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How was the host of the Copa America 2024 chosen?

It was expected that Ecuador would host the Copa América 2024 due to the order of CONMEBOL's host rotation. However, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez said at the time that Ecuador had been nominated but had not yet been selected to host the edition. The country declined to host the tournament in November 2022. Interest in hosting the tournament was expressed by Peru and the United States.

On January 27, 2023, it was announced that, as part of a new strategic partnership between CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, the United States will host the tournament with six CONCACAF guest teams qualifying through the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League. The tournament is also a prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the United States is jointly hosting with Canada and Mexico.

Which stadiums hosted the opening match and final of Copa America 2024?

The opening match takeook place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Both venues were announced on November 20, 2023. All other stadiums were announced on December 4, 2023, two weeks after the opening and final venues were confirmed.

Which cities were the Copa America 2024 stadiums located in?

Copa América 2024 was held in 13 cities in the United States. These cities are Arlington (Dallas area), Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, East Rutherford (New York area), Glendale (Phoenix area), Houston, Inglewood (Los Angeles area), Kansas City in both Kansas and Missouri, Miami Gardens (Miami area), Orlando, Paradise (Las Vegas area) and Santa Clara (San Francisco area).

How did the Copa America 2024 group stage draw work?

The group stage draw took place on December 7, 2023 in Miami. The sixteen teams were divided into four groups of four, selecting one team from each of the four ranking pools. For the purposes of the draw, the four Pool 1 teams were pre-selected into their groups, which was determined as follows:

• Reigning Copa América champions Argentina were placed in Group A.

• The reigning CONCACAF Gold Cup champions, Mexico, were seeded in Group B.

• CONCACAF's highest ranked team in the October 2023 FIFA rankings, the United States, have been seeded in Group C.

• Brazil, the next highest ranked CONMEBOL team in the October FIFA 2023 rankings, has been pitched in Group D.

• The remaining 12 teams were set up in pools 2-4 according to their October 2023 world rankings, with places for the 2 CONCACAF participants not yet determined at the time of the draw automatically placed in pool 4.

In the event of a draw, the competition rules stated that no group can contain more than three CONMEBOL teams or more than two CONCACAF teams. If this condition is not met in the draw, the team will be moved to the next available group in alphabetical order.

Who were the favourites to win the Copa America 2024?

Argentina and Brazil were emerging as favourites to win the tournament. Argentina, who recently won the World Cup, was leading the ratings. Brazil, who are always highly motivated in this type of tournament, were also high in the experts' predictions. Both teams have a rich history when it comes to the Copa America, and their form and past performances placed them as top contenders for the title. Other national teams, such as Uruguay, were also in the mix, thanks in part to the reputation of their coach, Marcelo Bielsa. Although the Americans also believed their team will be successful in front of their home crowd, the bookmakers did not give them much of a chance.

How many national teams played at the Copa America 2024?

The Copa América 2024 in the United States included 32 matches played in 13 cities. Sixteen national teams took part in the games: 10 from South America and six qualifiers from countries in the Concacaf zone. The group phase of the tournament runned from June 20 to July 2, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on July 14. Getting down to the point, footballers played at 14 stadiums during the Copa America, and we will now present them all, heading from west to east.

Levi's Stadium

The stadium officially opened on July 17, 2014. Designed by architectural firm HNTB, Levi's Stadium features a multi-purpose design with a focus on fan experience and green technology. It has a seating capacity of 68,500, with the potential to expand to around 75,000 for major events such as the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup. The stadium, located in California, has been the home venue for the NFL team San Francisco 49ers since 2014.

SoFi Stadium

It occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park racetrack and is located near Los Angeles International Airport. Opening in September 2020, SoFi Stadium serves as the joint home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. This makes it one of the few stadiums that is also home to two NFL teams. The stadium is also expected to host games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Allegiant Stadium

Construction of Allegiant Stadium began in November 2017 and took just over 2.5 years to complete, an excellent result for an investment of this scale. It finished on schedule. The stadium has a futuristic, streamlined shape - like a luxury gadget or sports car. Including the backstage area, the stadium has 10 storeys. The venue's external colour scheme is dominated by metallic black and silver.

State Farm Stadium

The stadium is the only one in the US, and one of the few in the world, that not only offers a retractable roof, but also a pitch that extends outwards. Thanks to the platform that extends out under the south stands, the turf can rest in ideal conditions on a daily basis. In the first half of the year alone, as many as 91 events took place here at State Farm Stadium, including American football and football matches or concerts.

