The Copa America is the equivalent to the Euro Cup played in South America. It does not include teams from Central, the Caribbean or North America, these countries play their own continental FIFA championships.
Just like the Euro Cup, Copa America Betting is attractive for the predictive nature of matches thanks to historical stable data and strength disparities between teams.
Historically Argentina and Brazil have dominated the tournament, with Uruguay winning the title the most times with 15 titles, Argentina with 14 and Brazil with 8. From that point down Paraguay has won 2, Peru 2 (surprisingly), Bolivia 1 (another big upset), Colombia 1 and Chile 1.
Chile is the most recent Copa America winner played in 2015. This time their condition as hosts was not only influential but also their incredible rise in skill and competitive level ever since the World Cup of 2014. They came in as favorites and not runner-ups.
Copa America Odds
While the odds to win the title will always be Brazil and Argentina, and even Uruguay who won their last title in 2011, Copa America odds seem to be changing a little after the 2014 World Cup, but time will be the judge of that. The new rise in football power of Chile, Colombia and Ecuador has become a thorn in the foot for these World Cup winning national teams, almost to the point that they play as equals and not as favorites in recent matches.
In the present Chile is now the South American super power, followed by a steady winning Ecuador and a growing top league player base by Colombia. And while Brazil and Argentina continue to have a vast number of top world football players both teams haven´t recovered after World Cup 2014.
Copa America Predictions
Making a prediction on which team is going to win Copa America is not that hard, considering that whenever the host team looks healthy and Brazil and Argentina look not in their best, always go for the locals.
Copa America Betting Tip: The surprising winners of the Copa America like Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Chile all happened when they played as locals. Peru and Bolivia gained their titles early in South American football history when rivals like Argentina and Brazil were still in formation (before the 1940´s). Not only did these teams win the continental title but curiously some also managed to do so by winning all of the games in the tournament: Peru, Colombia and Chile achieved this prowess.
Chile is the latest winner of the Copa America 2015.
*Favorites to win Copa America 2019 are 1. Brazil and 2. Chile. Brazil is the host and Chile the strongest present champion.
Brazil Betting Tips
Historically Brazil is always the favorite to win anything it plays on. World Cup, Copa America, Confederations Cup, and qualifiers you name it. Usually they won and scored plenty of goals with their “jogo bonito” so distinctive. Names like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Pele and Ronaldinho were there season after season, playing for the best clubs in the world and each with unique skills rarely seen on other national players. Brazil was a team to fear and offer respect, a draw was considered a big achievement between the other national squads in America.
But after the World Cup 2014 Brazil has never been the same. Missing the qualifiers because the host does not compete on them, Brazil reached the quarterfinals in the World Cup after beating Colombia in a controversial match and got flattened by Germany who humiliated them 1 – 7. In the succeeding Copa America the team performed horribly, managing to move from the group phase to quarter finals and losing in penalties to another very irregular Paraguay.
During the first games of the World Cup qualifiers for 2018 (time of this writing) it lost 2 – 0 against the mighty Chile away and then recovered against the weak Venezuela at home. But things do not look crisp and shiny for Brazil, it looks that this season they won´t be the solid winners of past history. Their present player base has been highly criticized and framed upon by the fans, who feel ashamed for the humiliating loss in the World Cup. A new manager is in place and the status of the team is still uncertain.
Long way to walk for the next Copa America 2019 where Brazil will be hosts.
Brazil Betting Tips
If they recover their level bet on Brazil to win against small timers like Venezuela, Bolivia and Paraguay.
Over 0.5 Team Goals against low level contenders.
Argentina Betting Tips
Argentina just like Brazil hosts a great number of Copa America trophies. They are finalist favorites almost in every season and have a tendency to score over 1.5 goals per match if not over 2.5 goals. Argentina’s carry football in their blood just like Englishmen do, but losing for them is a matter of national catastrophe, almost as if they were fighting an international war. For that reason alone expect Argentina to make surprising comebacks when the level is low and fight with blood or cheating, whatever means necessary to win in a sport they claim to be the super champions ever since Maradona.
Argentina professes to be one of the best national football teams in the world despite not winning near the amount of World Cup´s Brazil has. In the Copa America they stand as the second team with most trophies after Uruguay and with 14 titles while Brazil only has 8.
Argentina is always favorite, especially with players like Messi, Di Maria and Tevez. But pay attention to this piece of data; with all the greatness of Messi and his superior football skills displayed in Barcelona FC along La Liga and Champions League season after season, from all the titles he wins almost in a yearly fashion Messi has never won a title with Argentina, at least not in the main team (he did in the teenage national teams). Finals, he has played several but fails to seal the deal every time. This issue about Messi not winning a single title with Argentina is a strong controversy in Argentina every time they lose a final.
Keep that piece of data when Argentina reaches a final.
In the present 2015 Argentina is going through one of its lowest points in history. They lost their first World Cup qualifier game against Ecuador at home, an outcome that has occurred on very specific occasion. Argentina never losses on their home, it wins or draws but never loses.
Argentina Betting Odds
Messi to score 0.5 goals, as long it’s not a final 😉
Argentina Over 1.5 Goals against low tier teams like Venezuela, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Argentina Over 2.5 Goals Inplay when the score early in the game.
