Copa America returns to USA for 48th edition
Published
In 2016, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the tournament, CONMEBOL held Copa América Centenario in the United States, the first time the competition ever took place outside of South America.
Now CONMEBOL, as part of a strategic partnership with CONCACAF, will once again stage the Copa América, this time the 48th edition, in the USA.
The host nation has won two of the last four times in this competition, with Brazil capturing the title in 2019 and Chile emerging victorious in 2015.
The 2021 Copa América was originally awarded to Argentina and Colombia for 2020, however the tournament was postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and both hosts were eventually dropped.
The tournament was moved to Brazil, who hosted as defending champions, but were defeated by Argentina in the final.
The United States opened the 2016 competition at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California and were defeated 2-0 by Columbia.
However, thanks to victories over Costa Rica and Paraguay, they would top Group A and advance to the knockout round.
They would score a 2-1 win over Ecuador in the quarterfinals, before their run at the tournament would end at the hands of Argentina in a 4-0 loss at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Chile would capture the US-hosted Copa América Centenario, defeating Argentina on penalties, after the nations played to scoreless draw AET.
THE VENUES
In total, 14 stadiums will be used throughout the United States of America to hold the 2024 Copa America.
The final will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a venue that has hosted six Super Bowls and WrestleMania XXVIII.
In 2016, the championship game was staged at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
This time the home of both the New York Giants and Jets of the NFL will hold one of the semifinal matches.
The other semifinal, as well as the third-place game, will be played at Bank of America Stadium, the home of Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer.
Four additional MLS stadiums will be used for the competition: Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium, Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium and Sporting Kansas City’s Children's Mercy Park.
The remaining stadiums are all home to teams in the NFL, with no current professional soccer tenants:
Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs’ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, San Francisco 49ers’ Levi's Stadium
Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium, Los Angeles Rams/Chargers’ SoFi Stadium and the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium.
THE HOSTS
The United States enter the Copa America on home soil as the sixth favourite to capture the tournament, behind defending champion Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Colombia.
The Americans were not granted an automatic berth to Copa America and qualified by reaching the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League, a competition which they won thanks to a 2-0 victory over Mexico at AT&T Stadium.
Prior to that, their last two major tournament efforts were not quite as successful.
At the 2023 Gold Cup, they were upset by Panama in a semifinal shootout at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, failing to reach the final of the CONCACAF tournament for the first time since 2015.
USA finished second in Group B at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, advancing to the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Iran after draws with Wales and England.
They were eliminated in the Round of 16 thanks to a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Netherlands.
Gregg Berhalter will lead the USA into the Copa America, in his second stint as the national team’s head coach.
He was the man in charge during the 2022 World Cup, but was not retained when his contract expired at the end of the year.
After B.J. Callaghan coached the US at the Gold Cup, Berhalter was rehired to take the program through the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.