The Women's Copa América kicks off, and Colombia wants to make a strong showing: everything you need to know about the tournament.

The Copa América Femenina , which begins this Friday with Ecuador as host, will once again test the dominance of Brazil, which has won eight of the nine editions of the tournament and has only lost one trophy to Argentina.

This will be the third time the Copa América is held entirely in Ecuador, following the 2010 and 2014 editions. In 2003, it shared the same venue with Argentina and Peru. It will also be the first time it has been held from start to finish in a single city.

The tournament will be held entirely in Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, and the altitude will determine the tournament's progress, as the city is located at 2,800 meters above sea level. This is a condition the local team hopes to take advantage of to try to secure the championship title.

The Copa América Femenina will be played in a two-group stage of five teams, with only the top two qualifying for the semifinals, which will then advance to the final on August 2.

The finalist teams will qualify directly for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, while the third- through fifth-place teams will advance to the 2027 Lima Pan American Games, where the remaining spots for the next Olympic Games will be allocated.

The tournament will bring together the best female soccer players in South America, some true legends such as the Brazilian Marta, six times chosen as the best female soccer player in the world and four times winner of the Copa

América Femenina; and others on the crest of the wave, such as Colombian forward Linda Caicedo of Real Madrid; as well as promising players like Argentine forward Kishi Núñez of Boca Juniors.

With 119 goals scored for Brazil, "Queen" Marta will be one of the tournament's key players, playing in a supporting role within a team now led by a new generation that includes Real Madrid defenders Yasmim and Antonia, as well as Atlético de Madrid forwards Luany and Gio Queiroz.

For her part, Linda Caicedo, who was already named the best female player of the 2022 Copa América Femenilla, will lead a Colombian team that also includes experienced striker Catalina Usme and Chelsea forward Mayra Ramírez . Colombia is off on Matchday 1 and their debut will be on Wednesday the 16th against Venezuela.

In Argentina, the winning team of the 2006 Copa América Femenía, held in that very country, will have Yamila Rodríguez, Gremio de Porto Alegre (Brazil) striker, as its role model, along with Aldana Cometti and Florencia Bonsegundo, from Madrid Club de Fútbol.

The curtain will open on the Women's Copa América this Friday with the match between Ecuador and Uruguay at the Banco Guayaquil Stadium, home of Independiente del Valle, one of the three venues where the tournament will be played in Quito, along with the Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda Stadium, home of Aucas, and the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium, home of Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito.

The Ecuadorian national team has prepared thoroughly for this tournament, which could be a golden opportunity for La Tri to reach the Olympic Games for the first time. The Ecuadorian squad will feature top scorer Nayely Bolaños of Mexico's Pumas; Palmeiras midfielder Joselyn Espinales; and Villarreal defenders Ligia "Gigi" Moreira and Kerlly Real.

Also leading their respective teams in this tournament will be Paraguayan Lice Chamorro, Peruvian Sandy Dorador , Bolivian Érika Salvatierra, Chilean Karen Araya, Uruguayan Pamela González, and Venezuelans Floriangel Apostol and Deyna Castellanos.