United States to host 2024 Copa América soccer tournament

Jan. 27—The United States will host the 2024 edition of the Copa América soccer tournament, the championship for South American national teams, giving the U.S. men's soccer team and other North American nations a huge boost on the road to the 2026 World Cup.

It will be the first time the event has come here since 2016, when the U.S. hosted a special centennial edition of the tournament. That wasn't just the first time it was played in the U.S., it was the first time it was played anywhere outside South America.

Last November, scheduled 2024 host Ecuador's government said the country wouldn't be able to host. That set off immediate speculation about where the tournament could move to, and within weeks the U.S. was floated as a candidate. The three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — won't have to qualify for the tournament, significantly reducing the number of games that matter before the tournament.

Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson told the Inquirer that he'd been in meetings in Miami, where Concacaf is headquartered, and hinted that this was why.

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"We've been working on this for quite some time to ensure that our team is playing against really good opponents consistently and in environments that that are competitive," he said.

Batson praised Concacaf for being "really, really good partners" in tackling "the challenges that Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. have in terms of competitive environments for the next three-and-a-half years."

As was the case in 2016, the 2024 event will have an expanded field: the 10 teams of the South American confederation and six teams from Concacaf, which covers North and Central America. Concacaf's initial statement said its six teams will qualify through the 2023-24 edition of its Nations League tournament, which is expected to start in the fall.

A Concacaf spokesperson told The Inquirer that the U.S. will not get in automatically as host; it will have to qualify like every other team from this region.

There were 10 host cities in 2016, including Philadelphia. We'll see how many get to host this time, and how many of the 12 U.S. cities that will host 2026 World Cup games — Philadelphia is one of them — are included.

Fox Sports will have the English broadcast rights, and it's not clear yet who has the Spanish rights. Univision aired the last Copa América in 2021, won by Lionel Messi's Argentina.

"This is a partnership to support the ongoing growth of men's and women's football in Concacaf and CONMEBOL, and will truly be of mutual benefit to both confederations," Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said in a statement. "Working hand in hand with CONMEBOL, we will deliver elite competitions that will provide more opportunities for our federations, and that we know passionate fans want to see."

The joint Copa América isn't the only tournament announced in this deal. There's a women's soccer event too. Concacaf's 2024 women's Gold Cup, which the United States will host, will welcome the top four teams from the 2022 women's Copa América: Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. The first three of those will be at this summer's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

With the Paris Olympics on the 2024 women's soccer calendar in late July and early August, it's likely that the Gold Cup will be in early summer. There will be 12 teams involved. The U.S. has already qualified by winning last year's Concacaf women's championship. The other seven slots will be filled through playoffs that start this fall.

Lastly, there will be a men's club "Final Four"-style tournament in 2024 with two top teams from each confederation, played at a central location. Officials hope it will be an annual event. Concacaf will send its Champions League finalists; CONMEBOL hasn't finalized its plan yet.

The time of year for the event isn't set yet, nor is the timing of qualification. So for example, we don't know if this year's Champions League finalists or next year's would make the 2024 showcase. If it turns out that this year's finalists would qualify, then the Union could be one of those teams. They're in the 16-club field, with the tournament set to start on March 7.

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