We are about to find out who will compete for the Copa America 2024 trophy.
The tournament started with 16 teams on June 20, but now it's just four. The semifinal schedule is laid out, and the stakes have ramped up yet again.
From the quarterfinals onwards, it's been a case of lose, and you are out. We are at a single-elimination knockout stage, where one poor performance can spell the end of the road.
Some dreams have already fallen by the wayside, including home hopes after USA failed to make it out of the group. Other big names are sure to follow.
The path to glory is pre-determined in the knockouts stages, depending on the teams that qualify and on which side of the bracket each side winds up. The semifinal matchups shape up with teams slotting in based on their finish in their respective groups (group winner or group runner-up), and then on each team coming through their designated quarterfinal.
As the semifinals of the Copa America are set, The Sporting News has all you need to know.
MORE: When and where are Copa America 2024 matches being played in the US?
Copa America 2024 semifinal schedule
The matchups in the semifinals were predetermined and the bracket filled out as each team wins their respective quarterfinal. Schedule dates and times are listed below:
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| July 9, 2024 | 8 p.m. | SF1: Argentina vs. Canada | East Rutherford, NJ (MetLife Stadium) |
| July 10, 2024 | 8 p.m. | SF2: Colombia vs. Uruguay | Charlotte, NC (Bank of America Stadium) |
MORE: All the results so far for Copa America 2024
Teams in Copa America 2024 semifinals and bracket
The bracket for the Copa America comes in two halves. And each will produce a finalist. The bracket shapes up as a result of the group stage, which concluded on July 2, and then the quarterfinals. You can check out the full group standings and results here.
MORE: Downloadable and printable PDF Copa America bracket from The Sporting News
One half of the semifinal bracket features the following teams, from which one lucky finalist will emerge:
- Argentina
- Canada
The other half of the bracket will produce the other finalist from the following two teams:
- Colombia
- Uruguay
MORE: How to watch all the Copa America 2024 action in the USA
How do semifinals work at Copa America 2024?
The semifinal stage is the next step of what is commonly referred to as the knockout rounds, because every match is single elimination from here on out.
There are no points earned. There are no standings. There's simply a winner and a loser.
There has to be a winner on the day for each match in the knockout rounds. But unlike other major tournaments, such as Euro 2024, in the Copa America quarterfinals and semifinals there is no extra time.
So, if the score is tied after 90 minutes of regulation, the match goes straight to a penalty shootout, which will determine the team that moves on.
For the final, that is different: if a tie occurs after 90 minutes, an extra period of 30 minutes is played, and following that — if needed — there will be penalty kicks if a winner has not emerged by that point.
The semifinal pairings are set in advance. Teams that finished in first place in the group stage matched up against teams that were runners-up in their respective groups in the quarterfinals, and the winners of each of those four matches advances in the bracket to this point.
How teams advance at Copa America 2024
There are 16 teams that reach the Copa America, after emerging from qualifying matches in their respective regions.
Group Stage
Once they get to the tournament, the first obstacle awaiting them is the group stage. In 2024, the 16 teams were split up into four groups of four teams each.
The group stage consists of typical round-robin group play, with each team playing the other three once. Three points are awarded for every win in the group stage, one for a draw, and none for a loss. If teams are tied on points, goal difference and then goals represent the first tiebreakers.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the knockout stage. Those teams are slotted into a predetermined bracket based on their group position that starts with the quarterfinals.
Knockout Rounds
Beginning with the quarterfinals through to the final, every match is single elimination. Teams advance from the quarterfinals to the semifinals, and lastly to the final.
As explained above, if teams are tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regulation, they go to a penalty shootout. In the final, tied teams will play 30 minutes of extra time followed by a penalty shootout, if necessary.
