With the 2015 Copa America already scheduled to take place in Chile, the CONMEBOL decided officially that it wasn't enough of a money grab. A tournament on U.S. soil, however, would be.
That's exactly what was announced on Thursday in a press conference held by CONCACAF and CONMEBOL in Miami. The tournament will officially be recognized as the Copa America Centenario—which translates to centennial.
Though originally organized with 10 nations from the South American region, the Copa America Centenario will have the added bonus of six national teams from CONCACAF. The format to determine those six participants are as follows: The U.S. men's national team and Mexico are automatically guaranteed a spot. The champions of the 2014 Caribbean Cup and the 2014 Copa Centroamericana will also automatically qualify for the tournament. The remaining places will be allocated to team's with the best finish in the 2015 Gold Cup.
According to CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, determining the host cities for the Copa America will be a process. Obvious contenders early in the process are the key markets in the United States, Miami, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
CONCACAF Prez Jeffrey Webb says determining host cities for 2016 Copa America "will be a process". #2016CopaAmerica
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) May 1, 2014
CONCACAF pres Webb says June 3-June 26 will be when the Copa America Centenario tournament will be held. Cities not yet determined. — Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) May 1, 2014
The tournament is expected to run from June 3 - June 26. That, however, will conflict with another prestigious tournament, with the 2016 Euro Cup scheduled to run from June 10 - July 10. Two competitions will simultaneously display the talents of the two most celebrated regions in world football. Even with the 2014 World Cup rapidly approaching, soccer fans will have plenty to look forward to once it concludes.
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