Copa America 2023-24: United States to host the tournament With a New Format: The 2023-24 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, set to commence in September 2023, will feature an expanded League A with 16 teams, serving as the qualifying process for the Copa America 2023-24 to be held in the United States.
Changed Format for Copa America 2023-24
The tournament will see the 12 lowest-ranked teams in League A divided into two groups of six teams each, with every team playing four games (two home and two away). The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals, where they will be joined by the four highest-ranked teams in League A based on the FIFA rankings in March 2023, which includes Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States.
The quarterfinals will be played over two legs, and the winners will automatically qualify for both the CONCACAF finals and the Copa America 2023-24. The four losing teams will then participate in play-in games to determine the two remaining qualifiers for the Copa America.
USA to Host the Copa America 2023-24
Initially, Ecuador was expected to host the Copa America 2023-24 as per the host rotation order in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). However, according to the CONMEBOL president, Alejandro DomÃnguez, Ecuador had only been nominated but not yet officially selected to host the competition.
In November 2022, Ecuador declined to host the tournament, which led to the search for a new host country. As of now, there has been no official announcement regarding the new host country for Copa America 2023-24.
On January 27, 2023, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL announced a strategic partnership, according to which the United States will host the Copa America 2023-24. This decision was made after both Peru and the USA expressed interest in hosting the tournament, and Ecuador declined to host it.
The joint decision to hold the Copa America 2023-24 in the US is seen as a strategic move to test the country’s readiness for hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is set to be an exciting event for soccer fans, featuring some of the best teams from South America and the CONCACAF region.
Argentina is set to defend their title in the upcoming Copa America 2023-24 tournament, having won the previous edition in 2021 which was held in Brazil. In the finals, they defeated the hosts, who were the runners-up, with a score of 1-0 to lift the trophy. Colombia secured the third spot by beating Peru 3-2, and their players celebrated with great enthusiasm during the medal ceremony.
The Copa America 2023-24 will follow a format featuring 16 teams, with 10 coming from CONMEBOL and 6 from CONCACAF. The North American, Central American, and Caribbean confederations will qualify their teams through the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League tournament.
Although the official list of host stadiums has not yet been announced, talks are reportedly underway with several potential venues in the United States. Some sources speculate that the tournament may be held in stadiums that are slated to host the 2026 World Cup as well.
While all South American national teams participate in the Copa America 2023-24, guest countries have also been invited to participate historically. The United States has been invited to the tournament four times in the past, with their most recent appearance in 2016, where they reached the semi-finals.
This edition of the tournament was also held in the United States, marking a historic moment as it was the first time the cup was hosted outside South America. The 2016 tournament was a celebration of CONMEBOL and Copa America 2023-24’s centenary.
