PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:Argentina begins Copa América vs. Canada: How to watch Messi play, best bets, and more

Lionel Messi and PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank CenterArgentina hope to continue their reign as soccer’s world champions during Copa América 2024.

Messi and Argentina take center stage in the Copa América 2024 opener, facing Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday night.

Argentina’s 2021 Copa América win was the precursor to Messi’s crowning achievement at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, etching his place in soccer lore as we know it. Another Copa América title for Argentina will continue Messi’s dominance atop the sport.

“Winning again is increasingly difficult, but we are going to try again,” Messi said after scoring two goals with an assist in Argentina’s 4-1 friendly win over Guatemala last Friday.

Messi, the star of Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, turns 37 on June 24. He’s still among the best players in the world, despite nearing the end of his illustrious career. And his participation in Copa América is a critical moment for the sport in the United States, which will host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and World Cup 2026.

Here’s everything you need to know before the match:

What time is Argentina vs. Canada Copa América match?

Argentina and Canada will kickoff at 8 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. in Argentina.

How to watch Argentina vs. Canada live stream?

Argentina vs. Canada will broadcast on FS1 and FS2 (in English) or TUDN and Univision (in Spanish).

Will Lionel Messi play?

Yes. Messi is expected to start and play in Argentina’s Copa América run this summer, beginning with the Canada match.

Argentina vs. Canada, Lionel Messi betting odds

Argentina is a -300 favorite to win, while Canada has +875 odds to pull off the upset and a draw is +425 odds. The over/under on goals scored is set at 2.5, according to BETMGM.

Messi has -125 anytime goalscorer odds, and +400 to score two or more goals against Canada. Messi also has +275 odds to score first and his team to win.

Argentina is recent mainstay in Copa América finals

Argentina has played in three of the last four Copa América finals, losing to Chile in 2015 and 2016, finishing third in 2019, before winning in 2021.

Messi fans and Argentinians agonized the losses — none worse than the Copa América Centenario final in 2016 where he missed a penalty and abruptly retired from the national team.

Dating back to Argentina’s loss to eventual champion Brazil in the 2019 Copa América, Argentina has lost just three times in their last 48 matches together.

How fit is Messi ahead of Copa América?

Messi is healthy. He played every minute in Argentina’s friendly against Guatemala last Friday. His last major match was against MLS club St. Louis City, where he scored a goal in a 3-3 draw. His last injury was a hamstring strain about 2 ½ months ago.

Messi has played in 29 of 43 possible matches with Inter Miami since last July – missing 14 games due to rest or injury. He has 25 goals with 16 assists with the club, including five assists in a match on May 4.

Messi recently had a goal and an assist in six games, including a four-game stretch from April 13-May 4 − where he scored six goals with eight assists.

When healthy, Messi has been effective and his teams are often victorious.

Who is the Copa América betting favorite?

Argentina (+175) is the betting favorite to win Copa América, while the United States is tied among three teams with the fourth-best odds to win, according to BETMGM. Brazil (+225) and Uruguay (+500) are next in line, followed by Colombia, Mexico and the U.S. men’s national team (+1200).

Who is the Copa América Group A favorite?

Argentina (-400) and Canada (+550) are the favorites to advance in Group A, ahead of Chile and Peru (both +1100).

Argentina’s Copa América schedule

After the Copa América opener, Argentina continues group play against Chile and Peru.

∎June 25: Argentina vs. Chile, 9 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey,

∎June 29: Argentina vs. Peru, 8 p.m., Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

∎July 4 or 5: If Argentina advances out of the group stage, it will play a quarterfinal matchup in Houston or Arlington, Texas.

∎July 9: If Argentina reaches the semifinal, it would play at MetLife Stadium again.

∎July 13: Copa América third-place game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

∎July 14: Copa América final will be held at Hard Rock Stadium.