What to look forward to with Copa America coming to the United States in 2024: A list of star-studded players and World Cup preparations. On Friday, CONCACAF and COMEBOL awarded Copa America 2024 to the United States, the first time the country hosts this tournament since 2016. This followed the news that Ecuador backed out of the bidding due to conflicts in the country. Ten COMEBOL teams and six guest teams from CONCACAF will participate in the tournament.
The partnership with CONCACAF and COMEBOL may continue beyond 2024. There’s a planned tournament in the works of two of the best club teams from each confederation to battle for the best in the Americas. This is still in the works with the completion plan for 2024. CONCACAF has already developed a new competition with MLS and Liga MX joining for the League Cup, starting this summer.
The tournament will headline reigning World Cup winners Argentina, who are also current Copa America champions. This is potentially Lionel Messi’s last major international tournament as many will want to see the Argentinian play live. He’ll also help bring a surplus of ticket sales, as this plans to be the largest soccer tournaments before 2026.
They will also be accompanied by their South American rival Brazil. The Brazilians will be out for vengeance after a disappointing exit at the World Cup in Qatar this past winter. Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador will also be featured in the tournament, who are expected to bring on big crowds. The USMNT are also a shoe-into qualify, since they are the host nation. In Copa America Centenario, the Americans had a fantastic run with a fourth-place finish, higher than Brazil and Uruguay.
What it means for soccer in the United States?
This tournament will be a preparation for the World Cup that will be held in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. Despite the venues for the Copa America unknown for now, it should be held in the same cities as the World Cup. This will prepare fan attraction to the venues in anticipation of the matches. Also, it will give the World Cup hosting stadiums an idea of the number of fans that will attend the matches and if any renovations are necessary before 2026.
AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, is already planning to make renovation before 2026. The spectacular stadium usually fits around 80,000 people, however it can fit a maximum of 105,000 fans. Several fans from all around the Americas will travel to support their nation in one of the most anticipated Copa America tournaments yet, giving the United States an opportunity to get a glimpse of what to expect come 2026.
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