Copa America 2024 Group C: Schedule & Preview – Bolivia, Panama, United States & Uruguay | OneFootball

Copa America 2024 Group C consists of two CONMEBOL teams, Bolivia and Uruguay, alongside two CONCACAF nations, Panama and the United States.

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

Uruguay, the joint-most successful team in Copa America history, are the favourites to secure a top-table finish in this group, narrowly ahead of the US.

This summer’s tournament is a decent opportunity for the US to redeem themselves following an abysmal semi-final elimination at last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

However, Panama could cause havoc in Group B after a standout result at the 2023 Gold Cup, while minnows Bolivia face an uphill task to progress into the Copa America knockout stage for the first time since 2015.

Bolivia – Serial losers searching for fortune reverse

Bolivia’s perennial continental struggles are well-documented.

Despite featuring in every Copa America edition since their iconic triumph in 1963, they have only made it out of the group stages four times, most recently in 2015.

Since reaching the quarter-finals nine years ago, the Bolivians have lost all 11 Copa America fixtures by a combined score of 26-6, highlighting the size of the task awaiting them this summer.

The second tournament held on North American soil is also Bolivia’s first without their legendary goalscorer, Marcelo Martins Moreno, who called time on his career earlier this year.

Widely considered one of the best Bolivian players, Moreno is Bolivia’s all-time top-scorer with 31 goals from 108 international caps, and replacing him is no small feat.

Merely three points in this crop ply their trade outside the domestic championship, with midfielder Boris Cespedes the only one playing in Europe.

Head coach Antonio Carlos Zago must navigate these troubled waters without Moreno, relying on a relatively inexperienced squad to step up and fill the void.

Bolivar midfielder Henry Vaca, who has contributed to two of Bolivia’s four goals in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifying, will be under the spotlight.

Panama – Canaleros back for revenge

Former Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen came agonisingly close to inspiring Panama to their first-ever Gold Cup triumph last summer, only to suffer a grand final heartache against Mexico.

Santiago Gimenez’s 88th-minute winner crashed Los Canaleros’ dreams, but their outstanding run deep into the tournament could be an ideal springboard for only their second Copa America appearance.

Panama made their competition debut in 2016 but had to settle for a third-place finish in a fiercely competitive Group D behind Argentina and Chile.

Nine years on, they return to the tournament with a different mindset and a far better squad, headlined by Mazatlan’s quicksilver forward Yoel Barcenas.

However, Panama’s lofty ambitions will likely rely on their steely backline returning to their best after commencing the new calendar year with two straight losses by an aggregate score of 4-0.

Ominously, the last time they graced the Copa America group stage, Los Canaleros conceded 4+ goals in two of their three outings, barring a 2-1 triumph against fellow Group C adversaries Bolivia.

United States – Pulisic to ‘Captain America’ to maiden success

The seven-time Gold Cup winners return to Copa America for the first time since a fourth-place finish in 2016 for their fifth appearance in the tournament.

After a heartbreaking 2023 Gold Cup semi-final exit at the hands of fellow Group C rivals Panama, the US will seek a first standout result since conquering the continent in 2021.

Less than two years since their 2022 World Cup last-16 exit, they host the 48th edition of Copa America, looking to better a semi-final upset the last time they staged the tournament.

However, their past experiences at Copa America paint a bleak picture.

They have flamed out of the group stages twice in their four previous tournament appearances since their debut in 1993 while finishing fourth on the other two occasions.

Interestingly, just two of the US’ 29 Copa America matches have ended level. They’ve registered a respectable 62% win ratio, underscoring their capacity to cope with South American giants.

Manager Gregg Berhalter will be keen to improve the commendable record, and his star-studded squad gives him every reason to be optimistic.

From Monaco striker Folarin Balogun to AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, Berhalter boasts a wide range of talent that promises to electrify the Copa America stage.

Uruguay – Can Darwin do what he couldn’t with Liverpool?

Uruguay’s storied history at Copa America, starting with a triumph at the inaugural tournament in 1916, has seen them hoist the trophy 15 times, which puts them on par with world champions Argentina.

But it’s been a while since La Celeste dazzled on the grandest continental platform. They last won the title in 2011 under the guidance of their iconic coach, Oscar Tabarez.

Tabarez’s successor, Diego Alonso, failed to live up to the billing as the Uruguayans bowed out of the 2022 World Cup in the group phase, resulting in his dismissal immediately after the event.

Uruguay needed a wartime manager to carry this team through a transitional period, highlighted by Tabarez’s exit and Edinson Cavani’s retirement from international football.

Cavani’s partner in crime, Luis Suarez, is 37, and while he should represent his country at Copa America one last time, the Inter Miami forward is well past his prime.

In times of uncertainty, they’ve turned to a proven solution in the shape of Marcelo Bielsa, whose tactical brilliance is matched only by his temperamental nature.

The team’s resurgence is underway as ‘El Loco’ has steered Uruguay to second in the 2026 World Cup qualifying standings, beating Argentina and Brazil by an identical 2-0 scoreline.

At the thick of Bielsa’s revolution is Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez.

Despite his wasteful finishing in the Premier League, the misfiring Reds star has excelled for his country. He leads the scoring charts in the CONMEBOL qualifying section with five goals.