According to Fox Sports MX, the United States will host Copa América 2024 following a CONMEBOL invitation. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Ecuador, but the Ecuadorian Football Federation refused to commit to hosting and eventually absolved itself of the duty in November.
Earlier this week, a number of stories claimed that the United States, Mexico, and Canada were all negotiating to take part in Copa América 2024 as special guests. The most recent report from Fox Sports MX is that all three will now compete. Despite how odd it may seem, North American soccer teams have hosted and participated in South America’s main soccer competition before.
As the first nation outside of South America to have the honor, the United States hosted the Copa América 2016, which commemorated the tournament’s and CONMEBOL’s centennial. Mexico has participated in the competition the most times out of the three North American countries, coming in second in 1993 and 2001. Four times, the United States has competed, reaching as high as fourth place in 1995 and at home in 2016. 2024 would mark Canada’s first tournament appearance.
The USMNT may use its participation in the Copa América 2024 to prepare for a deeper run when it hosts the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world in 2026 after exiting the 2022 World Cup. It would also act as a nice practice run for the host stadiums.
Rox and Ken react to the move and discuss if this should become permanent.
