US to host Copa America 2024 with Concacaf participation
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A berth in the 2024 Copa America could be on the cards for Canada.
Concacaf and CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, announced a new partnership on Friday that includes Concacaf's participation in the 2024 Copa America, which will be held in the United States.
“CONMEBOL and Concacaf are united by historical and affective ties," CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said in a statement. "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.”
The 2024 version of the tournament will include 10 CONMEBOL teams and the six best teams from Concacaf. Qualification for the Copa America for the Concacaf sides will be through the 2023-2024 Concacaf Nations League. Participation in the Copa America would likely represent the stiffest competition faced by Canada, the United States and Mexico ahead of their co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Also as part of the agreement, Concacaf has invited the top four teams from CONMEBOL to participate in the 2024 W Gold Cup, which will be the first women's iteration of the tournament. The tourney will also be played in the United States and feature 12 teams. The two Concacaf teams that qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics - the already qualified USWNT and Jamaica or Canada - will receive byes into the W Gold Cup with the remainder of the field determined by 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifying. The four CONMEBOL teams have been determined by the 2022 Women's Copa America finish with Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay securing places.
“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. "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.”
A "Final Four"-style club competition is also set to take place with two club teams from each confederation meeting with qualification coming through existing CONMEBOL and Concacaf club competitions. The targeted date for this new series is 2024.
Argentina won the last edition of the Copa America in 2021.