Generally speaking, July is a slow time on the sports calendar. Sure, there are the usual annual events to look forward to — Major League Baseball has their mid-summer All-Star Game, tennis has Wimbledon, and the National Football League will kick off training camp at the end of the month – but this July is a bit different. Several huge international sporting events are taking place this year that will keep the days packed with action and excitement.
Are you ready for some International football?
While American football won’t return until training camps begin later this month, there will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy international football, or soccer. Every four years, international football’s continental governing bodies stage tournaments among their member teams as they gear up for the 2026 World Cup, of which the United States is a joint host, along with Canada and Mexico.
UEFA Euro
The most popular of these worldwide tournaments is in Europe. Germany is host of the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament. The group stage took place June 14-26, and the knockout stage began on June 29 and will run through July 14. The event features 51 matches, 24 teams, and 10 venues. The tournament’s group stage matches will be split between Fox and FS1, while knockout round games will air on Fox.
Top to bottom, these are some of the best international teams in the world. England, where the game was founded, is looking to finally capitalize on its potential and recapture international glory for the first time since winning the World Cup in 1966. With several prominent players set to miss the tournament, the Three Lions will rely on their undisputed leader, Harry Kane, as well as youngsters Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. France — World Cup winner in 2018 and runner-up in 2022 — is fighting to stay atop the world order. French captain Kylian Mbappe, a 25-year-old forward, and his team are looking to make a huge impact on the tournament. Four-time world champion Germany are trying to return to the upper echelon of international teams. Whichever squad wins the EURO will become a heavy favorite in the 2026 World Cup. It is also the likely international swan song for several European legends, including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Croatia’s Luka Modric, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, France’s Olivier Giroud, and Germany’s Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller.
Copa América
Coming in a close second as far as global popularity is the South American championship. This year, the South American governing body (CONMEBOL) invited six teams from the North American governing body to participate in the 2024 Copa América. Joining the 10 South American countries — Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela — will be Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. In addition to including North American teams in the tourney, this quadrennial international men’s soccer championship will be held entirely in the United States June 20 to July 14, 2024, with games played in East Rutherford, N.J. (New York); Orlando, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta; Kansas City, Kansas; Arlington, Va. (Washington D.C.); Houston; Austin, Texas; Glendale, Ariz. (Phoenix); Las Vegas; Inglewood, Calif. (Los Angeles); and Santa Clara, Calif. (San Francisco). The winner will later compete in the 2025 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions against the UEFA Euro 2024 winner.
Entering the tournament, reigning World Cup Champion Argentina and their captain, Lionel Messi are the stars. Brazil will be without Neymar, so expect forward Vinicius Junior, whose Real Madrid just won the UEFA Champions League, to step in the spotlight. The Yanks will be led by Christian Pulisic, who is looking to pull together a new generation of players into a cohesive and competitive unit. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s job may be on the line as the team’s recent results have not matched their expected potential. Gaining more international experience may be the real U.S. goal, considering they are eyeing greater improvement ahead of the coming World Cup.
Both tournaments will begin with groups of four teams. After each team has played their group opposition once, the top two will advance. During the group phase, teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and zero if they lose. In the knockout stage, where there must be a winner, if the scores are tied after 90 minutes, the teams will play two 15-minute halves of extra time. If the scores are still level after extra time, the match will be decided using penalty kicks.
Summer Olympics
As if the excitement of international soccer weren’t enough, the pomp and pageantry of 2024 Summer Olympics will take place in Paris from July 26-August 11. The Olympics will feature 10,500 athletes from 206 nations, and 329 events over 32 sports and will be broadcast on NBCUniversal channels. The opening ceremony of the games will take place outside of a traditional stadium setting for the first time, with plans for a parade of nations conducted as a boat parade along the River Seine. It’s all guaranteed to be intriguing, can’t miss TV this summer.
Chris Price is an award-winning journalist and public relations principal. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors, and Saints, Ole Miss and Chelsea football.