The Western Hemisphere’s mini-World Cup kicks off in the United States on Thursday, stretching from coast to coast and attracting television audiences across the Americas, showcasing megastars like Lionel Messi as well as vibrant Latin talent.
But one of the core questions is: Will ordinary fans in the host country be interested?
Millions of Mexican-Americans, Colombian-Americans, Argentinian-Americans, Venezuelan-Americans and others will be cheering for the Copa America, which, as many of them know, is perhaps the most competitive men’s international soccer tournament in the four years between World Cups.
But the 2024 Copa America in particular will be a novelty for a country with little familiarity with the event.
So, here I would like to attempt to educate you about the basics, history, issues and driving forces behind this unique event.
What is the Copa America?
Copa America is the South American men’s football championship, a century-old tournament featuring the continent’s 10 national teams (and other teams, too).
Its frequency, size and format have changed over the years: it is now a quadrennial tournament, similar to the Euros, held in the even-numbered summer between the men’s World Cups.
Typically 12 teams participate, with two invited from other continents, but in 2024 it will be temporarily expanded to 16 teams – more on that below.
Is the Copa America a big event?
In South America, perhaps the most soccer-mad continent on earth, it’s a big deal: historic, prestigious, highly anticipated, fiercely contested and festive. For years, the event has been .
Outside the Americas, soccer is not as popular. Soccer’s global influence is small compared to that of European soccer, the Euros. However, that is mainly due to the economic power of Western Europe and their willingness and enthusiasm to commercialize and market soccer.
In essence, the two tournaments are comparable: it’s soccer’s biggest tournament outside the World Cup, the hardest to win, the most lucrative and the most highly-regarded, and this year’s Copa America is, in some ways, even bigger.
Why and how will this Copa America be different, and who will be taking part?
CONMEBOL, the North-Central American version of the South American Football Confederation (comprised of 10 countries), is struggling to find a satisfactory South American host country.
CONCACAF will help stage the 2024 tournament in the United States and in return will receive six of the 16 qualifying spots.
Thus, the men’s national teams of the United States, Mexico, Canada, Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica will join the existing 10 countries of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia.
Who do you think will win?
Argentina is the favorite to win.
But wait a second, then why is the 2024 Copa America being held in the US?
The Copa America usually rotates hosts from one South American country to the next – for example, from 1989 to 2011, each of the 10 CONMEBOL member countries hosted the tournament once.
But in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and political uncertainty have disrupted the rotation, leaving organizers scrambling to find a replacement — first Brazil and now the United States.
2024 was supposed to be Ecuador’s turn, but the country abdicated responsibility, citing security and infrastructure concerns. “We are not ready to host the Copa America,” Francisco Egas, president of the country’s football federation, said in November 2022. So, with less than two years to go until the tournament, CONMEBOL was unsure where the 2024 championship would be held.
Brazil, the largest, wealthiest and most capable representative, seemed willing and able to host, but they have also hosted the past two Copa Americas: first in 2019, in line with the normal rotation, and the next in 2021, after Colombia and Argentina backed out at the last minute.
So, driven by necessity but also by economic and political interests, CONMEBOL leaders turned to the U.S. Talks accelerated with the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and a deal was reached and announced in early 2023.
Isn’t the Copa America already happening in the US?
Yes, but that was something more innovative: the “Centenario” edition, which took place just once in 2016. moved For the U.S., the tournament was originally created by the U.S. Soccer Federation in partnership with CONMEBOL as a way to make money and as a chance to showcase the U.S. men’s national team against elite opponents, a year after the regularly scheduled 2015 Copa America.
But in reality, the 2016 and 2024 tournaments will be very similar: same format, same six host cities, same 15 of the 16 teams.
What did you think of the 2016 Copa America Centenario?
The tournament was a moderate success: Chile beat Argentina in a glamorous but brutal final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey; 1.48 million tickets were sold, at an average of about 46,000 per game; and the tournament generated “a one-time profit of about $80 million” for the U.S. Soccer Federation, according to then-Vice President Carlos Cordeiro.
Are fans excited about the 2024 Copa America?
That’s a complicated question.
South American fans are always excited about the Copa America, but some are not happy that their crown jewels have once again been sent to North America.
In North America, there seems to be excitement among those who understand the importance and significance of the tournament, but many non-Latinos, both in and outside of U.S. soccer, feel the tournament is not being promoted well enough and may not find success in the crowded U.S. sports world.
CONMEBOL’s commercial chief Juan Emilio Roa told Yahoo Sports that around 25-30% of fans attending matches will be travelling from South America, with most of the rest expected to be US residents.
How are Copa America ticket sales going?
Lore told Yahoo Sports on June 7 that just over 1 million tickets will be sold, or 31,000 per game, which equates to roughly 50% of capacity for all games, most of which will be played in NFL stadiums.
Naturally, tickets for games featuring teams like Argentina and Mexico are close to selling out or have already sold out, but tickets for other matches may remain fairly available.
How do I buy Copa America tickets?
by finding the stadium or match you want and paying a high price.
One reason roughly 50 percent of tickets remain unsold is that the prices are prohibitive for many. A single ticket for the penultimate row of the upper tier for the opening match between Argentina and Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta costs $307 as of this writing. A standard 200-level ticket for the match between Peru and Chile the following day at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, costs $208. The average ticket price for the entire tournament is $283, according to Vivid Seats.
Why are the tickets so expensive?
It’s unclear who exactly is to blame for the exorbitant pricing.
Roa confirmed that these are based on a “dynamic pricing” model commonly used by American ticket brokers such as Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
In a standard Copa America in South America, CONMEBOL would have complete control over every aspect of the match-day experience, including ticket sales. But here, they’ve had to work with a variety of different stakeholders (and capitalists) on a stadium-by-stadium, city-by-city basis. Rather than selling tickets on a single platform, they’ve essentially delegated that task to each venue. Some use Ticketmaster, some use SeatGeek.
The complexity and somewhat last-minute nature of these arrangements has presented challenges, which is probably why tickets did not go on sale until late February.
When and where will the match take place?
These will be spread across 14 different cities across the United States, with each city hosting up to three matches.
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So, will the Copa America be enjoyable and successful?
Some of the games, especially in the Finals, should be great, but the matches between big-name but low-profile teams in big NFL stadiums will feel a little soulless.
The tournament as a whole will struggle to differentiate itself from all the other high-level soccer being played in the United States this decade, but for CONMEBOL, it will almost certainly be a financial success.
“The North American market is a great market in every way: viewership, sponsorship, exposure,” Roa said. The inclusion of Mexico’s national team could bring in millions of dollars in revenue for CONMEBOL.
“And certainly with Argentina and Leo Messi playing in the Copa America, interest around the world has increased,” Roa added.
“We will contact you by phone, email, [commercial] Agents from around the world contact CONMEBOL directly, Everything“They’re more interested in the United States than they ever were before,” Lore said. “Everything that happens in the United States is another story.”