Copa America 2024 Group B: Schedule & Preview – Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico & Jamaica | OneFootball

Copa America 2024 Group B features two CONMEBOL nations, Ecuador and Venezuela, and two CONCACAF competitors, Mexico and Jamaica.

Let’s take a quick look at the dates and times these four teams will play each other, their chances of advancing into the knockout stage and details about all Copa America 2024 squads.

Copa America 2024 Group B Fixtures & Schedule

Copa America 2024 Group B: Teams & Preview

Group B is the only group deprived of former Copa America champions.

Despite not missing out on a single tournament since 1975, Ecuador have never tasted continental glory, while Venezuela’s long-standing status as South American whipping boys is well-documented.

Mexico are back on the South American stage for the first time since 2016, which was the last time Jamaica featured in the competition.

But unlike the Jamaicans, El Tri are no strangers to notable results at Copa America. They are understandably the joint favourites to make it out of this section, along with Ecuador.

Ecuador – La Tri desperate to finally perform on the big stage

Ecuador are among the most frequent Copa America participants, yet they have nothing to show for it, barring occasional semi-final appearances.

Since first qualifying for the tournament in 1939, their joint-best result is a fourth-place finish in 1959 and 1993, respectively.

Ominously, six of their eight attempts to catch an elusive continental crown in the 21st century finished in the group stages, with the quarter-finals proving the end of the road on two other occasions.

Despite commencing their 2022 World Cup journey with a victory, Ecuador failed to remove their notorious tag as ‘big-tournament flops’ in Qatar, flaming out of the group phase.

But their short-lasting experience in the desert yielded some positives, such as the appointment of former Qatar manager Felix Sanchez Bas as the new chief of staff shortly after the tournament.

The Spanish tactician has turned El Tri into a compact unit since taking over in 2023, inspiring an eye-catching start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle.

Except for a narrow 1-0 loss to Argentina, Ecuador have gone unbeaten in all five remaining matches, keeping a clean sheet in the last three to emphasise a rock-solid backline as the team’s standout feature.

Jamaica – Reggae Boyz ready for a sprint

Back to Copa America for the first time since 2016, Jamaica’s most exciting crop of players will hope to improve their disastrous record at the tournament.

The Reggae Boyz made back-to-back appearances in 2015 and 2016. But they couldn’t cope with the South American teams, bowing out in the group stages on both occasions.

A lack of quality and experience in such tournaments saw the Jamaicans lose all six Copa America matches without scoring, making for unenviable reading as they make another journey south to make amends.

Icelandic manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has a squad filled with potential this summer at this disposal, headlined by West Ham United talisman Michail Antonio.

Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey and Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid will join forces with the robust striker to help Jamaica build on last summer’s run to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals.

Ominously for Hallgrímsson’s side, their curtain-raising fixture pits them against a Mexico side that thumped them 3-0 in their knockout tie, extending their winless H2H streak to five matches.

Jamaica can draw confidence from a decent start to the new calendar year. They’ve not lost any of their four internationals inside 90 minutes in 2024, including a 1-1 draw against the United States.

Mexico – El Tri back to South America as North American champions

Mexico first appeared at Copa America in 1993 when Gabriel Omar Batistuta’s brace inspired Argentina to a 2-1 victory in the grand final in Ecuador.

That is El Tri’s joint-best result in the competition, as Colombia bested them in the 2001 showpiece, which was also the last time they reached the final.

Like Jamaica, Mexico’s last attempt to win the most prestigious tournament in South America was in 2016, though they couldn’t advance past the quarter-finals.

However, Jaime Lozano’s team will be confident about bettering that run this summer, buoyed by last year’s Gold Cup triumph that marked their record-extending 12th title on the biggest North American stage.

Mexico may not be playing the most eye-pleasing football, but their pragmatic approach, focusing on rock-solid defence and efficient counter-attacks, has proven effective at major tournaments.

With two lethal goalscorers leading the line, Lozano’s side could be a nightmare for any defensive set-up at the 2024 Copa America.

Fulham veteran Raul Jimenez and in-demand Feyenoord ace Santiago Gimenez offer a potent combination of experience and youthful exuberance.

They should be fun to watch.

Venezuela – South American minnows aiming to remove ‘whipping boys’ tag

As the only CONMEBOL team never to qualify for the World Cup, Venezuela’s quest to reach the 2026 edition has been off to a decent start, uplifting the nation’s optimism ahead of Copa America.

Fernando Batista had some slacks to pick up after being named the head coach in March 2023, with La Vinotinto finishing bottom of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group months earlier.

But he has done a sterling job since taking over, renewing the nation’s hopes of finally seeing their side amongst the football elite, with Venezuela going unbeaten in five of their opening six qualifiers.

Their bid to reach the World Cup can wait as they head to North America for their 20th Copa America appearance, carrying the weight of history on their shoulders.

Venezuela’s last appearance at the tournament ended in the group stage, which was barely surprising, knowing 14 of their 19 previous Copa America campaigns have crumbled at the first hurdle.

The odds remain firmly stacked against them, but they’re determined to upset the apple cart, and a mix of emerging talents and experienced players could provide the spark needed to defy expectations.