The 2024 edition of the Copa America will be played in the United States, with North American nations to feature in the competition.
The Copa America is an international tournament formerly known as the South American Football Championship, but it will now be opened up to North American sides after an agreement was reached on Friday. CONMEBOL and Concacaf has signed a strategic collaboration agreement to strengthen and develop football in both regions.
The United States are already co-hosting the World Cup in 2026, with Canada and Mexico also part of the bid. And now the United States will be able to prepare in the best way before welcoming the rest of the world.
As part of this agreement, the men's Copa America competition will be opened up to the north, while the women's Gold Cup will also invite sides from South America. A new club competition will also be created, in which the top two teams from the CONMEBOL and Concacaf regions will qualify.
Until now, the majority of their international tournaments have been serperated by the continents, but the collaborative agreement will see the best from both areas compete. For the Copa America, there will be 16 teams involved in 2024.
Ten of those will be from South America, while six guest sides will be invited from the North American Concacaf rankings. Those from North America will qualify for the tournament through the Concacaf Nations League, that runs through 2023/24.
For the women's Gold Cup, the inaugural competition will see 12 teams compete, eight of those coming from North America while four will be invited from South America. The four guest teams that will participate have been determined based on the results of the 2022 Women’s Copa America: Brazil (champion) Colombia (runner-up), Argentina (third place) and Paraguay (fourth place).
The agreement will benefit both associations, but it'll be huge for the United States, Canada and Mexico who will all be looking to face better quality sides before the 2026 World Cup. An awful lot of money, time and planning has gone into the next World Cup, with the United States keen to become a competitive nation for generations to come.
Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, said: "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. 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.
"We look forward to working together to ensure that football in both regions continues to thrive." And this was backed by Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL.
Dominguez stated: "CONMEBOL and Concacaf are united by historical and affective ties. But above all, we are united by the passion, characteristic of all the Americas, for football and sports.
"We are determined to renew and expand our joint initiatives and projects. We want this passion to translate into more and better competitions and for football and its values to grow and strengthen throughout the hemisphere. Without a doubt, both confederations believe in big, and we will work with this orientation."
