US Confirmed as Copa America Centenario Host: Latest Details, Reaction
CONCACAF, the governing body of soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has confirmed the 2016 Copa America Centenario will be hosted by the United States, bringing an end to months of speculation following the outbreak of the ongoing FIFA corruption scandal.
In an official press release, CONCACAF and its South American equivalent, CONMEBOL, announced the news:
"We are extremely happy for our fans, our teams and our partners, that we were able to find a way to host the Copa America Centenario celebration in the United States under an entirely new structure for managing the tournament’s operations and finances. The improved governance structure will bring greater accountability and transparency to the event so it can serve its two intended purposes – to celebrate the 100 years of history of Copa America, and provide a once in a lifetime spectacle for fans in the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL regions.
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As reported by Kyle Lynch of NBC Sports, there were fears the U.S. would back out of hosting the tournament in the wake of the controversy surrounding FIFA, the sport's leading organisation, as a number of officials from both the South American federation and CONCACAF have been named in the investigation.
Per sports journalist Tariq Panja, the U.S. was hesitant to commit to the tournament until the last minute:
Ultimately, the chance to host such a special edition of the Copa America, South America's official championship, proved to be too much of an honor to pass up. The Copa America Centenario will celebrate the 100th year of CONMEBOL and become the first Copa to be held outside South America.
The American Outlaws, one of the U.S. men's national team's biggest supporters, were happy to learn the U.S. didn't change its mind:
The tournament will be a special one-off occasion featuring 16 total teams from both CONMEBOL (10) and CONCACAF (six). With UEFA Euro 2016 set to take place at roughly the same time, fans in the U.S. will effectively be able to watch the best players born west of the Atlantic Ocean during the day before tuning in to watch their European colleagues at night.
