Copa America Power Rankings: Argentina, Mexico remain favorites

How do the eight remaining teams at Copa America stack up on the road to the June 26 final?

The quarterfinals of the Copa America are here, and finally a tournament that has slowly ramped up in intensity will be blessed with high-stakes knockout games chock full of intriguing matchups.

We did a power rankings of all 16 teams at the start of the tournament, and now with the field narrowed down, two favorites drop off (Brazil, Uruguay) while two surprise packages (Peru, Venezuela) take their place. These rankings are based partly on the teams’ group stage performance, but mostly on their likelihood to advance, meaning a more favorable matchup in the quarterfinals or path to the final is taken into consideration. 

• PODCAST: Previewing USA vs. Ecuador in Copa quarters

Onto the rankings!

1. Argentina

Quarterfinal Opponent: Venezuela

. Argentina

Quarterfinal Opponent: Venezuela

2. Mexico

Quarterfinal Opponent: Chile

. Mexico

Quarterfinal Opponent: Chile

3. Colombia

Quarterfinal Opponent: Peru

. Colombia

Quarterfinal Opponent: Peru

4. Chile

Quarterfinal Opponent: Mexico

. Chile

Quarterfinal Opponent: Mexico

5. Ecuador

Quarterfinal Opponent: USA

. Ecuador

Quarterfinal Opponent: USA

6. USA

Quarterfinal Opponent: Ecuador

The group stage showed the United States at its best and its worst. The Americans looked slow at the back and out of ideas up front as it dropped its opening game to Colombia, but then followed that up with a 4-0 smashing of Costa Rica and a solid 1-0 win over Paraguay. Defense wins championships, as the old saying goes, and the U.S.’s is playing well at the moment, not having conceded yet in the run of play.

. USA

Quarterfinal Opponent: Ecuador

The group stage showed the United States at its best and its worst. The Americans looked slow at the back and out of ideas up front as it dropped its opening game to Colombia, but then followed that up with a 4-0 smashing of Costa Rica and a solid 1-0 win over Paraguay. Defense wins championships, as the old saying goes, and the U.S.’s is playing well at the moment, not having conceded yet in the run of play.

. USA

Quarterfinal Opponent: Ecuador

The group stage showed the United States at its best and its worst. The Americans looked slow at the back and out of ideas up front as it dropped its opening game to Colombia, but then followed that up with a 4-0 smashing of Costa Rica and a solid 1-0 win over Paraguay. Defense wins championships, as the old saying goes, and the U.S.’s is playing well at the moment, not having conceded yet in the run of play.

7. Peru

Quarterfinal Opponent: Colombia

. Peru

Quarterfinal Opponent: Colombia

8. Venezuela

Quarterfinal Opponent: Argentina

The Cinderella team of this year’s Copa America is rewarded for its efforts with a date against FIFA No. 1 Argentina. Venezuela’s commitment helped it get by poor showings from Jamaica and Uruguay, but it was the team’s performance in a 1-1 draw against Mexico that showed what it is capable of. It took a moment of magic from “Tecatito” Corona to force a draw, but Argentina is more than capable of providing those moments in pressure-packed situations.

The quarterfinals begin Thursday, with the USA playing Ecuador at CenturyLink Field in Seattle at 9:30 p.m. ET. Peru faces Colombia in at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday at 8 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader sees Argentina face Venezuela at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts (7 p.m.) and Mexico take on Chile at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California (10 p.m.).