Historic Argentina, winners of the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup, will face red-hot Colombia, currently riding a 28-match unbeaten streak, for the South American title at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, July 14.
The matchup will have star power (Lionel Messi and Julián Alvarez for Argentina, and James Rodríguez and Luis Diaz for Colombia) and storylines. (Argentina eliminated Colombia from the 2021 Copa América and also handed "Los Cafeteros" their last loss in 2022.)
The final won't be hurting for local interest either. Argentines and Colombians make up two of the largest immigrant communities in South Florida, which explains why Sunday's match is such a hot ticket. (The get-in price currently starts at more than $1,300 on StubHub.) In honor of the big game, New Times has decided to take a side-by-side look at these two communities and their ties to South Florida.
South Florida Immigrant Areas
Argentina: North Beach. In an area locals refer to as Little Buenos Aires, you'll find Argentine restaurants Banchero Miami, Buenos Aires Bakery & Cafe, Manolo, and New Campo Argentino within three blocks of each other.Colombia: Doral. Many areas in South Florida can lay claim to being a Colombian hub — we see you, Kendall — but there's a reason Alegria by El Rancherito, La Matriarca, Mondongo's, and Narcobollo, all restaurant franchises that started in Colombia, are located within a two-mile radius of each other in Doral.
Shakira will perform at the Copa América final at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, July 14.
Photo by Andrea Lorena
Most Famous South Florida Resident
Argentina: Lionel Messi. Is he the GOAT? It depends on who you ask, but there's no denying the Inter Miami megastar has had one of the greatest fútbol careers of all time. A second Copa América title on Sunday would be the cherry on top.Colombia: Shakira. The "Hips Don't Lie" singer has been living in Miami Beach full-time since splitting from ex Gerard Piqué and will perform in her adopted home on Sunday at the Copa América final.
Lionel Messi has been living in South Florida since joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images
Notable Athletes Who Played in South Florida
Argentina: Messi (Inter Miami) and Gonzalo Higuaín (Inter Miami). Before Messi signed with Inter Miami in 2023, there was Higuaín, his former Argentina teammate who played two and a half seasons in South Florida until he retired in 2022.Colombia: Carlos Valderrama (Miami Fusion), Édgar Renteria (Florida Marlins), and Fuad Reveiz (Miami Dolphins). Renteria's game-winning hit helped give the Marlins their first World Series title in 1997.
Michelin Star Restaurant Franchise in South Florida
Argentina: Casa Vigil. Alejandro Vigil, dubbed the "Messi of wines" by the Michelin Guide, brought his Michelin-starred restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina, to Miami in 2024.Colombia: Elcielo. Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos has seen his downtown Miami and Washington, D.C. locations receive Michelin stars, making them the only Colombian restaurants to earn the prestigious honor.
Best of Miami 2024 Restaurant Winners
Argentina: Graziano's Mercado Coral Gables. Our "Best Argentine Restaurant" winner is 70 percent restaurant and 30 percent market, so you can eat an excellent steak here and also pick up a dry Argentine red wine to go.Colombia: Frutiparty. That's right, this year's "Best Colombian Restaurant" winner is a Kendall food truck. Try a Colombian perro and wash it down with a fruit-filled salpicón.
Celebrity-Owned Business in South Florida
Argentina: Cafe Ragazzi. The Italian restaurant in Surfside had been in business for 15 years when Argentine singer Ricardo Montaner purchased it as a gift for his wife in 2008. Some might recall that Messi famously dined here in 2001, pre-Inter Miami, and was mobbed by a crowd afterward.Colombia: Take the Key. Colombian vallenato singer Silvestre Dangond opened the pre-owned car dealership with friends during the pandemic in 2021. Take the Key has since expanded with a second location in Orlando.
South Florida Rich Dude
Argentina: Alan Faena. The waterfront Faena District, home to the luxurious Faena Hotel Miami Beach and Faena Forum, is named after the Argentine hotelier and developer, who is said to have invested more than $1 billion into the area.Colombia: Jaime Gilinski Bacal. Over the past few decades, the billionaire banking and real estate entrepreneur has snapped up five neighboring properties for his family on the super-exclusive Indian Creek Island, where Jeff Bezos calls home.
Jimmy Butler Connection
Argentina: The Miami Heat star visited Buenos Aires during the NBA All-Star break in 2023 and caught a Boca Juniors soccer match while he was there.Colombia: Butler is so serious about his BigFace coffee brand that he took a coffee-focused trip to Colombia in 2022. And then there's his friendship with Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin, who brought Butler to Colombian restaurant Pueblito Viejo in Kendall.
Copa América Final. 8 p.m. Sunday, July 14, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr. Miami Gardens, 305-943-8000; hardrockstadium.com. Sold out.
