Messi, Argentina to face resurgent Colombia in Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium

Defending champion Argentina is back in the Copa America final and Hard Rock Stadium is guaranteed a Miami-style fiesta Sunday night (and a fun-filled weekend leading up the game) as Lionel Messi and his talented teammates take on red-hot Colombia in what will likely be the last appearance in the historic tournament for the 37-year-old icon.

Argentine fans have been traveling to all their Copa games, taking over downtown Atlanta and Times Square in New York City, filling 80,000-seat NFL stadiums.

The Colombians have also shown up in huge numbers, and 70,000-plus yellow-clad fans of Los Cafeteros electrified Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday night as Colombia edged Uruguay 1-0 despite playing the entire second half with 10 men after the expulsion of Daniel Munoz.

With the win, Colombia extended its unbeaten streak to 28 games, the longest current streak in the world. Colombia’s last loss was in 2022, to Argentina.

A sellout crowd is expected for the Copa showdown on Sunday with the cheapest tickets listed at $1,600 as of Thursday morning. A halftime show by Colombian singer songwriter Shakira makes it an even hotter ticket.

Want a ticket for Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium? Be ready to pay $1,600 or more

According to Vivid Seats data, site traffic to the Copa America Final page spiked 225 percent after Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 to advance on. Additionally, demand for the Copa America final rose 15 percent overnight based on average listed price, after Argentina secured a spot in the final.

The Copa America final is also the hottest sports ticket at Hard Rock Stadium in 2024. As a result, fans are traveling more than 740 miles on average for the game.

Messi scored his first goal this tournament on Tuesday night as Argentina knocked off surprise semifinalist Canada at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the sixth time Argentina makes the championship game in the past eight international tournaments it played in.

La Albiceleste reached the final of the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, and the Copa Americas in 2015, 2016, 2021, and 2024. The only two championships in the last eight that Argentina did not reach were the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Copa America.

“It’s crazy what this group has done, what the Argentine national team has been doing,” Messi said to a group of reporters after the semifinal victory. “After this, much more importance will be given to all the finals I played in, and to all the older generation players, me, Fide [Angel DiMaria], Ota [Nicolas Otamendi] and that Argentina can play another final is amazing. We must enjoy everything we are experiencing together as a group. What we have achieved is very difficult.

“To be honest, it has been a difficult tournament, the level has been as equal as ever, very bad field conditions, high temperatures that make it hard to play, very tough rivals. So, the fact we made it and we are here again playing a final is something to enjoy and highlight.”

And, this time, for a change, the team has not relied entirely on Messi.

Sure, the Argentine captain and Inter Miami star is still the face of the team and the absolute leader in the locker room and on the field. The players line up behind him in the tunnel before games like soldiers behind their general. At least one teammate has Messi’s face tattooed on his torso.

But Argentina reached the semifinal without Messi scoring a single goal. He made nice passes, drew in defenders and created scoring opportunities for others. But the weight of the country was not fully on his shoulders.

His one goal was not the spectacular kind that has made highlight reels for decades.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored after Enzo Fernández’s shot deflected off Messi, who redirected it with a slight move of his foot, making it a tougher shot for Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau to save.

“I told Enzo it was not my intention to take the goal away from him, but I saw the goalkeeper fell down, the ball was going in slowly and I got my foot on it and redirected it a little bit,” Messi said. “The important thing is we scored.”

The world is getting a glimpse of how this new-look Argentina team can continue to dominate in the twilight of Messi’s career.

Messi will be able to play in this final because of the performances of Emi Martinez, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis MacAllister, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo DePaul, and others. His longtime teammate Angel DiMaria, 36, has said he will retire after this Copa America, making Sunday’s game extra special.

Di María made his international debut in 2008 and has scored 31 goals in 144 appearances. Messi made a point in his pre-game speech to his teammates to dedicate the semifinal to DiMaria.

“Before we went onto the field Leo said they wanted to reach the final for me and that made me very proud,” Di Maria said.

Although Messi is a year older, he is not ready to call it quits on the national team just yet. If his body cooperates, it would not be far fetched to see him in the 2026 World Cup.

“As I’ve said before, I intend to continue,” he told reporters on Tuesday night. “I intend to keep living day by day without thinking about what will come in the future or whether I’ll continue or not. It’s something I just live each day. I’m 37 years and only God knows when the end will be.”

But for now, he is living in the moment.

“Let’s enjoy what we are experiencing as a national team, as a group. It is not easy to be in a final again, to compete again to be champions,” Messi told TyC Sports. “I’m living it as I have been living everything lately: enjoying it very much.”

DiMaria is ready to move on and has been asked about it during every Copa America interview.

“It’s my last battle; there’s nothing left to say that I haven’t said a lot of times before,” Di María said. “It’s my last game. I want to thank all Argentineans and to this generation that has allowed me to lift so many trophies. It has been an honor.”

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was not ready to say farewell to DiMaria.

“We don’t want to start crying right now. We don’t want to feel sad,” Scaloni said. “We have to let him play and then we’ll see if we can convince him or not to stay with us.”

South American World Cup qualifying resumes in September.

“We will never be the ones to close the door,” Scaloni said about DiMaria. “He can be with our team for as long as he wants to be. And if he wants to retire but still come and hang around, it would be great. And if he wants to come with me to somewhere else, I will take him everywhere so he can decide whatever he wants to do.”