Way too early predictions for Copa America 2028

Copa America 2028 might still be four years away, but predicting the top teams of the tournament just got a lot easier after watching Copa America 2024.

On July 14, Argentina won Copa America 2024, and Lionel Messi had the privilege of raising his second Copa America trophy in front of a sold-out crowd at Hard Rock Stadium. La Albiceleste now has the most Copa America titles of all time with 16, breaking their tie with Uruguay.

Now that the competition is over, fans are already looking ahead to the next Copa America. Many of the participating nations might stay the same, but their squads will look different in four years, paving the way for a new champion in 2028.

Way too early predictions for Copa America 2028

Although a lot can change in the next four years, this summer's tournament showed just who the three best teams could be at Copa America 2028.

Winners: Brazil

Brazil should win Copa America 2028. Although the Selecao made a disappointing quarter-finals exit in the United States this summer, they still have two of the best players in the world in Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, and the two attackers will only get better with age and experience.

Also, Endrick will be 21 years old in 2028 and have valuable years at Real Madrid under his belt. The striker could give Brazil exactly what they lacked at Copa America 2024—goals. He will also have great veteran leadership should Neymar stay healthy and represent his country at one final Copa America.

Plus, with Alisson between the posts and Eder Militao and Gabriel Magalhaes in front of him, Brazil has dangerous, elite players all over the pitch. If Selecao play to their potential, no one will beat them at Copa America 2028.

Runners-up: Argentina

Argentina might be the easy favorites for Copa America 2028 after securing back-to-back titles, but the reigning champions will be without Angel Di Maria and (likely) Lionel Messi. Losing the two pillars who helped bring La Albiceleste two Copa Americas and one World Cup will ultimately stop Argentina from claiming a third consecutive Copa America.

Argentina still have all the pieces they need to make a deep run in the tournament, though. After all, even at Copa America 2024, it was Messi's supporting cast of Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Mac Allister, and more that ultimately secured the trophy.

Plus, La Albiceleste's strong center-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez will only be 30 years old in 2028.

Third place: Uruguay

Come 2028, Uruguay will be without their all-time leading goalscorer, Luis Suarez. Although the striker came off the bench this summer in the United States, he still helped Uruguay to their third place finish, scoring the equalizer against Canada to force a penalty shootout.

Suarez's absence will be greatly felt throughout the locker room and on the pitch, and Darwin Nunez will have the burden of fully replacing the virtually irreplaceable player. Nunez's performances for La Celeste have been inconsistent at best, and as of now, the Liverpool striker is not reliable enough to take his side to the Copa America 2028 final.

With Real Madrid's Federico Valverde and PSG's Manuel Ugarte in the midfield, though, Uruguay are more than capable of making the semi-finals and taking home another third place trophy.

Dark horses: Ecuador

It might be hard to imagine that Ecuador could stand with the South American giants of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, but La Tricolor have plenty of exciting, young playmakers on their squad that arguably should have beaten La Albiceleste in the quarter-finals this summer.

Ecuador will likely be without their captain, Enner Valencia, at Copa America 2028, but the striker failed to score a single goal for his country at Copa America 2024, was sent off in the opening match, and could not convert from the spot in the quarter-finals. His lack of production this summer gave Ecuador a blueprint of how to succeed even without their captain.

Meanwhile, in 2028, Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie will be just 26 years old, and Kendry Paez will be 21. Ecuador's future is bright, and Copa America 2028 could be a defining tournament for La Tricolor.