Copa America 2024: Best Bets & Parlay | June 26

Matchday 1 in Group B of the Copa America didn’t exactly go as expected, as Venezuela pulled out a bit of a shock win against Ecuador while Mexico saved their three points with a late goal. Those results will heavily inform our best bet parlay on Wednesday.

Odds provided by Betway.

Ecuador to Win (-200) | Betway

In their opener Ecuador got shafted by an insane red card by their talisman, Enner Valencia, who will now miss this fixture with Jamaica. You really had to see that challenge to believe it. Red as they come. But I digress.

Ecuador actually took the lead against Venezuela after that, before allowing two late goals to lose the match. Despite being down to 10 men, they played very well, still putting four shots on target in the match.

Jamaica did alright parking the bus against Mexico, but the Mexicans were throwing them on net all night, and the Reggae Boyz are lucky more didn’t get past their keeper. Jamaica has also allowed 2+ goals in their last four matches against teams in this tournament.

The -200 odds we’re getting from Ontario sportsbooks leave some to be desired, but this is a good, safe starter for our parlay. After that loss, Ecuador absolutely needs to win this if they want to advance.

Mexico to Win (+120) | Betway

Venezuela was able to take advantage of the Ecuadorian red card in their first match, but they can’t count on that the second time around. Mexico is also a much better and deeper team than Ecuador, and though they scored just one goal against Jamaica, they had 20 shots, with four hitting the target.

Venezuela also earned a surprise win in that first game, which means the desperation will not be there for the underdogs, as all they need is one point against Jamaica to likely get into the knockout stage. Mexico has also historically had this nation’s number, as they’ve won 14 of the 20 meetings, including an unbeaten run that stretches back to 1982.

We were slightly dubious to start here, but once we saw the +120 odds the Mexicans were getting from sports betting sites, there was no way we could stay away, as Venezuela’s opening win has clearly influenced the oddsmakers.

Under 2.5 Total Goals (-167) | Betway

Venezuela may not be one of the more celebrated squads in this tournament, but they know how to keep a team out of their net. Their 2-1 win over Ecuador in their opener was just the third time in their last 13 matches, dating back to March 2023, that one of their fixtures has seen more than two goals.

They’ll lose this match, but they’re not going to let up more than one or two goals.