da betsul： Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says he would like to see a South American side be invited to play at the European Championship.

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Debate about quality of South American vs European teamsScaloni calls for Copa America teams to enter EurosArgentina boss suggests his side could win competitionWHAT HAPPENED?

The Albiceleste manager is aiming to guide his team to a second consecutive Copa America success this year, with his side set to take on Canada in the semi-finals this week, having already led them to a World Cup triumph in 2022.

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There has been much debate about the difference in quality between European and South American national teams. France star Kylian Mbappe sparked outrage among some South American stars after he said football in the continent "isn't as advanced as Europe", saying European teams win more World Cups for that reason.

WHAT SCALONI SAID

That debate has come up once again in recent weeks as Euro 2024 and this year's Copa America overlap, and Scaloni would like to see South American nations be invited to the other continent's competition and vice versa.

He said: "I don’t think it’s more difficult from one competition to another. There are some important teams that have advanced to the semi-finals of the Euros, teams that we faced in the World Cup and it went well for us, but that doesn’t mean that we could go to the European Championship and win it. Or maybe yes [we could win the Euros]. I think the level is very even. I would like a European team to one day be invited to a Copa America to see what it is like to play in a Copa America and the opposite, as well. But that would be a World Cup, right? So in the end the difficulty is the same. I don’t think there’s much difference, really, but these are just opinions."

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA?

Argentina will aim to reach another Copa America final when they take on Canada in the Copa America semi-final. The winners will go on to face either Colombia or Uruguay in the final. Meanwhile, in Europe, France and Spain will go head-to-head for a place in the final of Euro 2024, where they will take on either England or Netherlands. The winners of each competition will meet in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions in 2025.