Chile Betting Tips
Chile is the team of the season, remember what the Czech Republic used to be back in 2004? Their team was considered the best in the world with an aggressive and speedy offense, this is Chile right now.
Chile ever since World Cup 2014 but especially after the Copa America of 2015 is the best squad ever of that country. With super players like Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez Chile won the Copa America and beat Brazil easily on its first qualifier game for the World Cup of 2018. So far this is best team in South America right now, forget Brazil, forget Argentina, and vouch for Chile against any team.
Chile Betting Odds
Over 1.5 goals against strong rivals. This is the overall match score.
Over 2.5 against weak rivals like Bolivia or Venezuela.
Chile to Win against weak rivals and Win or Draw against strong rivals away.
Chile to Win at home no matter the rival unless that team is also high-performing like Ecuador in 2015 or Colombia.
Chile Over 0.5 Goals, they usually not end a game without scoring at least one goal.
High corner number, with its striking aggressiveness Chile generates tons of corners.
Uruguay Betting Tips
Uruguay has traditionally been one of the strongest teams in South America, the ranking has always been Brazil, Argentina and then Uruguay, from then on the rest of national squads were very equal in prowess.
In 2015 Uruguay remains a strong team with super players like Luis Suarez from Barcelona who is at the top of his game and Edison Cavani, a no very mature player that brings experience to the team. Despite being overpowered by Colombia during the World Cup 2015 when its main squad is complete they are a deadly team, they proved it during the first game of the World Cup qualifiers by defeating Colombia 3 – 0 at their home ground.
Big data to consider, Uruguay has not lost on their home ground for years.
Uruguay Betting Odds
This is a team I would step lightly when playing away, they are not so consistent, so only bet for Uruguay to win or draw at home depending on the rival.
Uruguay Over 0.5 goals when Cavani and Suarez are playing. Cavani tends to get injured constantly and Suarez at the time of this writing was paying a long 7 national games suspension for biting an Italian player during the World Cup of 2015.
Colombia Betting Tips
Colombia like Chile is one of the national teams that has upgraded their game ever since the last World Cup. Consider that the “cafeteros” had not qualified for a World Cup since back in 1994 and this has been their first time advancing from the group stages, and they reached the quarterfinals were Brazil, the local, defeated them on a controversial match that should’ve ended in a draw.
Also consider the vast amount of players that have made it to top teams across Europe, something that hadn’t happened before this generation of players: James Rodriguez – Real Madrid, Carlos Baca – A.C. Milan, Jackson Martinez – Atletico Madrid, Falcao – Manchester United (not relevant anymore but Falcao used to be one of the best players in the world before a knee injury), David Ospina – Arsenal, Jeison Murillo – Inter de Milan and the list goes on. But if you ask us the key spoke on the team is Jose Pekerman, the Argentinian coach.
But while Colombia performed beautifully and was considered the best team in the World Cup qualifiers of 2014 ending second right after Argentina (in the past it qualified only as 5th, the last spot) and performed decently on the World Cup, the team has been shaky in 2015 only advancing to quarterfinals during the Copa America of 2015 and getting hammered by Uruguay during the second game of the World Cup qualifiers for 2018 on the away game.
Colombia Betting Odds
Over 0.5 goals on all its matches. In the past Colombia was known for being a strong defensive team that held the ball but lacked striking prowess. In the present it has both, a strong defense and offense although it generates too many approaches and shots to the rival goal before it can get it in. In the defensive aspect it remains strong but it now leaves more open spaces for rivals when it attacks.
Under 2.5 Team Goals, Colombia is not known to overrun their rivals.
Colombia to Win at home, they play an aggressive game at home and the stadium seems to have a secret weapon, tropical heat. Pay attention to the timing of the games, if they are played around 3:00 pm the heat will be unbearable especially for players who come from chilly countries like the south of Latin America, reducing their physical strength.
Bet on corner kicks against Colombia. Yeah, despite this team being the favorite and very offensive it tends to receive more corner kicks than creating them.
Ecuador Betting Tips
Ecuador is the third national team to rise to power after Chile and Colombia. Sometimes overshadowed by the phenomenon those two other teams have been, Ecuador managed a 4th place in the World Cup qualifiers of 2014 after Colombia and Chile, and managed to qualify from the Group Stages as a best third. In the World Cup history Ecuador has qualified 2 times, this one and the previous season which means they are stepping up their game.
In the Copa America of 2015 Ecuador didn’t even qualify out of the group stages losing against locals Chile and Bolivia, but beating a Mexico in crisis. This was the first ever time Ecuador won a game in the Copa America in 14 years.
But then Ecuador made an amazing comeback during the World Cup qualifiers of 2018 by beating Argentina without Messi on an away game. This was the very first time in history Ecuador defeated Argentina in Argentina, and one of the very few defeats the Argentinian’s have suffered at home. It was enough to declare “a crisis” in the southern country. So keep an eye on Ecuador´s progression.
