Jamaica vs Venezuela

Q2 Stadium in Austin sets the stage for a lopsided 2024 Copa America Group B encounter between Jamaica and Venezuela.

Third time hasn’t been the charm for Jamaica as they’ve flamed out of the 2024 Copa America group stages ahead of the final round after losing to Mexico and Ecuador. Jamaica finished both previous forays into the tournament without picking up a single point, a trend they’ll be keen to buck against Venezuela. If it’s any consolation, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Ecuador last time out saw the Reggae Boyz score their first-ever Copa America goal. With Venezuela already through to the quarte-finals, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side will hope to capitalize on their opposition’s potential complacency to avenge a 1-0 H2H loss in the 2016 edition. Jamaica can draw confidence from beating the Venezuelans in two of their three previous meetings (L1), scoring precisely twice in both wins.

On the other hand, Venezuela head into Matchday 3 as a 2024 Copa America surprise package after beating Mexico and Ecuador in the opening two rounds. La Vinotinto find themselves in familiar territory, having qualified for the knockout stages in four of their last six Copa America appearances. Beating Jamaica to cap off an impressive Group B campaign would see Venezuela make history and win three matches at the same Copa America tournament for the first time after 19 failed attempts. A point would guarantee a top-table finish for Fernando Batista’s team against the odds, especially considering they headed into the tournament winless in five games (D3, L2). That’s largely thanks to goalkeeper Rafael Romo, who thwarted Mexico’s late penalty in round two.