The teams had faced each other in 40 previous matches, including 16 times in the Copa América with a wide advantage for Argentina who won 11 of those matches with 5 draws and no Ecuadorian victories.[4] This was only the second meeting between the sides in a Copa América knockout stage with the first being the quarter-final match won 3–0 by Argentina in the previous edition in 2021.[5] Their most recent meeting was a friendly won 1–0 by Argentina, just a few days before the tournament began.[6]
The teams had met twice before, both in friendlies that ended in draws: 2–2 in June 2007 and 1–1 in May 2010.[11] This was their first competitive meeting.[12]
The teams had previously met six times, with Colombia winning four matches and Panama two, but this was their first Copa América meeting.[15] The sides had already met in a knockout stage of a continental tournament, when Panama won 3–2 in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals. They most recently met in a June 2019 friendly, won by Colombia 3–0.[16][17]
This was the eightieth meeting between these two historic rivals with Brazil winning 38 of the previous 79 matches to Uruguay's 21 wins and 20 draws.[21] However, the record in the 26 previous Copa América matches was fairly even, with nine wins for each side and eight draws, although the last Uruguayan triumph dated back to the 1983 Copa América when they won 2–0.[22] Their most recent meeting was in October 2023, with Uruguay winning 2–0 at home in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[21]
The teams had met twice before, including the tournament's opening game in Group A, which was won 2–0 by Argentina.[25] Canada became the third CONCACAF team to reach the semi-finals of the Copa América in its tournament debut, following Mexico in 1993, and Honduras in 2001.[26]
The teams had met 45 times prior to this match, with 20 wins for Uruguay, 12 wins for Colombia, and 13 draws.[30] Twelve of these encounters took place in the Copa América, with Uruguay winning six matches, Colombia three, and the other three ending in draws.[31] Their most recent meeting was in October 2023, a 2–2 stalemate on Colombian soil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[32]
Colombia contested its ninth Copa America semi-final, of which it only advanced to the final twice. For its part, Uruguay returned to a semi-final for the first time since 2011, the edition in which it won its last title.[33] This was the third Copa América semifinal between the sides, with both advancing to the final once in the previous two series: Colombia won 3–1 on aggregate in 1975 while Uruguay won 2–0 in 1995.[34]
The teams had met twice before, both in friendlies that Uruguay won: 3–1 in February 1986 and 2–0 in September 2022. This was thus their first competitive meeting.
The teams had met 40 times prior to this match, with 20 wins for Argentina, 9 wins for Colombia, and 10 draws. Fifteen of these encounters took place in the Copa América, with Argentina winning seven matches, Colombia three, and the other four ending in draws. Their most recent meeting was in February 2022, an Argentina 1–0 win in the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, in Córdoba, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. The last Copa América meeting between the sides was a 1–1 draw in the previous edition semifinals in which Argentina won 3–2 on penalties.
Colombia was in its third Copa América final, having previously won the 2001 edition, which took place on home soil. Argentina was in back-to-back finals for the first time since its 2015 and 2016 run, and as defending champion, was seeking to retain the title for the first time since its 1993 Copa América triumph.
