CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament 2024 Betting Guide

The football tournament organized by the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) starts on 20 January with ten teams competing.

This quadrennial tournament is where two teams win the right to play in the Summer Olympics. It is important to note that this is a U-23 tournament, as the rules state that the Olympic Games are for teams of young people up to 23.

The tournament will take place in Venezuela from 20 January to 11 February. The group matches will be played in Caracas and Valencia, and the final round will be played in Barkissimeto at the Estadio Metropolitano, a stadium with a capacity of 48,000 spectators.

It will be the first time Venezuela has hosted the tournament in its history, with its best result being two fourth-place finishes in 1980 and 1996.

Brazil has the most titles at this tournament with seven wins, the last of which came in 2000. In 2020, the champions are Argentina. The tournament has been held thirteen times, twelve of which have been won by Brazil or Argentina. In 1992, Paraguay won the tournament, beating Colombia in the final.

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament

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Key Highlights:

1. Team Groups and Schedule:
   • 10 teams, two groups: A (Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador) and B (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Peru).
   • Group stage: Jan 20 to Feb 2; top 2 in each group advance.
2. Betting Considerations:
   • Consider team line-ups, results, and player releases.
   • No FIFA schedule obligation affects teams with players abroad.
3. Tournament Format:
   • No semis or finals; top 2 teams by points qualify for 2024 Summer Olympics.
4. Favorites and Teams to Watch:
   • Favorites: Argentina and Brazil.
   • Notable teams: Colombia and Uruguay have good chances.
5. Player Highlights:
   • Brazil’s talent pool includes Joao Pedro, Paulinho, and Marquinhos.
   • Argentina’s squad has potential involvement of Messi and young talents.
6. Match Previews:
   • Argentina faces Paraguay in a crucial first match.
   • Colombia has a favorable group, starting against Ecuador.
   • Uruguay eyes qualification against Paraguay and Chile.
7. Tournament History:
   • Colombia historically strong but hasn’t won since 1992.
   • Uruguay finished third in 2020 qualifiers and aims for Olympic qualification.

There will be a total of 10 teams divided into two groups of five:

• Group A: Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador
• Group B: Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Peru

The group stage will take place from 20 January to 2 February, with each team playing each other once. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the next round, forming a new group of four.

There will be no semi-finals and no finals – all four teams will play each other once, and the top two teams on points will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

When looking for good value bets in the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament on football betting sites, you should pay attention not only to the names of the countries but also to the line-up and the analysis of the results.

Yes, Argentina and Brazil are the most prominent countries in the tournament, winning 12 of the 13 tournaments for a reason. Still, it is also worth noting that in only four of the 13 tournaments, Brazil and Argentina finished in the top two places.

The other nine times, different teams won a place at the Olympics. Below, we have highlighted some of the most critical aspects to help you better prepare your bets for the upcoming tournament.

• Favorites: Argentina and Brazil are the favorites even before the tournament starts. However, please note that the tournament is not about winning but about winning one of the top spots to qualify for the Olympics. Six different teams have finished second in 13 tournaments. In the last five tournaments, the second place has gone to another team. 
• Team line-ups: Look what players have come to help their national teams. It is worth mentioning that the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament is not included in the FIFA schedule, so teams are not obliged to release their players. This is the case for those teams with players playing in Europe or other countries outside South America.
• National team results: For information on how these teams have fared in previous tournaments, look at the 2019 South American U-20 Football Championship. By age, most of the players from this team were due to compete there. This generation had little chance to express itself since the 2021 tournament was not held because of the pandemic. Information on the best teams can also be found at the Youth World Championships. 
• Tournament format: When placing your bets on betting sites, please consider the tournament format. Teams will not play semi-finals or finals, but the number of points scored will determine the winner. Sometimes, it’s better to take a safe draw instead of aiming for a win when playing for points.

You will always be correct regarding football tournaments in South America, naming Brazil and Argentina as favorites. However, the other teams, who will do their utmost to grab one of the two tickets to the Olympic Games, should not be underestimated.

Below, we have highlighted the four teams that have the best chance of fighting for a place at the Olympics.

Brazil is lucky that Venezuela, the host of the tournament, has been placed in the first basket, thus slightly weakening Group A, where the Colombian team should be the biggest challenge.

Bolivia and Ecuador should be in the last places, and the hosts are the only ones who can try to mount a more significant challenge.

If you look at the Brazilian team, there is certainly plenty of talent. Although most of them play in Brazil, many play in Europe. Joao Pedro, who represents Brighton & Hove Albion, and Paulinho, who plays for Atletico Mineiro and has played 25 games for the national team and scored seven goals, are a few.

Arthur, Vinicius Tobias, Abner, Robert Renan, Morato, Joao Gomes, Danilo and Andrey Santos also play in Europe.

One of Brazil’s brightest stars, Vinicius Jr., is 23 and was born in July 2020. If he were half a year younger, he could represent the national team and play in the Olympic Games.

It is unlikely that a player of this level would play in such a tournament anyway, as he is a vital member of the Brazilian men’s national team. The same is true for the other top footballers. Do not forget that not all footballers aged 22-23 will attend this tournament.

The 20-year-old Brazilian Marquinhos, who belongs to FC Arsenal but is currently on loan at FC Nantes, should help.

Javier Mascherano, a well-known former footballer, will coach the Argentine team at the World Cup. The players will be motivated to fight for their country, as Argentina is currently a FIFA World Cup winner, and there are rumors that Messi could play in the Olympics.

It would be a unique opportunity for the young players to play with this legend and try to win gold medals.

Argentina’s squad: Leandro Brey, Marco Di Cesare, Valentin Barco, Joaquin Garcia, Federico Redondo, Nicolas Valentini, Pablo Solari, Christian Medina, Luciano Gondou, Thiago Almada, Claudio Echeverri, Fabricio Iacovich, Juan Sforza, Aaron Quiros, Gonzalo Lujan, Baltasar Rodriguez, Francisco Gonzalez, Santiago Castro, Julian Malatini, Juan Nardoni, Ezequiel Fernandez, Lucas Esquivel and Rocco Rios Novo.

Argentina will play its first group match against a solid Paraguayan team, and the odds for an Argentine victory are currently 1.74.

Three points would take them a step closer to the next round, but it should be much harder against Uruguay and Chile, who seem to have the best chance of progressing to the next round with the Argentines.

Historically, Colombia knows what it means to qualify for the Olympic Games. Although it has never won the tournament, it has finished runner-up four times. However, the last time was in 1992, so now it is just statistics and bare numbers. In 2020, Colombia finished in third place, its best performance since 1992.

The group is favorable for Colombia – Brazil looks like the strongest team, but they can do well against the hosts, Ecuador and Bolivia. Colombia will play their first match against Ecuador, and the odds for a win are currently 1.79.

Fernando Alvarez, a defender for CF Montreal, has been invited to join the squad, even though he made his debut for the Colombian U-20 team in 2022 and played for the Colombia U-20 team at the 2023 U-20 World Cup.

Another defender playing in the USA, Juan David Mosquera, has also been invited to join the national team.

Uruguay has a good chance of qualifying for the second round, with Paraguay and Chile being the main competitors in the group, alongside Argentina. Peru is the weakest team in the group and should not be counted on.

Uruguay finished third in the 2020 qualifiers, and although a new generation is now coming through, there is a good chance of fighting for a place in the Olympics. Most of the squad plays in the domestic championship, but a few players play in the USA.

Cesar Araujo is with Orlando City and Cristian Olivera with Los Angeles FC. Vicente Poggi plays in Mexico, and Mateo Ponte in Brazil.