The 46th edition of the Copa América, football’s longest-running international competition, will kick off in Brazil on June 14. Pitting the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and James Rodríguez against each other in search of the continental crown, South America’s showpiece tournament promises to be the highlight of a packed summer of football. After a disappointing exit at the quarter-final stage of the 2018 World Cup, the Seleção will be hoping to make a big statement on home soil, but with Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and defending champions Chile all out to stop them, it is unlikely they will have everything their own way. As well as the 10 Conmebol countries, this year’s edition will see invited nations Japan and Qatar taking part. With a lot of teams at the early stage of a new cycle or in a process of rebuilding, this Copa América is not easy to call. But some things are certain; there will be twists, turns, tragedies and some terrific games along the way. The Groups The top two from each group as well as the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarter finals. The Favourites This will be the fifth time that Brazil have hosted the Copa América and on all four previous occasions – 1919, 1922, 1949 and 1989 – they took the title. The expectation is that they will do the same in the Maracanã on July 6. They have the strongest squad on paper, being able to call on the likes of Casemiro, Marquinhos, Richarlison and Roberto Firmino, and a relatively long-term project in place. Tite, who led the team to Russia last year, will celebrate three years in charge between his team’s second and third group games. Rivaldo took to Instagram last week and made his thoughts on Brazil’s favouritism very clear. “I believe that Brazil will win the Copa América with ease,” said the 1999 Copa América champion. “I don’t see any team that can beat Brazil." But not everything is rosy for the men in yellow. Tite has entrusted the captaincy to Daniel Alves after Neymar’s disciplinary issues in Paris and the manager is under huge pressure to get the team to perform. In the post-Russia friendlies, they have failed to play the sort of gripping football they displayed in World Cup qualifying and there is a lot of speculation in Brazil that Tite could be fired if Brazil do not lift their ninth South American title. If the burden of expectation gets too much for the the hosts, two teams will best poised to take advantage. Uruguay were strong contenders at last year’s World Cup, and with Messi to call on, Argentina can never be ignored. Since their disastrous display in Russia, the Albiceleste have been going through a rebuilding process – and not always a particularly smooth one – under the guidance of interim manager Lionel Scaloni. Out have gone older players like Lucas Biglia, Gonzalo Higuaín and Javier Mascherano, who featured in their 2015 and ’16 Copa América final losses. Scaloni has instead handed more prominent roles to some fresher faces in Lautaro Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso and Leandro Paredes. The triumvirate of Messi, Sergio Agüero and Angel di Maria are included in the squad – Agüero’s first call-up since Russia – and the question now is whether their young manager can build an energetic side around them that is capable of winning Argentina’s first senior silverware since 1993. As Barack Obama said when asked about Messi recently, “very few people achieve great things on their own.” And the world’s best player has not always had the help he needs in the sky blue and white stripes. Oscár Tabarez’s Uruguay, meanwhile, boast a talented young midfield – including Juventus star Rodrigo Bentancur, Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira and Fede Valverde of Real Madrid – to play in between the experience of Godín at the back and Edinson Cavani and Suárez, who Tabarez insists will be fit, up top. Of all the teams at the tournament, Uruguay have the most consolidated squad and playing style, and, with Suárez, Cavani and Godín not getting any younger, they may be spurred on by the feeling that this is their last shot at repeating their magnificent Copa América success from 2011.