ATLANTA, GA — With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the distant horizon, the 2024 Copa America officially kicks off in the United States as defending champions Argentina face against North American guests Canada in Atlanta on Thursday.
After over a decade of falling just short, Lionel Messi won his first major trophy with the Albiceleste three years ago in this very competition. Now, he looks to defend his crown with Argentina still sitting as the top-ranked team in the world.
Canada, meanwhile, are hoping to improve on their plucky but ultimately fruitless World Cup showing two years ago with a performance that garners a more tangible outcome. They failed to secure a single point in Qatar, and the job isn’t any easier here as new head coach Jesse Marsch is given a daunting first competitive opponent in charge of Les Rouges.
Before the game gets underway, we’ll also have live coverage of the opening ceremony featuring multiple Grammy-award-winning artist Feid, among others.
The U.S. will play host to the upcoming FIFA championship two years from now, and the appetizer to that global event on American soil has now been served.
The Sporting News is LIVE on-site in Atlanta, GA following the Argentina vs. Canada match, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Argentina vs. Canada live score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Argentina | – | – |
| Canada | – | – |
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Predicted lineups:
Argentina (4-3-3, right to left): E. Martinez (GK) — Moilna, Romero, L. Martinez, Acuna — De Paul, Paredes, E. Fernandez — Messi, L. Martinez, N. Gonzalez.
Canada (4-4-2, right to left): Crepeau (GK) — Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies — Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Millar — David, Larin.
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Argentina vs. Canada live updates, highlights plus opening ceremony of 2024 Copa America
1 hour 25 mins to kickoff: The atmosphere is building nicely and we have our first roar from the crowd as Messi arrives and heads to the locker room.
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: While there’s no question whether Messi will captain the side in the 2024 Copa America opener, there is some mystery around how the rest of the Argentina side will line up. Lionel Scaloni found international glory with the 4-3-3 formation at the 2021 Copa America and has stuck with that ever since, to great success, winning the 2022 World Cup and enjoying a run of global dominance.
Yet he tinkered with the formation in the warmup friendlies, deploying what effectively served as a lopsided 4-4-2 with winger Nico Gonzalez at left-back. It’s not clear whether that was short-term experimentation or a sign of a longer-term change.
2 hours to kickoff: Welcome to The Sporting News’ live minute-by-minute coverage of Argentina vs. Canada! We are on-hand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to bring you every single moment of this match from now all the way through the post-game press conference. We’ll also have coverage of the opening ceremony, which is expected to start around an hour before kickoff.
Argentina vs. Canada kickoff time
This Copa America 2024 match kicks off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, June 20 at 8 p.m. local time in Atlanta, GA. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jun. 20 | 8 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Thu, Jun. 20 | 5 p.m. PT |
| UK | Fri, Jun. 20 | 1 a.m. BST |
| Australia | Fri, Jun. 20 | 10 a.m. AEST |
| India | Fri, Jun. 20 | 5:30 a.m. IST |
Copa America 2024 Group A standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-L-D | Goals For | Goals Against |
| 1. | Argentina | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Peru | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Chile | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Canada | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Argentina vs. Canada lineups, team news, starting 11
Lionel Scaloni experimented with different formations in the pre-tournament friendlies, but deviating from the wildly successful 4-3-3 in the Copa America itself would be risky. Lionel Messi will be good to go with the captain’s armband, while there are questions whether Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez will play up top as central striker.
Defender Lisandro Martinez had his fair share of injuries for Manchester United in 2023/24 but returned for the FA Cup final and started both warm-up games. Nicolas Otamendi may be saved for the Olympics after looking slow in the tune-up against Guatemala. Argentine journalist Gaston Edul reported that Leandro Paredes will start in midfield, meaning one of Enzo Fernandez or Alexis Mac Allister will likely be left out of the XI.
Argentina projected starting lineup (4-4-2): E. Martinez (GK) — Moilna, Romero, L. Martinez, Gonzalez — De Paul, Paredes, E. Fernandez, Mac Allister — Messi, Alvarez.
Argentina subs (max 15): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Since Jesse Marsch took charge of the national team, they’ve used a 4-4-2 formation with Canada all-time leading goal scorer Cyle Larin alongside coveted Lille striker Jonathan David leading the attack.
Inter Milan’s Tajon Buchanan has been utilized out on the right, with Derek Cornelius commanding from the back.
Canada projected starting lineup (4-4-2): Crepeau (GK) — Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies — Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Millar — David, Larin.
Canada subs (max 15): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Argentina vs. Canada live stream, TV channel
| TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FS1, TUDN, Univision | Fubo USA, Fox Sports GO, TUDN app, Univision NOW |
| Canada | CTV Two, TSN1, TSN4, RDS 2 | TSN+, RDS app, CTV app |
| UK | Premier Sports 1 | Premier Sports Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | — |
USA: Argentina vs. Canada from Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be televised in the United States on FS1, with a Spanish-language broadcast via TUDN and Univision. All those channels are available to stream on Fubo with the latter offering a FREE seven-day trial.
Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.
Canada: Copa America matches can be seen in Canada on TSN’s respective TV channel and live streaming services. This match will also be broadcast on CTV Two, with a French-language broadcast on RDS 2.
If this match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
UK: In the UK, the 2024 Copa America will be broadcast by Premier Sports on their television and streaming platforms.
Australia: Australia’s streaming home for the Copa America, as well as Euro 2024, is Optus Sport.
If the Argentina vs. Canada match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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