Newsletter: UEFA Euro 2024 and Copa America quarterfinals weekend puts the world's best teams in action

Argentina are the first semifinalists in Copa America as quarterfinals got underway on Thursday -- one day before the European ones in Germany. Who will join Lionel Messi's Albiceleste in the final four? We will find out these next few days as well as seeing which Euro quartet is left standing come Sunday. Jonathan Johnson here with everything that you need post-July 4 ahead of these huge matchups.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, July 5
🇪🇺 Euro 2024: Spain vs. Germany, 12 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇪🇺 Euro 2024: Portugal vs. France, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🌍 Copa America: Venezuela vs. Canada, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Saturday, July 6
🇪🇺 Euro 2024: England vs. Switzerland, 12 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇪🇺 Euro 2024: Netherlands vs. Turkiye, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🌍 Copa America: Colombia vs. Panama, 6 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇺🇸 USL: Detroit City FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🌍 Copa America: Uruguay vs. Brazil, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. New England Revolution, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass

⚽ The Forward Line

🇪🇺 Euro 2024 final eight thrills and spills

With Copa America moving into the quarterfinals in the U.S. on Thursday, it is the turn of UEFA Euro 2024 this Friday with two mammoth clashes to look forward to. First up, hosts Germany take on the in-form favorites Spain before a rematch of the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France which was won by Cristiano Ronaldo's Portuguese side then but Les Bleus and Kylian Mbappe are strongly fancied this time around. On Saturday, England take on Switzerland having come seconds away from elimination against Slovakia before Jude Bellingham's dramatic heroics while the Netherlands vs. Turkiye has the potential to be the most underrated tie of them all given the unexpected nature of Turkish involvement this deep into the knockout phase.

Spain vs. Germany, Friday, Stuttgart

La Roja are now the strong favorites to go all the way in Germany as long as they get past Julian Nagelsmann's home side in these quarterfinals. One goal shy of double figures on German soil, Luis de la Fuente's men are the only team with a 100% win rate over 90-minute games. Whoever advances will come up against Portugal or France and Die Mannschaft can boast Jamal Musiala's joint-leading tally of three goals alongside the Netherlands' Cody Gakpo as one of the active standout players of this tournament so far ahead of the Stuttgart matchup.

Portugal vs. France, Friday, Hamburg

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo remains scoreless at this Euro and had an extra time penalty saved by Jan Oblak against Slovenia before redeeming himself in the shootout. The Portuguese have gone from strong contenders to outsiders after their loss to Georgia and the draw with Matjaz Kek's side which has seen Roberto Martinez's side held goalless in consecutive games. Finding a way past France's rock solid defense marshalled by William Saliba will be very tough while Kylian Mbappe is yet to catch fire at this Euro as are his French teammates. What better time to do so than in front of his childhood idol and Real Madrid inspiration Ronaldo?

England vs. Switzerland, Saturday, Dusseldorf

Write the Swiss off at your peril and the English will do well to heed that advice having been pushed to the brink by Slovakia in the round of 16. Murat Yakin's Nati have a good record in recent international tournaments and almost beat Germany to top spot in Group A which actually would have put them on the tougher side of the draw. That said, England is definitely the hardest draw possible for Switzerland and their impressive form will now be put to the test in these quarterfinals as they seek to make history against the Three Lions. Gareth Southgate's players may well have finally woken up, though, given their recovery against Slovakia.

Netherlands vs. Turkiye, Saturday, Berlin

Oranje have been led to this point by some inspired individual brilliance from not only Cody Gakpo but also Donyell Malen who netted a double in the convincing win over Romania. The Netherlands are now up against Turkiye which will be a big test for Ronald Koeman's side given that the Turkish are displaying all the hallmarks of the dark horse side that many expected them to be back at Euro 2020. This is a major opportunity for both sides but the Dutch arguably have more to lose than Vincenzo Montella's men with a potential semifinal place beyond the wildest dreams of many Crescent Stars hopefuls pre-tournament.