One note to consider for Ecuador in the season 2013/2014 vs 2015, one of their best players died from an intestinal infection before the World Cup in 2013, Cristian Chucho Benitez who played in Qatar. Chucho was the top striker scoring almost all goals for Ecuador, so after his death the team began to struggle scoring goals. Just to make the picture clearer, in the 2012 qualifiers season Ecuador managed the top spots along Argentina while in 2013 it relegated to the fourth position. After that its scoring capability has been weak winning games by the minimum difference.
*In the present Ecuador is the top team for the World Cup 2018 qualifiers after winning 3 out of 3 games.
Ecuador Betting Odds
Over 0.5 goals on all their games. The most common score away remains to be 1 – 0 and they do have a very strong defense and also a fast attack. Ecuador is resembling Colombia in their game style with less famous footballer names in their squad.
Under 2.5 Goals on home games. Their super weapon remains its defense, and although they have received more than 2 goals on some games the limit seems to be 2. Teams will have much respect playing against Ecuador after they beat Argentina.
High Scorer to score at any time. For World Cup 2014, during Copa America 2015 and the present qualifiers for World Cup 2016, one player always seems to score most of the goals for the team. By the moment of this writing Felipe Caicedo has scored on all three matches so far.
Paraguay Betting Tips
Paraguay is one of the weakest teams in South America right although not the weakest. Only 4 teams from South America qualify for the World Cup and 5th that fights a spot against Australia or some other team from Oceania, Paraguay usually battled that 5th spot with teams like Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. But presently Paraguay has been overtaken by the game-upgrade of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and even Peru. Consider that Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay remain super powers that leaves Paraguay out of the favorite’s list.
Note: On the last World Cup qualifiers of 2014 Paraguay finished last on the table after 4 qualifications in a row. Fans no longer attend to the national stadium.
The team is unstable with experienced players but already too old.
Their strength remains their defense tactics.
Paraguay Betting Odds
Lay bet on Paraguay against strong teams. They are not the most popular team right now I´m afraid.
Under 2.5 team goals. Historically the game tactics have always been to play a strong defense and wait for a counter attack. Evaluating the results in Copa America 2015 all team scores by Paraguay were under 2 goals or even.
We can even suggest taking the Under 2.5 match goals against even matched rivals, although Paraguay´s games did generate a lot of goals against Brazil and Argentina, the big players.
Venezuela Betting Tips
Venezuela has always been considered the weakest link in South America. They have never qualified for a World Cup and is one of the few teams to have never won the Copa America along with Ecuador. Nickname: “South American Cinderella”, for its weakness. In the past season however they picked up their game and ended 5th on the qualifiers, their best position ever.
During Copa America 2015 they surprised on their first game by defeating Colombia but then lost the following two games against Brazil and Peru.
Venezuela seemed to be improving with a more offensive football. They are now favoring a European game style, pressuring the rival on their goal side with speedy attacks.
But considering their latest games in the World Cup qualifiers 2018 where they stand dead last with Argentina, Venezuela remains the Cinderella.
Venezuela Betting Odds
Under 2.5 team goals. Check-out their game stats on any Copa America and qualifiers, if they have scored more than 3 goals on a match it’s a matter of national celebration.
You can even try the 1.5 team under against top teams.
Lay bet on Venezuela on away games. That is Venezuela to lose.
Over 2.5 match goals in matches against Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and even Colombia whenever any of these teams are high-performing (in the present neither Brazil nor Argentina are).
Bolivia Betting Tips
Bolivia is another weak link on the Copa America, for the qualifiers they have a secret weapon that gives them an extra boost and that is their home stadium high on the mountains. The Atahualpa Stadium in La Paz is so high that FIFA tried to ban games there some years back for player safety. The oxygen flows so low that players not accustomed to high-altitude require oxygen mask during the game and even faint. Winning in La Paz is considered a high-achievement.
But this super weapon is not available for the Copa America unless the tournament is played in Bolivia. In fact, their sole win of the Copa America in 1963 came when the championship was played there.
Note: Historically Bolivia has not moved beyond the group stages in the Copa America in the past 5 editions.
Bolivia Betting Odds
Lay bet Bolivia against strong teams. But do not take this for granted, Bolivia can be strong against any team sometimes.
Bolivia not to qualify from the group stages. Not sure if that exotic bet is available but just consider it to scratch out the team when betting on teams to qualify.
*In all truth we do not recommend a bet on Bolivia during the Copa America, it does not follow a trend on over/under or games won/lost. Bet on Bolivia during the World Cup qualifiers.
Peru Betting Tips
Peru is one of the national teams to step-up their game in for the Copa America, their performance in the World Cup qualifiers of 2014 was disastrous, but their new manager, the Argentine “Gareca” has turned the team around.
In the 2011 edition of the Cup they ended third and for the latest 2015 edition Peru managed to play the final against Chile. That places Peru as a strong contender in the Copa America if not outside of it.
Peru Betting Odds
A tuff one…
Bet on Peru to win against weak opponents.
Peru to lose against strong opponents.
Over 1.5 match goals.
No trend on this one just like Bolivia making it very hard to pick bets. But Peru is looking more offensive than ever but also with some problems in defense, so take the overall score of the match as your best bet Over 1.5 goals.
