The 2021 Copa America final will pit the two biggest national teams in South America against each other. Here is all you need to know ahead of the blockbuster showdown.
What is it?
The 2021 Copa America is the 47th edition of the international tournament organised by South American football's governing body Conmebol. All 10 Conmebol national teams participate and are divided into two groups based on geographical locations.
After the top four teams from each group progressed to the quarter-finals, Brazil and Argentina have made it through to the final.
When is it?
The 2021 Copa America final will take place on Saturday night local time (4am Sunday in the UAE). The third-place playoff between Colombia and Peru will be played 24 hours earlier.
Where is it?
The final will be played at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil assumed hosting duties from Argentina after Conmebol decided to relocate the tournament because of pandemic-related concerns. There will be no fans inside the stadium.
How did each team reach the final?
Brazil topped Group A with three wins and a draw, before successive 1-0 wins over Chile and Peru in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Argentina also advanced as group winners with 10 points, before defeating Ecuador 3-0 in the quarter-finals and edging Colombia on a penalty shootout in the last-four.
Who are the key players?
Both teams are packed with talent but there is no mistaking who the two key players are for Brazil and Argentina. Neymar has been Brazil's biggest star for a generation and the Paris Saint-Germain forward has displayed his quality throughout the Copa America with two goals and three assists.
For Argentina, Lionel Messi remains his team's most important player. The captain has been in scintillating form at the Copa America, with a tournament-leading four goals and five assists.
Messi's last big chance?
The greatest footballer of his generation, and arguably the greatest of all time, the one and only asterisk in Messi's incomparable career is the absence of international silverware. Having won it all, and numerous times, at club level with Barcelona, Messi has come up short in four previous finals with Argentina.
Messi has been on the losing side in three Copa America finals - in 2007, 2015, and 2016 - and at the 2014 World Cup. He announced his retirement after the third Copa final defeat but was convinced to return a few months later.
Neymar, meanwhile, has enjoyed some success with Brazil after helping his nation win the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup and a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics on home soil. But a Copa America title would be the biggest trophy of his international career.
How to watch the final?
The 2021 Copa America final will be available to watch in the UAE on beIN Sports. Coverage is scheduled to start at 2.30am on Sunday morning, with kick-off at 4am.
