On Saturday, July 4, the final of the Copa America will take place between host country Chile and Argentina. This comes at no surprise to most soccer experts, who already predicted that the final would be disputed between Chile and either Argentina or Brazil, who lost to Paraguay in penalties at the quarter-finals.
Both teams have a lot to gain from a 2015 Copa America win. Argentina currently have 14 title wins, but if they come out on top this Saturday, they’ll be on par with Uruguay as the most successful teams of the Championship since its inauguration in 1916.
In contrast, Chile are playing for their first Copa America title ever. Considering their talent and the fact that they’ll have home support to serve as inspiration, it’s safe to say that they’ve never been closer to waving the trophy. Moreover, Chile possess the frustration that comes with four Copa America final defeats. The question is whether Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, Arturo Vidal and Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo can bring their A-game on and work together with the rest of the squad to secure the nation’s first South American cup.
That’s not to make Argentina appear as the underdog. The nation currently has one of the best national squads in the world (#3), and there is a lot to fear having the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabaleta, and more top notch players as your opponents. However, Argentina’s victory depends on whether these top players can deliver the way they do during their regular season or as they did against Paraguay in the semi-final.
In the end, it really will come down to which team can better overcome the pressure of the situation. According an online ticket marketplace, Ticketbis, tickets for the final match are in extremely high demand as Chilean and Argentine fans, near and far, want to be present for the historic moment in Latin American soccer. The final is also attracting fans from outside the continent with nearly 4% of sales coming from countries such as the U.S, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
The average secondary price to attend the Copa America final on the website is at $770, however, some fans have been able to purchase passes for as low as $34. Either way, many will be tuning in from all over the world to see how the game plays out for the two South American favorites.
