Good news for football bulimics, the Copa America begins on the night of Thursday to Friday in the United States with the ten South American nations and the six North American nations. Football fans will therefore be able to watch Euro 2024 football and the Copa America all day and night, until July 14, the date of the finals of the two competitions.
But rather than enjoying this orgy of football, some fine connoisseurs prefer to pit the two tournaments against each other, and discuss the level of one and the other. Isn’t that Kylian Mbappé? The Blues striker estimated at the beginning of the month that “the Euro is a very complicated competition, more so than the World Cup”, just to rekindle the flame of this never-ending debate. Two Copa America commentators, Didier Roustan for the L’Equipe channel, and Nicolas Cougot, for Canal+ Africa, explain to 20 minutes why the Copa America deserves all our interest
Mbappé’s criticisms really justified
The declaration of the captain of the Blues on the higher level of the Euro at the World Cup, and therefore indirectly at the Copa America, immediately makes our interlocutors smile. “Mbappé does not have a great knowledge of South American football,” prefers to brush aside Didier Roustan. Nicolas Cougot simply advises him to “go and take a look at the FIFA rankings”. For the commentator of the L’Equipe channel, Kylian Mbappé is very probably confusing South American club football with that of nations. Yes, the South American championships are of a lower level than the European championships (thanks to the talent drain), but the qualification for a World Cup seems higher on the other side of the Atlantic.
“In terms of intensity and context, with matches at altitude, sometimes on improbable grounds,” recalls Didier Roustan. “To go to the World Cup you have to play Luxembourg or Gibraltar in Europe, and Ecuador, Chile or Uruguay in South America. It’s difficult to compare the level, it’s more a question of context,” says Nicolas Cougot.
A tighter tournament
The Euro and the Copa America have evolved their formula in order to integrate more teams, for even more spectacle. This Euro is being played, as since 2016, with 24 teams, and the Copa America was expanded on the same date with the integration of the six best CONCACAF nations, to reach a total of 16 teams. “Playing all these group matches at the Euro to only eliminate eight teams is still a hell of a job,” said Didier Roustan. I don’t know if it dilutes the level of play, we have to see from the distance. I’m not sure Georgia will be able to put the same intensity into the third game as they did in their first.” Thus, the best nations arriving in 3rd place in their group are drafted for the round of 16. At the Copa America, no round of 16, and even less repechage. Only the first two in the group are directly qualified for the quarters, the margin for error is necessarily greatly reduced.
Old-fashioned football, at least in intensity
In an increasingly globalized football, and therefore standardized and focused on performance, speed and attack, the Copa America is still holding up a little. “Even if things are evolving and the big selections have become very Europeanized. Just look at the appointment of Fernando Diniz and his old-fashioned style at the head of the Seleçao. The players were completely lost on the field. Many players play in Europe, and everyone wants to play Guardiola,” recalls Nicolas Cougot. An evolution of style, but the intensity remains the same. “That alone makes it more difficult. Physically, it’s violent, it doesn’t let you play anymore. You still have guys getting cut up. It’s a certain resistance of old-fashioned football which ultimately becomes a form of freshness, it’s appreciable,” believes Didier Roustan.
Rivalries as tenacious as they are historic
If the intensity is such, it is quite simply the fruit of historical rivalries, which are not diluted in this modern and globalized football. “During the night from Friday to Saturday, you have a Peru – Chile, it’s going to come together, that’s for sure, they hate each other so much. There is such rivalry. It’s not like European rivalries, there is real hatred there. It’s part of their identity. The matches between Argentina and Brazil are also ultra-hot,” warns Nicolas Cougot. A rivalry also fueled by supporters for whom football is more important than anything, we were able to see this with the Argentinians at the World Cup in Qatar. “They prefer to have one meal a day rather than two throughout the year, to follow their national team,” recalls Didier Roustan. And it doesn’t matter if the Copa America takes place in the United States, a country little known for its football culture. The South Americans will take care of the atmosphere.