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CONMENBOL and Concacaf have signed a strategic agreement that will impact the national teams as well as club teams in both federations. The 2024 Copa America will be played in the United States. This international tournament will offer time to prepare for the 2026 World Cup which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The United States last hosted Copa America in 2016.
In that Copa America tournament, 16 teams will take part as well as 6 Concacaf guest teams which will qualify through the 2023/24 Nations League tournament. There are four groups in the Nations League, so it’s unknown how the six will be determined at this time but it provides an extra incentive to win the tournament. The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will also be expanding.
Including 12 teams, and taking place in the United States, the W Gold Cup has eight Concacaf teams and four Comenbol teams participate. Two Concacaf slots will be given to Olympic participants while the other six slots will be determined via the road to the Concacaf W Gold Cup. The Comenbol teams will be determined from the 2022 Women’s Copa America. The teams that are confirmed for participation in this tournament is the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay.
One of Jamaica or Canada will also qualify automatically depending on which one makes the Olympics after a playoff match.
Finally, a new club competition will also be introduced beginning in 2024. This competition will include two men’s teams from each federation playing in a final four to earn the title as the best team in the Americas. Clubs will qualify for these through existing competitions. This will offer more club competition among teams in each federation as at the moment, the only time they potentially meet is at the Club World Cup.
It’s an exciting time for the federation even with the upheaval within the United States leadership hierarchy that will give all the teams in Concacaf and COMENBOL stronger opposition to prepare for the World Cup.
