Asuncion (AFP) – South American football confederation CONMEBOL announced on Tuesday that it wants to change its calendar so that the Copa America is held in the same year as the European Championship from 2020.

The Copa America is usually played the year after the World Cup, with the next edition to be hosted by Brazil in 2019.

“I want to make public that we have submitted a request to FIFA to have the Copa America played in even years from 2020,” said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.

As the world’s oldest international football tournament is part of FIFA’s calendar, the sport’s governing body must give the proposal the green light.

The Copa America was held in 2016 as a one-off to celebrate the event’s centenary, when Dominguez proposed to UEFA the possibility of holding a four-team tournament between the Euro and Copa finalists.

That was not possible because of scheduling issues.

Japan and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar have been invited to take part in the 2019 Copa America alongside the South American sides.