The Copa America is the oldest running continental football competition still in existence and this summer’s tournament will be the 84th edition. This year’s tournament will feature 16 teams for just the second time and before placing any bets on the 2024 Copa America, there are a number of important factors to consider.
The tournament is very different to a domestic cup competition and therefore, punters often have to take a very different approach when it comes to placing bets. Preparation and research is absolutely key and it’s also important to shop around and take full advantage of bookmaker generosity at this time of year.
The Copa America odds are priced up months in advance and it is possible for punters to place bets on the tournament several weeks prior to the opening match taking place. These odds will be compiled by the bookmakers based on the probability of each team lifting the trophy on July 14th.
The Copa America odds will also be created based on historical dominance in this competition with the likes of Brazil and reigning champions Argentina always amongst the frontrunners. Odds are likely to fluctuate at various points and they may be affected by managerial changes or injuries to key players. For example, Neymar’s absence from the Brazil squad is likely to lengthen their price.
As you’ll see from the latest Copa America odds, the majority of betting sites are in agreement when it comes to the most likely winners, however, there may often be some discrepancy when it comes to the exact odds.
Most UK betting sites currently offer odds on the 2024 Copa America, however, it’s absolutely vital that you shop around to ensure that you have the best possible value when it comes to this international tournament.
Most popular markets
When it comes to placing a bet on the 2024 Copa America, there are numerous options. In the months leading up to the tournament, the majority of the bookmakers will only offer outright betting, however, many more markets will be added as kick-off approaches. We’ve picked out some of the key betting markets for this international event:
Tournament Winner Market
This is a nice straightforward option. This market simply requires you to pick which team will lift the trophy at the end of the Copa America final on July 14th. This market includes extra time and penalties, so as long as your chosen team is holding the trophy aloft and having their name etched into history, you’ll be paid out!
Most online bookmakers also offer each-way terms on this market, so if you choose a relative outsider in the outright betting and they manage to reach the final, you’ll still be paid out at ½ of the odds, even if they fail to go all the way.
If you fancy waiting and you don’t want to take the plunge until halfway through the tournament, then the good news is that the majority of betting sites tend to keep this market open throughout the event (albeit with more prohibitive prices).
Stage of Elimination / To Reach the…
As an alternative to the outright winner market, many online Copa America 2024 bookmakers will also give you the option of narrowing down your options. These markets allow you to predict at which stage your chosen team will exit the competition. Whether you fancy an underdog to progress beyond expectation or you have a hunch that one of the fancied nations will fail to ignite and may crash out prematurely, then this is probably the best market for you.
Top Tournament Goalscorer
At every international tournament, there tends to be a breakout star. There are also a cast of well-known faces who will either impress on the biggest stage or find themselves heading home prematurely. Whichever scenario plays out, you’ll be able to back pretty much every outfield player in the top tournament goal-scorer market.
Most UK bookmakers offer this market, however, you may have to wait until all of the squads have been finalised before it becomes available.
Players such as Lionel Messi are always going to dominate this market, yet it can sometimes be better to back a lesser-known name. Naturally, you probably want to stay away from players whose teams are likely to be making early exits from the competition or those teams who you believe may be set up in a defensive-minded formation.
Accumulators
Accumulators are a brilliant way to bet on the Copa America and they will provide you with fantastic returns, should you be successful. It’s also a great way of keeping an interest throughout the competition. With just 16 teams competing in the 2024 Copa America, it is slightly tougher to find options for an accumulator, however, you may wish to do a group winner accumulator, or you may wish to combine a few outright markets such as top goalscorer, team to win and highest goalscorers.
In order for an accumulator to be successful, each of the legs must win. You can also bet on permutations such as Trixie, Canadian and Lucky 15 with some UK operators.
Group Betting
The group stage draw was conducted at the beginning of December 2023 with each of the teams having been assigned a place in one of the four sections. Although there are still a couple of qualifiers to be added to the roster, most Copa America bettors will be starting to formulate their group stage wagers.
Most UK bookmakers have markets which enable punters to pick a group winners with some betting sites offering market such as:
- Group Forecast (predicting the top two)
- Group Forecast Reverse (predicting the top two in any order)
- To Finish Bottom
- To Qualify from the Group
- Not to Qualify from the Group
Some groups are much harder to predict than others, however, most bettors will be expecting Brazil, Argentina and Mexico to ease through to the knock-out stages.
Team vs Team betting
With the draw for the group stage having been completed, the opening set of fixtures have been released. As a result, many online bookmakers have priced up each of the group stage fixtures involving the already-qualified teams.
Many bettors will wait until a few days before the tournament gets underway, however, some savvy punters will fancy taking advantage of the early prices before the weight of money begins to move the market. The majority of the big betting fluctuations are likely to kick in during the final 24 hours before kick-off.
Although the majority of bets will be placed on the 90 minute market, there are also a number of other popular options when it comes to betting on a match-by-match basis. Under/Over Goals, Both Teams to Score and Correct Score are always available whereas the First/Anytime/Last Goalscorer market is likely to be priced up once the squads have officially been announced.
Strategies & Betting Tips
Betting on the Copa America is completely different to wagering on any other tournament. The tournament will take place across the space of a month with games being staged at 12 different stadiums. It’s important to consider a team’s schedule, calculating how many miles they will travel as well as the time period in which they will play each of their matches.
Teams who go to extra time and penalties during the knock-out rounds will be significantly disadvantaged next time out and may suffer from fatigue. Backing them to concede a late goal in the following match is often a good strategy.
Player fitness is always a big factor at summer tournaments with all European-based players coming off the back of a hectic campaign. Those teams who are mainly made up of US-based or South American-based players may be worth keeping an eye on as their players should be fresher having enjoyed some time off during the winter months.
Previous tournament form is often disregarded, however, with a number of Copa America tournaments having taken place since 2016, we have plenty of recent form to tap into. If teams are working under the same management as they were in previous tournaments, we could see a very similar approach this summer.
It may feel like an obvious thing to say, however, it’s absolutely essential to watch every single game and try to gain as much knowledge as possible throughout the tournament. Warm-up friendlies don’t tend to give us many clues, so it’s probably best to ignore the majority of these pre-tournament games.
Finally, listening to your gut is essential when betting on the Copa America. It may seem a rudimentary approach, however, if something doesn’t feel right and you don’t 100% believe in your bet, then it may be best to side-step this. There will be plenty of betting opportunities throughout the tournament so if you have to simply take a raincheck and give the game a watching brief, then this may prove far more profitable further down the line.
Bonuses and Promotions
The Copa America 2024 is taking place at the same time as Euro 2024 and as a result, there will be ample promotions and bonuses available this summer.
It’s strongly advised to check out our list of best betting sites in order to find the latest Copa America promotions. Many bookmakers will amend their welcome offers to coincide with these major tournaments and there will also be additional boosts and enhancements throughout the competition.
If you sign-up to multiple betting sites ahead of the tournament, then you’ll be able to accumulate several free bets and use them on various markets throughout the 2024 Copa America.
Look out for specific Copa America enhancements. Some bookmakers may enhance one of the favourites to lift the trophy whereas others may significantly boost the price on popular selections or accumulators during the opening set of group stage games. (For example: Argentina, Mexico and Brazil each to win their opening group matches