Sam Sports

We are three days into the Copa America, and if I weren’t subscribed to Optus Sport, I wouldn’t even notice that it’s on. So, the question I’ve been thinking about lately is: why aren’t we paying more attention to the Copa America?

The first game of the tournament saw the reigning champions and current World Cup winners, Argentina, taking on Canada. The game finished 2-0 to Argentina in front of 70,000 fans. Argentina could have easily won with an extra two or more goals but failed to find the net.

But who else played? Well, I couldn’t really tell you off the top of my head. And why is that? Here are some of my thoughts.

Is it too predictable? Compared to the Euros, it’s really a three-horse race: Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay are the favourites, and there’s no one else really. Argentina has Messi, Alvarez, Martinez (x2), and many more world-class players who have won plenty of trophies for club and country. Brazil has Vini Jr, Alisson, Militao, and Danilo, all Champions League winners. Uruguay has Nunez, Valverde, and Araujo, all world-class players who play for world-class teams. But which other countries are there to compete with them? No one really. Yes, you might get the occasional shock loss here or there, but you expect to see all of them in the final. So do you get excited for something that you can already predict? It’s like reading a book when you already know the ending—where’s the fun in that?

Are we football exhausted? With the Euros on at the same time (I know they started a week earlier, but you know what I mean) and with the time difference, you have to really choose which tournament you want to watch. Would you want to watch the likes of England failing to win against Denmark, or would you prefer Jamaica against Mexico? With the time difference, you either stay up late to watch the Euros or wake up early to watch the Copa America. Unless you’re from a country participating in the Copa, you just don’t feel invested in it.

Quality. The number of high-quality teams in the Euros is huge. You’ve got the likes of Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, who have all won both the World Cup and the Euros, and they all seem like they can win both again. The games have been great. There have been demolishing games like Germany vs Scotland and 90+ minute equalisers like Croatia vs Albania. The quality of the games has been great—you don’t mind seeing a draw because you know both teams are going for it (unless you’re watching an England game, which is a bore). The games I’ve seen from the Copa America just don’t compare, and I don’t think there will be a game like that until you reach the final four.

Final Thoughts. I’m not telling you not to watch the Copa America; if you love watching football, then you’re in heaven. However, I think the decision to have the Copa America on at the same time as the Euros was a bad choice. I know there’s a small window for scheduling, but unless one of them changes the year of the tournament (the Euros one year and the Copa America the year after), I think it will always play second fiddle.