Q2 Stadium

In designing the stadium, architects from the Gensler studio were guided by the openness and relaxed atmosphere of Austin, creating spaces with a variety of character within the stadium. Fans have both enclosed facilities on one side and open terraces on the other. Q2 Stadium is, by the way, very airy, but here the main goal was to ensure the best possible ventilation. This is because the MLS league was concerned about playing matches in the summer heat of Texas.

AT&T Stadium

The stadium features a retractable roof and can host concerts, basketball games, rodeos, motocross and more. It replaced Texas Stadium, which was the home of the Cowboys from 1971 to 2008. Called 'Jerry World' and the 'Death Star', it is the NFL's largest stadium in terms of seating capacity, seating 80,000 people, with the ability to expand to approximately 100,000 seats. AT&T Stadium’s record attendance for an NFL regular season game was 105,121 fans in 2009.

NRG Stadium

Completed in 2002 at a cost of $352 million, NRG Stadium has the distinction of being the first NFL facility with a retractable roof, symbolising the combination of innovation and functionality in sports architecture. It has a seating capacity of 72,220, but can be expanded to accommodate larger events. The stadium has also been selected as the venue for the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship and will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Children's Mercy Park

The US women's national team and the Olympic team played their matches here at this cozy venue. Children’s Mercy Park was also the world's first example of a charitable sponsorship deal. The name was donated for six years to the Livestrong foundation fighting cancer. The hosts pledged a sum of no less than $7.5m, depending on the profits made by the arena.

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Construction of Arrowhead Stadium began in 1968, following a $102 million bond issue approved by voters in 1967 for a new sports complex, which was initially to include both a baseball and football stadium with a common movable roof. It is worth noting that it is the largest sports facility in terms of capacity in Missouri. The stadium underwent a significant $375 million renovation in 2010, which allowed it to also become the future host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. It has been the site of college football and other football games.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Since its opening, the stadium has hosted significant events, including the 2018 MLS Cup and Super Bowl LIII in 2019. The stadium is also set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Architecturally, the stadium is famous for its retractable roof, which consists of eight translucent triangular panels that operate on parallel rails and resemble the wings of a bird when opened. Inspired by Rome's Pantheon, the design uses a transparent, lightweight polymer material for the roof, allowing light control and offering views of the Atlanta skyline. Copa America 2024 first match will be held right here at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Exploria Stadium

A new stadium appeared on the horizon with the plan to establish an MLS club in the city. Interestingly, construction of Exploria Stadium began with a capacity of 19,000 spectators in mind, but Orlando City's debut season played at the nearby Citrus Bowl was so popular that a decision was made during construction to build a second level south stand to seat around 25,500. This resulted in a cost increase from $110 million to $155 million.

Hard Rock Stadium

The construction of a venue was the initiative of Miami Dolphins founder Joe Robbie. After years of playing at the Orange Bowl downtown, the club moved north. Here, surrounded by huge car parks, a stadium with two levels of seating for 75,000 spectators was erected in 1987. At the time, its trademark was eight spiral ramps in the corners, leading spectators to the upper stands. Copa America 2024 final will be held right here at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Bank of America Stadium

During its construction, fans were able to purchase private seat license, and the huge interest was one of the factors that led to the Carolina Panthers being included in the NFL league. Upgraded between 2014 and 2016, Bank of America Stadium currently has 153 luxury boxes. The screens and six small domes above each of the venue's main gates have also been replaced.

MetLife Stadium

Opened in 2010 as a replacement for Giants Stadium, it became the most expensive stadium built in the United States at the time with a cost of approximately $1.6 billion. It serves as home to both the New York Giants and the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL), making it one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two teams. MetLife Stadium was a venue for Super Bowl XLVIII and is expected to host multiple games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

What does Copa América 2024 stadiums look like?

The course of the Copa América 2024

Held for the second time in the United States, the Copa América tournament was won by the Argentine national team, which won the trophy for the 16th time in history, one victory ahead of Uruguay and thus setting a new record. It was another triumph for Leo Messi and company, after winning the previous edition of the Copa América (2021) and also the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In the final, the Argentines faced Colombia, which was very strong at this tournament. The Albiceleste tipped the scales of victory to their side only in overtime, after a goal by Lautaro Martínez.

The grand finale played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will be remembered for a number of unusual situations: a number of fans who did not have tickets broke into the stadium, and incidents caused the start of the match to be delayed by 82 minutes.  Among those arrested in connection with the riots was the president of the Colombian football federation. Also, due to Shakira's performance, the break between the first and second half was extended from 15 to 26 minutes.

All tournament matches

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

3rd place game

Final