CONMEBOL-Concacaf deal to boost-develop soccer

Article posted by Coliseum, February 6^th, 2023

Image: CONMELOL and Concacaf

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) recently announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen and develop football in both the regions. The agreement includes women’s and men’s national team competitions and a new club tournament.

‘CONMEBOL’ stated that the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 will be played in the United States in the Summer of 2024 and will include the 10 CONMEBOL teams and the six best Concacaf teams as guests. This traditional CONMEBOL tournament will be co-hosted by both the confederations.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción (capital of Paraguay).

Miami, Florida (US)-based the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as Concacaf, is one of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies for association football.

The Copa América or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, is the top men’s football tournament contested among national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world.

The 2024 Copa América will be the 48^th edition of the Copa América, the quadrennial international men’s association football championship organized by South America’s football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament will be held in the United States in June 2024 and will be co-organized by Concacaf.

‘CONMEBOL’ further stated that the Concacaf countries will have the opportunity to qualify for this competition through the Concacaf Nations League 2023-2024.

The Concacaf Nations League is an international association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member-associations of Concacaf, the regional governing body of North America.

For CONMEBOL, the above agreement will support the men’s national teams in their preparation for the next World Cup through an expanded Copa América with six elite Concacaf teams based in the region that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 23^rd FIFA World Cup™, the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member-associations of FIFA. The tournament will be jointly hosted by 16 Cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. The United States will host 60 matches, including every match from the quarterfinals onward, while neighboring Canada and Mexico will each host 10 matches, making a total of 80 matches. It will be held from June 8^th-July 3^rd, 2026.

In turn, Concacaf will be in a position to provide a very high quality competition for its national men’s teams in the next two years, including the conclusion of the Concacaf Nations League 2022-2023, Concacaf Gold Cup 2023 and the Concacaf Nations League 2023-2024.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men’s national football teams governed by Concacaf, determining the continental champion of North America, which includes Central America and the Caribbean. The Gold Cup is held every two years.

For the women’s national teams, Concacaf has invited the top four CONMEBOL women’s national teams to participate in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup (international women’s football competition). The inaugural edition of this tournament will be played in the United States. The 12-team competition is a key part of Concacaf’s new women’s national team competition calendar.

The two Concacaf teams participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics (USA and Jamaica or Canada) will receive a direct berth to the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The remaining six Concacaf teams will be determined through the 2023 Concacaf W Qualifiers.

The 2024 Summer Olympics, commonly known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multisport event that is scheduled to take place from July 26^th to August 11^th, 2024 with Paris as its main host City and 16 Cities spread across Metropolitan France and one in Tahiti – an island within the French overseas country and overseas collectivity of French Polynesia – as a subsite.

The four CONMEBOL invited teams that will participate were determined based on the results of the 2022 Copa América Femenina (international women’s football championship in South America): Brazil (champion), Colombia (runner-up), Argentina (third place), and Paraguay (fourth place).

The CONMEBOL and Concacaf will also organize a centralized competition of clubs in the ‘Final Four’ style, involving the best clubs of the respective confederations. The four participating teams (two from each confederation) will qualify through the existing CONMEBOL and Concacaf club competitions and the two confederations are working towards having the first edition of this tournament played in 2024.

As regards the important agreement, CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez stated, “The CONMEBOL and Concacaf are united by historic and emotional bonds. But most of all, we are united by a passion for football and the sport that is characteristic of all of America. We are determined to renew and expand our joint initiatives and projects. We want this passion to translate into more and better competitions and for football and its values to grow and strengthen throughout the hemisphere. Undoubtedly, both confederations ‘Believe Always’ and we will work with this orientation.”

Added Victor Montagliani, President of Concacaf, “This partnership aims to support the continued growth of men’s and women’s football in Concacaf and CONMEBOL, and will truly be of mutual benefit to both the confederations. Working together with CONMEBOL we will deliver elite competitions that will provide more opportunities for our federations and that we know fans want to see. We will work together to ensure that football in both the regions continues to thrive.”

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