The U.S. men’s national team will have an opportunity to play in Copa America prior to the 2026 World Cup.
In fact, the USA will host the prestigious South American tournament next year.
CONMEBOL and Concacaf announced the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement, it was announced on Friday morning.
The agreement included men’s and women’s national team competitions and a new men’s club tournament.
The CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 will be played in the United States, in the summer of 2024, and will include 10 CONMEBOL teams and the six best Concacaf teams, as guests. This traditional CONMEBOL tournament will be co-organized by both confederations.
The six Concacaf national teams will have the opportunity to qualify for this competition through the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League.
For CONMEBOL, this agreement will support its men’s national teams in their preparation for the upcoming World Cup through an expanded Copa America.
The USA, Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup.
This agreement also will allow Concacaf to provide more high-quality competition for its men’s national teams over the next two years, including the conclusion of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League, the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League.
For women’s national teams, Concacaf has invited the top four CONMEBOL national teams to participate in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The inaugural edition of this 12-team tournament, which is a key part of Concacaf’s new women’s national team ecosystem, also will be held in the United States.
The two Concacaf teams that will participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics (United States and Jamaica or Canada) will qualify directly for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The remaining six Concacaf teams will be determined through the 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup.
The four guest CONMEBOL 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).
CONMEBOL and Concacaf will also organize a centralized “final four” style club competition featuring the best clubs from the respective confederations. The four participating teams (two from each confederation) will qualify through existing CONMEBOL and Concacaf club competitions and the two confederations are working towards the first edition of this tournament being played in 2024.
“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,” CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said in a statement. “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.”
Added Concacaf president Victor Montagliani 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.”
