The tournament, an century-old competition between South American teams, will kick off June 20 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Major League Soccer club Atlanta United. The opening match will be played there with 71,000 seats available.
Lionel Messi has joined in this major debate over Brazil’s handling of the Covid crisis and threatened a boycott from his national team, so here is all you need to know.
Origins
Copa America dates back to 1916 when South American football clubs gathered together to form its governing body, first known as the South American Championship and later Campeonato Sudamericano de Futebol. Annual editions took place until 1918 was suspended due to flu outbreak; eventually returning in 1975 under its current moniker.
Since that time, the competition has undergone many alterations; most notably moving dates away from European summer tournaments to avoid clashing. Furthermore, CONMEBOL has explored different methods for structuring this tournament by inviting teams outside its 10 member federations memberships to enter and make up part of its structure.
Brazil are the reigning champions of this tournament, winning it six times overall and four times individually. Uruguay are close behind in success having claimed continental trophies on four separate occasions; more recently Chile emerged as an influential team claiming victory at 2015 tournament.
Format
Contrary to some major soccer tournaments, the Copa America comprises both group stage and knockout rounds. Each of its four groups comprises four teams that each face twice; then the top two finishers advance into quarterfinal matches which feature single elimination matches.
Semi-final and final matches that end in a tie after 90 minutes will proceed into extra time and, if still tied, a penalty shootout. This is because many of the tournament participants have club contracts that keep them busy elsewhere around the globe.
Argentina are pre-selected in Pot 1, alongside Mexico, hosts and reigning CONCACAF Nations League winners USA as well as Brazil – with Canada/T&T/Honduras/Costa Rica duelling it out for two spots to complete this group stage. Meanwhile the eight other Pots will be randomly drawn into one of four group stages.
Hosts
Copa America 2024 will see American cities such as Las Vegas, Arlington and Charlotte play host. The USMNT qualified by winning CONCACAF Nations League qualification; their placement could place them against Brazil or Argentina during group stage play.
Typically, the right to host Copa America rotates among CONMEBOL’s ten member federationss; Ecuador was initially scheduled to be on that rotation in 2024 but they pulled out due to economic and social concerns, leaving Colombia and Peru as alternatives. Both declined the offer while the US were eager to step in due to their prior experience hosting soccer’s biggest event and its associated revenue streams; furthermore they already boast some of the finest stadium infrastructure available worldwide with fans that renowned for rallying behind major events.
Finals
Copa America draws crowds every year as teams from across South America compete to claim continental glory, featuring some of the greatest names from world football as they vie for continental supremacy. Thanks to South America’s Joga Bonito philosophy and world footballers’ affinity for an entertaining match day experience, Copa America continues to draw the biggest names.
In 1916, the inaugural Copa America was held and was held every three to four years until 2007. Since 2007, however, it has been hosted every four years and saw Argentina claim victory after beating hosts Brazil 3-0 in its inaugural final – marking Argentina’s first major trophy win in 28 years and giving Lionel Messi his first senior international trophy sixteen years into his career.
Current Tournament Format The current format of this tournament allows four group winners to qualify automatically while runners-up compete against each other in a play-in round; should both of those wins occur, then they will join four quarter-final losers in the knockout stage. United States advanced through to this play-in round after beating Trinidad and Tobago by an aggregate score of 4-2; Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico will likely also join this pool of hopefuls.