Today, fourteen South American sides, along with two American invitees descend on Venezuela for the 42nd Copa America. Nine stadiums, mainly situated in the north of the country, play host to the tournament for the first time; running through to the final on July 15.
The teams are split into three groups of four, with the top two teams from each group joined by the best two third place teams in the quarter finals.

Group A
The first group houses the hosts Venezuela, hoping the reach the second stage of the tournament for the first time in their history. Despite their previous record in the competition, optimism is high within the country, with Juan Arango of RCD Mallorca in Spain the man carrying much of the nation’s weight on his shoulders.

They will open their campaign against Bolivia; current favourites to prop up Group A. Even with former star player Erwin Sanchez as their coach, there is a distinct lack of quality throughout their side which will see them succumb to the inevitable first round exit that has characterised their last three Copa America campaigns.

Fourteen time winners Uruguay will be most pundits’ choice to top Group A. Having reached at least the semi-final stage in the last three competitions and boasting such well known players as Alvaro Recoba, Diego Forlan and Carlos Diogo, they are certain to progress to the quarter finals this time around.

Uruguay open the competition on June 26, against the consistent performers from Peru, who have reached the quarter final stage for three tournaments running. They boast a solid team, propped up by their first class striking partnership of Hamburg’s Jose Paolo Guerrero and new Chelsea recruit Claudio Pizarro, which always guarantees them goals, however many they may concede at the other end.

Likely order: Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia

Group B
Tournament second favourites Brazil will expect to top the second group. They will have to do so, however, without the presence of three of their four pronged attack from last years World Cup. In the absence of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka, Robinho will be partnered in attack by CSKA Moscow striker Wagner Love, with his former Santos teammate Diego, and new Manchester United recruit Anderson providing the creative input from midfield.

Brazil’s first opponents will be Mexico, who will be looking to build on their impressive showing in last years World Cup. Having performed strongly in the lead up to the tournament they come into it in good form and would hope to at least make the quarter-finals.

Their chances of doing so may however rest on the form of Chile, who have undergone somewhat of a resurgence over the last year or so. Several impressive friendly results, including a recent draw with Argentina seem to put them in good stead for an excellent showing in Venezuela, orchestrated by Villarreal’s January recruit Matias Fernandez.

Ecuador surprised many at last year’s World Cup by reaching the second round, but a similar performance in the Copa America seems unlikely. Although they still have the nucleus of that side, they are without their all time top scorer Agustin Delgado and have struggled to find a similar calibre scorer to replace him.

Likely order: Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador

Group C
The third group sees the return of the USA to the tournament for the first occasion since 1995, somewhat odd considering the military sanctions their government have imposed on the host nation. After some strong recent performances, American optimism seems to be high, and they should be able reach the second phase.

Argentina are the first to meet the Americans on June 28. Their array of attacking talent, including the scintillating Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez should prove too much for their opposition’s defensive lines to cope with. Add in the return of experienced midfielders Juan Sebastian Veron and Juan Riquelme and it is easy to see why they are the pre-tournament favourites.

Solid as ever, Paraguay will be hoping to at least emulate their run to the quarter finals in 2004. They are a strong, resolute side, who will look to play on the counter attack, feeding Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz, who despite flattering to deceive at the World Cup is by far their biggest attacking threat.

Rounding up the final group is Colombia, no longer the force they were in the mid to late nineties and struggling for form in recent years. It is hard to see where the goals are going to come from for them and this alone will probably be enough to consign them to a first round exit.

Likely Order: Argentina, USA, Paraguay, Colombia

Tournament Winner
The smart money will obviously go on the two pre-tournament favourites: Argentina and Brazil. If you are looking for an outside bet then Chile at around 40/1 could be what you are looking for, provided they make the knockout stages. As for the hosts, it will take a minor miracle if they are to win the competition, although progress from their group is possible.

If you thought that summer was going to get boring without your regular football dosage then fear not, because the Copa America should provide enough thrills and spills to keep you awake long into the early hours of the morning. In addition, for many fans it will give you a chance to check out your clubs new and/or prospective signings, long before they pull on your club’s colours. So grab your Cuba Libre, sit back and enjoy the show.