Any way you slice it, Argentina has the best soccer team in the world right now. They're No. 1 on both the World Elo Football Ratings and the FIFA World Rankings. They've got by far the best defense in the world, plus Lionel Messi and many other quality players up front. At press time, Argentina is the clear favorite at +185 to win the Copa America Centenario, and –225 to win Group D.
Argentina is certainly carrying a lot of chalk, but when it comes to Group D, there might not be enough betting value with the other three teams – not even Chile, the defending Copa America champions, who beat Argentina on penalties in last year's final. They'll meet again on June 6 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara; Argentina is a heavy –105 favorite, with Chile pegged at +300 and the draw at +235 on the Sportsbook.
Panama Hat
Chile won't take this match lying down. La Roja could have the best offense at the Centenario, led by the trio of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas. However, their defense is a bit suspect, and they're overrated at No. 5 on the FIFA rankings, compared to No. 10 according to Elo. Chile also lost 2-1 to Argentina at home during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and they dropped a 2-1 friendly to Jamaica last week, also at home.
There isn't much else going on in Group D. The remaining two teams are Panama and Bolivia, neither side with a legitimate chance of taking home the hardware. But between the two, Panama appears to be undervalued at +15000 to Bolivia's +10000. As a CONCACAF team, the Canaleros might be expected to roll over against CONMEBOL opposition; Bolivia isn’t your typical South American powerhouse, though. La Verde is No. 53 in the Elo ratings, 10 spots behind Panama, and the only CONMEBOL team they beat in World Cup qualifying was Venezuela.
Unfortunately, Panama's value doesn't carry over to their Group Stage match on June 6 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Panama is pegged as a +110 favorite, with Bolivia at +290 and the draw at +210. But the Canaleros have a quality defense, and might be worth a flyer in their later Group Stage matches with Argentina and Chile – depending on which of those teams prevails in their opener. At the very least, the draw should be worth a look between Panama and Argentina when they meet June 10 at Soldier Field in Chicago. It's not the most desirable outcome for soccer fans (especially the scoreless draw), but it might suit both teams just fine in this format.
*Odds as of June 2, 2016