depth will lead the Albiceleste to a historic victory in extra time.