The Copa América could return to the United States in 2028
The oldest national team tournament is preparing a radical shift in its planning that would completely alter the football landscape of the region
The history of the Copa América is about to write an unprecedented chapter after the advanced talks between the top brass of American soccer were revealed . The continent’s top national team tournament is preparing an absolute restructuring that promises to change the competitive dynamic between North and South America .
Various reports and information from the prestigious British newspaper The Times, complemented by what was published in international media outlets such as Excélsior, Sport, OneFootball, Diario La Tribuna, and Reforma, agree that the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and Concacaf are finalizing details to carry out a strategic move with major economic and sporting impact .
The South American bids that originally aspired to host the competition would have been relegated in the face of the strength of the North American proposal . This decision is due to the enormous commercial appeal, cutting-edge infrastructure, and logistical capacity that the region demonstrated in its most recent major events .
Goodbye to South America: the might of the giant from the north
The United States is moving steadily toward formally becoming the host of the tournament for the third time in just 12 years , after having successfully hosted the 2016 and 2024 editions. Bids from countries such as Argentina and Ecuador would reportedly have been dismissed by the South American governing body due to the unmatched financial and operational guarantees ensured by the U.S. market .
The commercial momentum generated after the previous World Cup event represents a decisive factor in organizers choosing to repeat the host venue. In addition, the vast network of state-of-the-art venues makes it possible to ensure massive attendance and multimillion-dollar revenues from television rights and global sponsors.
The repetition of the host country would mark an unusual milestone in the tournament’s more than one hundred years of history , once again shifting the competition outside its territory of origin. The project seeks to consolidate the tournament’s brand globally through packed stadiums and high-definition broadcasts.
Continental megatournament: the format with 20 national teams
The most significant change in the proposal lies in the expansion of the participant quota , moving from the traditional format of 16 nations to a mega-tournament of 20 national teams . This historic expansion would grant a substantially larger number of spots to Concacaf representatives.
Under this innovative format, the 10 CONMEBOL member countries would automatically retain their guaranteed presence . Meanwhile, Concacaf would practically double its usual allocation to reach 10 spots in the competition , granting four additional berths compared to previous tournaments.
To determine the companions of regional powers such as Mexico and the host U.S. team itself, Concacaf would use the Nations League framework or a special qualifying process . Sources close to the negotiations even indicate that the inclusion of invited national teams from other confederations around the world is not ruled out in order to raise the event's media profile.
The calendar puzzle and the clash with the Olympic Games
One of the major logistical engineering challenges facing the organizers is the timing overlap with the Los Angeles Olympic Games . The Olympic event will begin in mid-July, which makes it necessary to draw up an extremely rigorous geographical roadmap to avoid operational collapse .
The main strategy consists of concentrating the vast majority of the Copa América matches in venues located on the U.S. East Coast , such as Miami, Orlando, New Jersey, and Atlanta. In this way, the West Coast would remain free for the staging of the Olympic competition without transportation or accommodation interference.
If this ambitious plan is officially ratified in the coming months, soccer will witness an unprecedented event in which numerical parity between both confederations will usher in a new era of sporting rivalry .
