One of the biggest tournaments in the world is coming to the USA. Summer 2024 will bring Copa America back to the States for the second time in eight years after the 2016 Centenario edition was held here. But when exactly is Copa America? Here are the key dates you need to know.
When does Copa America start?
Things kick off on Thursday, June 20th in Atlanta, GA when Argentina takes on the winner of the CONCACAF playoff, either Canada or Trinidad & Tobago.
The group stage rolls on, through Tuesday, July 2nd, with the final game set for Q2 Stadium in Austin. The winner of the Costa Rica/Honduras playoff will play Paraguay in the final group match.
From there, the eight-team knockout phase begins.
The quarterfinals will take place from July 4-5. These games will be held in Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
The semifinals head to East Rutherford, NJ on July 9 and Charlotte, NC the following day.
Finally, the third-place game will take place on Saturday, July 13, with one of the semifinal losers staying in Charlotte. Everything wraps up with the final from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday, July 14.
Game times for the entire tournament range from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET, making for convenient primetime viewing. As a bonus for soccer fans, many game days will feature Euro 2024 matches during the morning and/or afternoon, providing for a full day of great soccer action.
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How often is Copa America?
Currently, Copa America is set on a quadrennial – or every four years – schedule. This puts it right in the middle of the FIFA World Cup cycle and at the same time as the UEFA Euro competition. But that hasn’t always been the case.
In fact, the last Copa America was supposed to be in 2020 but was pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to that, Brazil hosted in 2019, just three years after the 2016 Centenario tournament which itself was held the year after Chile 2015.
Chile won both of their Copa America titles in back-to-back years in an unusual scheduling quirk.
Pre-2011, the competition was held inconsistently. Sometimes every three years, sometimes every two, sometimes four. The competition was actually played every year from 1912-1929. Then, it wasn’t played again until 1935.
Thankfully, a regular scheduling rotation will be used going forward.
That means in 2028, we can look forward to the next edition of this wonderful competition.
Photos: Imago.
