The summer of soccer is here
A look at the big international tournaments coming up
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A jam-packed stretch of international soccer kicks off Friday when host Germany opens Euro 2024 against Scotland. Another continental championship begins next Thursday when Canada faces World Cup champion Argentina in the Copa America opener in Atlanta. And the Olympic men's and women's tournaments start next month in Paris.
Here's a quick look at the big soccer events coming up:
European Championship (June 14-July 14)
Like the World Cup, soccer's second-biggest men's international tournament normally happens every four years. But Euro 2020 got bumped to 2021 because of the pandemic. Italy won a penalty shootout against England in the final at Wembley Stadium, denying the English their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
Italy hasn't been the same since. The Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after losing a playoff to tiny North Macedonia, and they remain in rebuilding mode heading into a tough Euro group that includes Spain and Croatia.
England has another good chance to end its title drought. Led by stars Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, the Three Lions are the betting co-favourites along with France, which won the World Cup in 2018 and made the final in '22. Host Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and Spain are the other teams with a decent shot at winning the tournament, according to the betting markets.
Ukraine is a sentimental favourite after qualifying despite being unable to play home games amid Russia's military invasion. While they're a very long shot to win the tournament, Ukraine has a pretty good chance to advance to the knockout stage from a fairly soft group against Belgium, Slovakia and Romania.
This tournament could be the final international appearance for two of Europe's all-time greats. Ronaldo, who led Portugal to the European title in 2016, is 39 and playing in his sixth Euro. The high-scoring forward was a headache during the 2022 World Cup, but he scored 10 goals in nine Euro qualifying games. Croatian midfield maestro Luka Modric, voted the top player in the 2018 World Cup, is 38 but just helped Real Madrid to the Champions League title.
Copa America (June 20-July 14)
The always-heated South American championship is being hosted this time by the United States, and six qualifiers from the CONCACAF confederation (North and Central America and the Caribbean) were invited to the 16-team event. That includes Canada, which ducked in by defeating Trinidad and Tobago in a play-in game in March.
That was a big win for the 49th-ranked Canadians, who need to play more quality opponents on big stages to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting with the U.S. and Mexico. They'll be in the spotlight right away in the Copa, facing Lionel Messi's World Cup champion Argentina in the tournament's opening match next Thursday night. After the planet's top-ranked team, Canada will play No. 32 Peru on June 25 in Kansas City and No. 42 Chile on June 29 in Orlando to close out its group stage.
WATCH | Canada plays to scoreless draw vs. France in Copa America tuneup:
This will be Canada's first tournament under new head coach Jesse Marsch. The 50-year-old American's tenure got off to a rough start last week when Canada got outclassed 4-0 by the seventh-ranked Netherlands in a friendly in Rotterdam. But Marsch's team bounced back to battle No. 2 France to a scoreless draw three days later in Bordeaux.
Five-time World Cup champion Brazil, ranked fifth in the world, is expected to meet Argentina in the final again after Messi and company beat them in 2021 in Rio. Other top teams include the 11th-ranked United States, No. 12 Colombia, No. 14 Mexico and No. 15 Uruguay.
There are a couple of days where Euro and the Copa overlap in an extra-exciting way. June 20 features Italy vs. Spain and England vs. Denmark matches in addition to the aforementioned Copa opener between Argentina and Canada. On July 14, the Euro final in Berlin and the Copa final in Miami happen just a few hours apart.
Paris Olympics (July 24-August 10)
The Olympic men's tournament always plays second fiddle to the European Championship, and most of the sport's biggest stars don't take part. Players must be 23 or younger, with three overage exceptions per team. Canada didn't qualify for Paris, and hasn't appeared in the men's event since 1984.
In 2016, a 24-year-old Neymar captained Brazil to the gold medal in Rio, and there was talk that 25-year-old French superstar Kylian Mbappé might play for the host country this summer in Paris. But he was left off coach Thierry Henry's preliminary roster, with Henry saying that Mbappé's new club, Real Madrid, does want him playing in both Euro and the Olympics.
WATCH | Canadian women's coach Priestman reflects on difficult 2023 campaign:
The women's Olympic tournament, in contrast, does not have the under-23 restriction and is a very big deal — not quite on par with the Women's World Cup but close enough.
Canada, of course, is the reigning champion after its thrilling gold-medal shootout victory over Sweden in Tokyo. The Canadians are coming off a rough year in which they failed to advance past the group stage of the World Cup and saw longtime captain Christine Sinclair — the top scorer in international soccer history — call it a career. Coach Bev Priestman's team was even in danger of missing the Olympics before defeating Jamaica in a last-chance qualifying series.
Canada, ranked ninth in the world, plays its first Olympic match on July 25 (the day before the opening ceremony) against No. 28 New Zealand before facing third-ranked host France on July 28 and No. 23 Colombia on July 31.
