Copa America
- The championship game will be played in Miami next summer
- The USA stepped in after Ecuador was eliminated as hosts
Associated Press
Fourteen U.S. cities will host the Copa América next summer, with semifinals in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Charlotte before the July 14 championship in Miami.
The U.S. men’s national team will play in Group C and play in Arlington, Texas, on June 23, then in Atlanta four days later and at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on July 1.
The governing bodies of South America and North and Central America and the Caribbean made the announcement on Monday, specifying the cities that will take part in the 16-team tournament.
The quarterfinals will take place on July 4th at NRG Stadium in Houston; July 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and July 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The semifinals will take place on July 9 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and the next day at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The third-place game will take place in Charlotte on July 13, the eve of the final.
The draw is scheduled for Thursday in Miami. This is only the second time that the Copa América will be played outside South America since the first tournament in 1916.
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“These venues are world-class and have passionate fans who are known for supporting major events,” Concacaf President Victor Montagliani said in a statement.
Conmebol and Concacaf announced last month that the opening game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 20, while the final will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.
Reigning Copa América and World Cup champions Argentina, led by Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, have been placed in Group A and will play in the opening game in Atlanta, as well as East Rutherford five days later and Miami Gardens on June 29.
The other locations were announced Monday: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.; Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida; Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas; and a smaller facility in the Kansas City area: Children’s Mercy Park on the Kansas side of the border.
Mexico opens June 22 in Houston, plays four days later in Inglewood and closes the first round on June 30 in Glendale. Brazil top Group D and play in Inglewood on June 24, Las Vegas four days later and Santa Clara on July 2.
Eleven of the venues are primarily known as NFL stadiums, ranging from the 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium to the 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium. The other three – the 25,500-seat Exploria Stadium, the 20,700-seat Q2 Stadium and the 18,500-seat Children’s Mercy Park – are Major League Soccer facilities.
The tournament will expand in 2024, with six teams from North America joining the usual ten nations from South America competing for the continental championship. The format mirrors the Copa América Centenario in 2016, the only time the tournament has previously been played outside South America.
“We will experience an unforgettable Copa América and enjoy the best football in the world in 14 magnificent stadiums,” said Alejandro Dominguez, President of Conmebol.
For the 2024 edition, the Conmebol regulars will be joined by six Concacaf qualifiers. The hosts USA, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama secured their places by winning the quarter-finals of the Nations League, while the final two participants will be determined on March 23 in the playoff games Costa Rica against Honduras and Canada against Trinidad and Tobago.
Each site will host two group round games, with the exception of Charlotte – where the two knockout games will take place – and the two Kansas City stadiums, which will each host one group game.
MetLife Stadium, NRG Stadium, Levi’s Stadium and State Farm Stadium are the only returning stadiums of the ten venues used for the Copa América Centenario, although games are also played in Orlando (Camping World Stadium) and the Los Angeles area (Pasadena’s Rose Bowl). were carried out).
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With the exception of the Centenario tournament, hosting duties at the Copa América usually alternate between the ten Conmebol nations in South America. The agreement called for Ecuador to host in 2024, but the country withdrew due to security concerns. The US stepped in to fill the gap as part of a new partnership between Conmebol and Concacaf.
Eight of the 14 Copa América stadiums have already been confirmed as venues for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada. These are: MetLife Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Levi’s Stadium, SoFi Stadium, AT&T Stadium, NRG Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium.
Some of these venues could also be in the running for another major tournament to be played in the United States in 2025 – the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
Montagliani said staging two major competitions before the World Cup would “cement our region as a global center for football”.
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