Argentina started their title defense on the right foot. With goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, the reigning champions defeated Canada 2-0 in the 2024 Copa America opening match.
Lionel Messi became the player with the most Copa America appearances by playing the full 90 minutes for La Albiceleste, but missed two one-on-one opportunities during the game.
Argentina return to action Tuesday against Chile, with Canada playing Peru in the other Group A fixture earlier that day.
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Argentina beat Canada in 2024 Copa America opener
That's all for today! With goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in the 2024 Copa America inaugural match and you lived every moment of the game on Bolavip.
Thanks for staying with us, and see you next time!
FULL TIME! (Argentina 2-0 Canada)
Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 in the 2024 Copa America opening match.
MESSI BACK ON THE FIELD
The Argentine star recovered from the knock and is back on the field. He almost assists Nicolas Otamendi for the second of the night.
Messi sets off alarms!
The Inter Miami star looks in pain after a foul from Bombito!
With his presence in tonight's game, Leo Messi becomes the player with the most Copa America games played (35). He was tied with Chilean Sergio Livingstone until today.
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0' - GAME ON! (0-0)
The 2024 Copa America is underway!
Argentina and Canada are already facing each other in Atlanta in the opening match of the competition.
Game about to start!
Both national anthems were played, now both Argentina and Canada are ready for kick-off.
It's time for the 2024 Copa America!
Teams walking out to the field!
National anthems about to take place as both Argentina and Canada take the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Just minutes away from the 2024 Copa America inaugural match!
Messi to break record!
With 34 matches played, Lionel Messi is tied with Chilean Sergio Livingstone as the players with the most Copa America appearances.
Leo is set to break that record tonight!
Pre-game ceremony
A pre-game ceremony ahead of the 2024 Copa America inaugural match takes place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Feid is the artist performing the pre-game show.
Kick-off in less than 15 minutes!
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Third straight international title for Messi, Argentina?
Apart from defending their 2021 Copa America title, Messi and Argentina will be looking to win an international competition for the third consecutive time.
After winning the 2021 Copa America, Lionel Scaloni's men beat Italy in the 2022 Finalissima and went on to win the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
How do Argentina and Canada arrive in this game?
Argentina claimed friendly wins over Ecuador (1-0) and Guatemala (4-1) in the June international window.
Canada, on the other hand, suffered a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands before holding Kylian Mbappe's France to a goalless draw.
Canada's first Copa America appearance
While Argentina have a rich history in the Copa America, this will be Canada's first appearance in the tournament.
With CONMEBOL extending an invitation to six CONCACAF teams, the Canucks earned their spot via a playoff to take part in the 2024 Copa America.
Teams on the field for warm up!
Both Argentina and Canada are already on the field to perform warm-up drills.
The 2024 Copa America gets underway soon!
Will Argentina go back-to-back?
Argentina head into the 2024 Copa America aiming to defend their title from 2021.
Three years ago, Leo Messi tasted international glory for the first time as La Albiceleste defeated hosts Brazil 1-0 in a hard-fought final at the emblematic Maracana.
That was the team's 15th Copa America title, matching Uruguay as the winningest sides in tournament history.
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Argentina's last 10 Copa America debuts
Here's how Argentina fared in their last 10 Copa America debuts:
Brazil 2021: Argentina 1 (Messi) - Chile 1 (Vargas)
Brazil 2019: Argentina 0 - Colombia 2 (Roger Martínez, Duván Zapata)
USA 2016: Argentina 2 (Ángel Di María,Ever Banega) - Chile 1 (José Pedro Fuenzalida)
Chile 2015: Argentina 2 (Sergio Agüero, Lionel Messi) - Paraguay 2 (Nelson Haedo Valdez, Lucas Barrios)
Argentina 2011: Argentina 1 (Sergio Agüero) - Bolivia (Edivaldo Rojas)
Venezuela 2007: Argentina 4 (Hernán Crespo -2-, Pablo Aimar, Carlos Tevez) - USA 1 (Eddie Johnson)
Peru 2004: Argentina 6 (Cristian González, Javier Saviola -3-, Andrés D'Alessandro, Luis González) - Ecuador 1 (Agustín Delgado)
This will be the second time Argentina and Canada face each other. But this will be the first time they do so in an official competition.
In their only meeting to date on May 24, 2010, La Albiceleste claimed a commanding 5-0 win in an international friendly in Buenos Aires ahead of the South Africa 2010 World Cup.
Will Argentina gain the upper hand again tonight?
Tonight's stage
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be home to the 2024 Copa America inaugural match between Argentina and Canada before hosting the group stage clash between the USA and Panama on June 27.
With a 71,000 capacity (a full-house is expected for Argentina-Canada), this stadium opened in 2017 and has been home to the Atlanta United (MLS) and Atlanta Falcons (NFL) since then.
This state-of-the-art stadium will also be one of the 2026 World Cup venues, hosting five group stage matches, and three knockout stage fixtures, including a semifinal.
A view of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Copa America 2024 inaugural game.
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Tonight's referees
Venezuelan ref Jesús Valenzuela will officiate the 2024 Copa America opening match between Argentina and Canada, joined by fellow countrymen Jorge Urrego and Lubin Torreal as assistant referees.
Salvadoran refs Iván Barton and David Morán will be the fourth and fifth official, respectively.
Uruguayan Leodán González will be in charge of VAR, with compatriot Richard Trinidad as AVAR.
Martin O'Donnell is a bilingual sports writer fluent in English and Spanish, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Since joining Bolavip in February 2021, he has extensively covered soccer, NFL, and NBA, specializing in real-time coverage of major events such as the World Cup, UEFA Champions League finals, and the Super Bowl. Martin’s prior experience includes managing social media for the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana in English and reporting on Brazilian football for Sambafoot. At Bolavip, he is known for his meticulous coverage during critical sports seasons—covering trades, playoffs, and finals—and for keeping a close eye on soccer icons Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. His attention to detail and ability to capture breaking news have made him a valuable asset to the team.