Copa America 2016: Brazil and Colombia are runaway group favorites in our poll

The Copa America might be the biggest regional tournament in the world apart from the European Championships. And this summer's Centenario competition features the combined might of two continents in a battle for hemispheric superiority and bragging rights. But the North American teams have an uphill battle because the South American sides are the juggernauts here and our pre-competition polling reflects that.

Group A Winners

Colombia: 5 votes

USA: 2 votes

Costa Rica: 1 vote

Group A is all about Colombia at the top. If the Colombians come to town with their gameface on, it should be lights out for the rest of their group. On the other side, Jurgen Klinsmann's USA will have the full force of the homeside behind their backs and will be looking to show the world they're an up and coming football power.

2014 World Cup darlings and defensive stalwarts Costa Rica can definitely give both sides a run for their money but the recent loss of Keylor Navas makes that a tough ask for the Central Americans. Paraguay are a mystery as the likelihood they could make a deep run is about as likely as them crashing out of the tournament early.

Group B Winners

Brazil: 7 votes

Peru: 1 vote

Brazil are the heavy favorites from Group B. They are tournament darlings in every format and it's not hard to see why. From David Luiz and company at the back to Philippe Coutinho and Oscar at the front, their squad is packed with recognizable star studded names. For Brazil though, they're missing their biggest and brightest as Neymar, Douglas Costa, Hulk, Thiago Silva and more are all missing.

That leaves the door open for Peru whose surprise 3rd place finish at last year's Copa America belies a polarized powerhouse while Ecuador's solidly constructed side is as good as most any in the tournament.

Haiti are also in this group. They'll probably get steamrolled. Fun fact, more people live in Sao Paulo, Brazil than the entire country of Haiti.

Group C Winners

Mexico: 4 votes

Uruguay: 4 votes

Group C is perhaps the most exciting group in the knockout phase. Mexico are a world beater defined by their enigmatic politics and drama, while Uruguay are the footballing equivalent of the wise old mentor in every kung fu movie you've ever seen.

Opposing them are Jamaica whose surprising Gold Cup performance in 2015 should not leave them overlooked if they can secure a solid result against Venezuela and pull off an upset against either of the bigger two powerhouses in their group. The same goes for Venezuela minus all that "recently they did good things" stuff.

Group D Winners

Argentina: 4 votes

Chile: 4 votes

Lionel Messi vs Arturo Vidal. Argentina and Chile are going head-to-head in Group D in a rematch of last year's Copa America final. Whoever comes out on top should surely be top dog. Panama and Bolivia are just there to fill out as punching bags and stumbling blocks for the two best sides in South American football.

Voting in this poll: Phillip Quinn, Ryan Cowper, John Dillon, John Bushnell, Valentin King, Davis VanOpdorp, George Rudnik, Luke Zimmermann