COPA AMÉRICA
Who plays today in Copa América 2024? July 5: games, times, TV, schedule
Making their first appearance in the tournament, Canada gear up for the quarter finals against one of the dark horses of Copa América 2024.
Out of all of the quarter final ties in this edition of the Copa América, this evening’s in Arlington, Texas is the only one which doesn’t feature at least one previous champion. Canada, as members of CONCACAF, qualified via the Play-In and this is their first time at the tournament. They will be up against Venezuela, who are taking part for the 20th time and whose best finish was fourth place in 2011.
Canada struggling to find their feet under Marsch
As for their respective campaigns in this edition, Canada finished as runners-up in Group A behind Argentina with four points from one win (against Peru), one draw (against Chile) and one defeat (to the Albiceleste). Out of all of the teams in the last 8, Jesse Marsch’s is the only one with a negative goal difference. In three games, they have scored just one and conceded two. To advance to the semis, they will need to vastly improve in attack, and at the back.
In contrast, Venezuela haven’t been experiencing any problems finding the back of the net. They ended the group phase as the joint second top scorers, along with Colombia and Panama, averaging a couple of goals a game. Eduardo Bello is on two, as is a player who Spanish and English fans will be familiar with, Salomón Rondón. So just on current form, you would put your money on La Vinotinto to make it through to the next round - the prize for doing that, whether it ends up being Venezuela or Canada, will be a semi-final showdown with Messi’s Argentina.
What is Venezuela’s record against Canada?
The two nations have never met each other in either official competition, although both have played team from their respective, rival confederations. Venezuela have played numerous games against teams from the CONCACAF region - primarily, against Mexico (won two, lost 14, drawn four) and Costa Rica (four wins in 16 encounters).
Their recent record has been encouraging - La Vinotinto are unbeaten in their last four meetings with CONCACAF teams, having won three and drawn one. The balance in this competition is also positive: three victories, two draws and two defeats.
Celebrating their centenary this year, Canada have had less contact with CONMEBOL teams having participated in just two World Cups. There have been four meetings with Brazil (two defeats, two draws), five against Chile (one win, two defeats, two draws), three against Colombia (one wins and two defeats) and two against Uruguay (both defeats).
Venezuela vs Canada: betting odds and predictions
US bookmakers are heavily backing Venezuela, occupying 54th in the FIFA men’s ranking, to beat 48th ranked-Canada with moneyline odds at +155. The odds for Jesse Marsch’s men to advance to the semi-finals in their debut appearance in the tournament stand at +210.
BetMGM has odds for a draw at +195 while the over/under is 1.5 goals, with the over at -220 and the under at +170.
Looking at the cold stats, recent form and tradition, Venezuela have everything going for them to win this one although as we saw last night in the game between Argentina and Ecuador, nothing is ever clear cut.
Prediction: Venezuela 3-0 Canada
Venezuela vs Canada: start time, how to watch
The 2024 Copa América quarter final between Canada and Venezuela will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on 5 July 2024, kicking off at at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT. Viewers in the US can watch the game on Fox Network, TUDN USA, Univisión and ViX, while you can also stream the action on fuboTV, which offers new users a free introductory trial.
Watch the Venezuela vs Canada game live on FuboTV (free trial available)
Who will Venezuela or Canada play next at the Copa América?
The winner of today’s match-up in Houston will advance to a semi-final against the defending champions Argentina, at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Tuesday 9 July.
While Canada faced Argentina earlier in the tournament during the group stage, Venezuela’s last meeting with the South Americans was in March 2022 - a 3-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier at La Bombonera.
Later this year, Fernando Batista’s team will play the reverse fixture of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Argentina. The world champions currently top the CONMEBOL standings on 15 points, with Venezuela in fourth on nine.