1 USA’S DRESS REHEARSAL
When Ecuador pulled out of a plan to host this summer’s competition at the end of 2022, barely an eyebrow was raised.
Copa America hosting duties are seldom straightforward, with changes more normal than a Uruguayan slurping some mate. The previous edition, held in Brazil in 2021, was initially scheduled to take place in Colombia and Argentina a year earlier, before COVID fears redirected proceedings. The 2019 extravaganza was supposed to be in Chile, but also ended up in Brazil, while the 2015 tournament was due to be hosted by Brazil, but switched to Chile. Got it? Good.
What irked many this time was Ecuador’s replacement: the USA. Critics claimed the decision – which means the hosts, plus fellow CONCACAF members Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica and Canada, join the fun – minimises the 108-year-old competition’s prestige. Some even sarcastically labelled this year’s event the ‘Copa Panamericana’.
On the flip side, it does represent a 2026 World Cup dress rehearsal – to be played across the USA, Canada and Mexico. The States has staged the Copa America once before, a special centenary edition in 2016,
