Copa America review What we learned in advance of 2026’s World Cup

The USA, Mexico have lot of work to be done before 2026 World Cup; field conditions and officiating must be improved.

A month filled with action international soccer comes to a close, Euros as well as the Copa America will disappear from our T.V. screens and we’ll be left with a relic of Lionel Messi’s worshipping Argentine fans encroaching on Times Square, a sea of orange Dutch supporters marching to German stadiums as well as Colombian yellow fever sweeping crowds of Texas to California from North Carolina to South Florida and South Florida, where the Copa concluded on the following day on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.

We’ll be remembering Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal who turned 17 Saturday, scoring that amazing goal against France as well as the England’s Jude Bellingham saving England with his last chance 95 ^the minutes bicycle kick to Slovakia.

We’ll remember the joy and happiness from the Argentine team that escaped an intense penalty kick shootout with Ecuador at the end of quarterfinals due to the bravery by Albicelestegoalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez. It will be difficult to forget the disappointed home U.S. national team, leaving the field following having been eliminated in the first round at home.

Copa America 2024 was a sort of dress rehearsal in preparation for in 2026’s World Cup, which will be hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico. It was a chance for us to see what teams in the Americas are looking in two years to go and how those World Cup venues would fare.

Here’s what we have learned:

Argentina remains a force even if Messi isn’t at his peak. At one time that, when Messi fell off the pitch, his team would suffer. It’s no longer the situation. Messi remains the leader and captain of the team both on as well off it. He is still able to produce unforgettable moments. Eight times Ballon d’Or winner is revered by his team. It is yet to be determined how old Messi will be around in the next two years, however, the team has proven it can is able to carry Messi and will benefit Argentina well when it attempts for a second World Cup title.

Colombia, Canada, Ecuador and Venezuela are on the rise.

Los Cafeteros of Colombia returned to the Copa America final for the first time in over 23 years. They enjoyed a winning streak of 28 games to the final game against Argentina. James Rodriguez is 32, however, he showed the same skills to make him the star at this year’s World Cup. Coach Nestor Lorenzo is returning to form, so keep an eye out in 2026.

Canada has made huge strides under the new American Coach Jesse Marsch, despite him being of the opinion that CONMEBOL and the tournament’s officials treated the team as well as other South American teams “like second-class citizens.” It was not expected by anyone Canada to be able to progress in the tournament with Argentina in Group A in front of Chile as well as Peru. It was also less likely for Canada to make it to the finals and they did.

Ecuador and Venezuela both gave fits to the traditional strong teams that gives them cause to be hopeful heading into 2026.

It is clear that the United States and Mexico have lots of work to complete. When the time came to advance ahead of CONCACAF neighbours Canada and Panama failed, both countries were left behind and fell short during the group stage despite fairly simple draws and a plethora of resources that teams in the region are lacking.

U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter was fired last week, which was as would be expected. He led the team through the knockout phase in the 2022 World Cup, and expectations were high for a team comprised of players earning money in the top leagues in Europe. However, Team USA fell flat after an easy win against struggling Bolivia after losing the game 2-1 in the final to Panama (Tim Weah’s yellow card was not helping) and losing 1-0 to Uruguay. The team needed to change their tactics.

Whoever is the next USA manager is, they will face lots of pressure to correct the ship. The former Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp, who is a most popular among fans, graciously declined. Some other foreign candidates to consider are Marcelo Gallardo, Herve Renard, David Moyes, Joachim Low as well as Jose Pekerman. Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy has been mentioned. The most popular in the field of U.S. coaches is Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo, who played for the U.S. team and spent his professional football career in Germany. If I were to make a guess, I’d say they pick Cherundolo and that would make sense. However, one of the other will provide fresh eyes and new ideas for the squad to utilize.

Argentina coach Scaloni was unhappy with the state of the turf field in Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Copa opener and continued to be criticized by players and coaches in different venues throughout the tournament. Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa was most vocal. In the fourteen Copa stadiums, 6 of them had artificial turf that required temporary turf fields laid on top of the turf, such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, MetLife Stadium as well as AT&T Stadium. All of them are NFL stadiums that have lots of luxurious suites, however the pitch is crucial to the world’s top soccer players. World Cup organizers must make sure that the grass is laid out well ahead of time to avoid embarrassment.

The officiating of the Copa America was a constant cause of debate. It shouldn’t be this way. The problem lies in that there was excessive diving and moving around among players who were looking for calls. There was a lot of arguing. Marsch claimed in defense for his Canadian team: “They’ve never berated referees, never rolled around on the ground like children looking for calls and yellows from referees.” A lot of the Copa referees had a difficult time keeping the games in check. For those who watched Euro matches, the difference was striking. There were players who had a lot more respect for refs who were in control and, when they saw players dodging, they would shake them off and instruct them to move on. Copa refs should be issued an red card due to their behavior and need to be red-carded and expelled prior to 2026.

Now, it’s returning to MLS. Inter Miami plays at home on Wednesday against Toronto. What time will Messi come back? Watch out for the announcement.