- Marcelo Bielsa returns to the tournament after 20 years.
- The Panamanians will make their second ever appearance in the tournament.
This Sunday, June 23, at 9 PM local time (10 PM Uruguay, 8 PM Panama), the first round of Group C will conclude with the match between La Celeste and the Canaleros.
Uruguay arrives with the hope of being a contender, led by the emblematic Marcelo Bielsa and a mix of experienced players (Luis Suárez) and others who dream of dazzling the continent, like Darwin Núñez, who will be playing in the CONMEBOL Copa América™ for the first time.
Panama, with Thomas Christiansen at the helm, dreams of repeating their success from their first tournament appearance: debuting with a victory. Adalberto Carrasquilla, Mejía, and Aníbal Godoy are the key players supporting the Concacaf team's aspirations.
La Celeste is second in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and has played four friendlies this year: in March, they drew with the Basque Country and lost to Costa Rica; in June, they drew with Costa Rica and achieved a great victory over Mexico (4-0) in their last test before the tournament.
Meanwhile, Los Canaleros qualified for the CONMEBOL Copa América™ in 2023 by defeating Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League. In March, the tournament resumed, and Panama lost both of their matches (to Mexico and Jamaica) to finish in fourth place. In June, they secured two wins in the World Cup qualifiers (against Guyana and Montserrat). In their last friendly before the tournament, they lost 1-0 to Paraguay.
Where to Watch Uruguay-Panama?
The match will start at 10 PM Montevideo time (Uruguay) and 8 PM Panama City time (Panama). It can be enjoyed as follows:
- Uruguay: DirecTV, TV Ciudad
- Panama: RPC, TVN, TVMAX
- United States: FS1, TUDN, Univision
Uruguay-Panama: Historical Record
They have never faced each other in this tournament. They have played four times between 1952 to 2022.
- 4 Wins for Uruguay
Key Facts to Note
- Darwin Núñez is the top scorer (5) and has the most shots on goal (8, tied with Lionel Messi) in the current South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
- José María Giménez is the player on Uruguay's current squad with the most Copa América appearances (16), surpassing Luis Suárez (15).
- Uruguay has won three of the last four CONMEBOL Copa América™ matches against Concacaf opponents (1 loss). In those three victories, Uruguay kept a clean sheet.
- Uruguay will be the fourth different opponent Panama faces at CONMEBOL Copa América™, after playing Bolivia (1 win - 2-1), Argentina (1 loss - 0-5), and Chile (1 loss - 2-4) in the 2016 edition.
Source: OPTA
Lineups
Uruguay: Rochet; Nández, Oliveira, Ronald Araújo, Viña; Arrascaeta, Ugarte, Valverde; Pellistri, Darwin Núñez, Maximiliano Araújo.
Panama: Mosquera; Miller, José Córdoba, Fariña; Davis, Cristian Martínez, Carrasquilla, Murillo; José Luis Rodríguez, Fajardo, Bárcenas.
Referee Designation
- Referee: Piero Maza (Chile)
- Assistant Referees: Claudio Urrutia and Miguel Rocha (Chile)
- Fourth Official: Juan Benítez (Paraguay)
- VAR: Mauro Vigliano (Argentina)
Match Information
- Match: Uruguay vs. Panama (Group C, First Round)
- Date and Time: June 23, 2024, at 9 PM local time (10 PM Uruguay, 8 PM Panama)
- Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami (FL)