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🔗 Midfield Link Play

🌍 Argentina await other Copa America semifinalists

Emiliano Martinez did what he does best on Thursday with penalty shootout heroics between the stick for Argentina seeing the Albiceleste through to the Copa America semifinals at Ecuador's expense. Aston Villa's Martinez saved the first two attempts that he faced to secure a 4-2 shootout win, despite Lionel Messi failing to convert his effort with Lisandro Martinez and substitute Kevin Rodriguez getting the goals in a 1-1 draw which also saw Enner Valencia miss a second-half penalty. Argentina have always been favorites to defend their title and even more so now, given that their semifinal opponents will be either Canada or Venezuela.

Uruguay vs. Brazil, Saturday, Paradise

Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguayan side are fancied by many as the team most likely to challenge Argentina for the Copa America crown but they will need to see off Brazil to do so. La Celeste are prolific so far and although the Selecao drew with an in-form Colombia, Vinicius Junior's suspension could cost them dear in this one. The Real Madrid man has not shown his best so far this tournament but Brazilian hopes lie with him while Neymar is injured so consider this one a significant obstacle to be navigated.

Venezuela vs. Canada, Friday, Arlington

Few would have bet on Canada and Panama being the two remaining CONCACAF sides left at this stage but here we are and Jesse Marsch will hope that his Canuck side can pull off a shock. The Vinotinto have majorly improved in recent months and are suddenly one of South America's tougher sides to face although Canada themselves are fairly solid despite not being prolific. The Venzuelans are one of the only teams to have not won Copa America -- along with eliminated Ecuador -- and will start to believe if they can reach the final four.

Colombia vs. Panama, Saturday, Glendale

Arguably the form team of this competition given their run of 26 games without defeat, the Colombians have a great opportunity to reach the semifinals here against this edition's surprise package. Brazil or Uruguay will be next for Los Cafeteros or Los Canaleros but the latter's elimination of the USMNT should have shown Colombia that they cannot afford to treat Panama lightly -- even if Adalberto Carrasquilla remains suspended.

🔗  Top Stories

🧤 Dibu Martinez heroics for Argentina: The Albiceleste goalkeeper saved two penalties against Ecuador as Lionel Messi and his teammates advanced to the semifinals and enhanced their chances of a successful title defense.

🆙 Copa America power rankings: Argentina lead the way although Uruguay are lurking and Canada as well as Panama fly the flag for CONCACAF.

📝 Fran Kirby hits the coast: After almost a decade with Chelsea, Kirby is headed to Brighton on a free transfer after he contract with the London club expired.

🚗 LAFC take their third straight El Trafico derby: Thursday night's derby between LAFC and LA Galaxy went to the visitors , who won 2-1 while outshooting their opponents 22-10.

😱 CONMEBOL admits mistake: A penalty should've been awarded to Brazil in the final group stage match, a mistake which could have cost them first place in the group

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bet

• Euro 2024: Spain vs. Germany, Friday, 12 p.m. (noon)
• 💰 THE PICK: Germany to win and both to score (+480) -- Spain and Germany meet in Stuttgart on Friday for the UEFA Euro 2024 quarterfinals. Both have won this title three times, but only one can advance to the semifinals in pursuit of a record fourth Euro crown alive. Spain have only conceded one goal so far this summer and they now are unbeaten in 10 Euro games if you exclude penalty shootouts. This is the fourth time in five Euro outings that the Spaniards have reached the quarterfinals and their meeting in the final eight here brings back memories of the 2008 final which saw La Roja win 1-0. Spain have not beaten a host nation of a Euro or World Cup in a knockout game since 1934, though. Germany are searching for a first Euro since 1996 and this is the Germans' first quarterfinal outing in any major international tournament since 2016, but their 19th overall with 14 World Cup and five Euro runs until at least the last eight which is the most of any European nation. Die Mannschaft have only beaten Spain twice in their last 11 meetings, though, but are unbeaten in eight against the Spanish on home soil. No host nation has ever gone out in the quarterfinals of their own Euro, so betting on both to score and the Germans to win could return well.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form , so you'll never have to miss an episode.

📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long.

👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and co. cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

🥅 Scoreline ( Daily ): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app , Pluto TV and Paramount+ .