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Can Argentina's prize money boost their dominance, or will Colombia and Uruguay steal the spotlight?

UPDATE: Argentina lifted the 2024 Copa America trophy after defeating Colombia, 1-0. This is the county’s second-straight Copa America title.

The last two teams standing, Argentina and Colombia, are set to face off for the prestigious trophy, aiming to etch their names in the storied history of this oldest international tournament. As Copa America’s final is reaching its peak, here’s all about the prize money that will be awarded to the top four teams.

This year CONMEBOL kept a total prize pool of $72 million for the 16 participating teams. This prize pool is almost more than double that of the previous edition. While we are yet to see who will take the first place, we already witnessed the clash for the third place between Uruguay and Canada. The regular time ended in a 2-2 draw, but in the end, it was Uruguay who emerged victorious on penalty shootouts.

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Canada ended up finishing 4th and was awarded with prize money of $4 million. Uruguay, on the other hand, received $5 million for finishing third in the tournament. Moving onto the finalists, whoever between Argentina and Colombia loses and ends up second will take with them prize money of $7 million.

$16 million is the prize money the team that clinches the Copa America trophy will take home with them, along with the trophy. On top of this, a $2 million prize money is awarded by CONMEBOL to every one of the 16 participating teams.

Teams with the most Copa America Titles in the tournament’s history:

What’s your perspective on:

Can Argentina's prize money boost their dominance, or will Colombia and Uruguay steal the spotlight?

Have an interesting take?

  • Argentina: 15 titles; 14 runners-up.
  • Uruguay:15 titles; six runners-up.
  • Brazil: Nine titles; 12 runners-up.
  • Paraguay: Two titles; six runners-up.
  • Chile: Two titles; four runners-up.
  • Peru: Two titles; one runner-up.
  • Colombia: One title; one runner-up.
  • Bolivia: One title; one runner-up.

There is something interesting about the trophy this year. The Copa America 2024 trophy has a lot of history attached to it. The original trophy was a piece of 950 silver jewelry. While it remained in circulation till 2001, it is set to make a return at the 48th edition of the tournament!

With most of the teams done, let us also take a look at how much the players are pocketing in for playing.

How much are Lionel Messi and other players earning in Copa America?

The salary of players is not fixed and depends on their performance and the team they play for. It is Argentina and Brazil, who lead the charge for the teams with some of the highest wages. Also, unsurprisingly, Brazil’s Vinicius Jr. is the highest-paid player in Copa America.

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Moreover, the top 5 in the 10 highest-paid Copa America players consist of entirely Brazilian players. Here’s the list:

PlayerNationWeekly Wage
1.Vinicius JrBrazil£345,000 ($376,344)
2.MarquinhosBrazil£278,000 ($303,257)
3.Eder MilitaoBrazil£241,000 ($262,896)
4.RodrygoBrazil£207,000 ($225,806)
5.RaphinhaBrazil£203,000 ($221,443)
6.Lionel MessiArgentina£186,000 ($202,899)
7.Lautaro MartinezArgentina£184,000 ($200,717)
8.Enzo FernandezArgentina£180,000 ($196,353)
9.Gabriel MartinelliBrazil£180,000 ($196,353)
10.Cristian RomeroArgentina£165,000 ($179,991)

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USA Today via Reuters

The fact that the top 10 list is entirely dominated by Brazil and Argentina shows how ahead they are in giving incentives as compared to their Copa America rivals. Nevertheless, every athlete would concur that financial figures pale in comparison to winning a coveted trophy for their nation.