2016 Copa América Centenario: Confirmed & Added to FIFA Calendar [R]

A couple of sticking points I can see for this happening:

1)FIFA will almost certainly want a scrapping of the single table World Cup qualifying in CONMEBOL to give the go ahead for the tournament to happen. The clubs will lobby hard for this. They hate the single table anyway, this tournament would give them an excuse to abolish it.

2)It will kill football at the Olympics in Rio. Not sure whether that is a pro or con from FIFA's perspective, as they don't like the IOC much, and men's football was already a joke of a competition at the London Olympics.

3)CONCACAF has repeatedly stated that they want a joint partnership on this, and don't want to be guest teams in a CONMEBOL competition. Jeff Webb speaking about the subject says that significant progress has been made in this regard.

 

Why? Because we won it and you weren't in it?

 

I'm a bit worried about teams sending U23 squads in for Olympic prep.

 

Compared to other sports football is quite well organized globally, and I don't have an issue with associations switching confederations as long as it makes some kind of sense geographically. I don't blame Australia for joining Asia. It was a definite switch with no open ends. You can not compare that to Mexico for example who tries to have one foot in each confederation. You can't have it all, a nearly guaranteed spot in the World Cup and access to the second most prestigious continental championship. All benefits with no downsides. It just doesn't sit right with me.

I understand why Mexico and the US pursue this option. I understand why CONMEBOL gives Mexico a standing invitation but I don't have to agree with it. I say do it right and personally favour an endgame of four strong confederations under FIFA. Europe, Africa, Pan-Americas and Asia-Pacific. No more OFC that has been kept alive due to heavy FIFA subsidies. No more CONCACAF with a very low ceiling for growth.

CONMEBOL did just fine without invitations before 1993. I would be interested to hear how South American posters feel about the constant presence of outsiders and this 2016 Copa being played outside South America.

 

Because it's basically a glorified U-23 World Cup.

They're still playing the 2015 Copa America in Chile.

 

One thing for certain.
If anyone could be called as an "outsider" here in this stupid joke of a tournament, those would be precisely each and every one of the Conmebol teams.

I really hope, that FIFA never includes it in the official international date calendar, so teams play it only with their locally based players, and to have it as a "one time issue tournament" in order to not have any other similar ones for the future.

Copa America, should always be restricted to "only" Conmebol teams (no invited teams in it). If North or Central American teams want to be a part of Conmebol, well they would be very welcomed to join in (I sincerely wish there would be only one confed for our American continents), and once they become fully Conmebol members, they can take part in each of our tournaments with the same privilege's and associated "risks" as every other member here, has.
But, to take part only as a "guest" , ............... NEVER again

 

Apparently this is on the agenda again:
http://www.beinsports.tv/news/artic...0/title/copa-america-centenario-coming-to-usa

Here's hoping FIFA doesn't add this money grab to its calendar.

 

I hope they do add it, at least this one time.

 

Mexico's success in CA had indeed improved its prestige a great deal, much more than the Gold Cup could ever offer. I honestly can't imagine what it would've been like if they never participated. I think the majority of Mexicans look forward to Mexico's participation in CA than to the Gold Cup, which is definitely not as prestigious. Almost all fans were incensed that Mexico couldn't send its A-team to the 2011 edition.

The 2001 CA Final berth alone doesn't make Mexico great, but it is definitely part of the reason why people say they're great.

 

Well you guys are gonna be pissed again next summer when the Gold Cup and Copa America happen at the same time

 

As someone who has the utmost respect for Mexico as a tremendous soccer nation with some of the most passionate fans and one of the most exciting domestic leagues in the world, and who believes that the world would be a much poorer place without the contributions Mexico has made to both club and international soccer, I'm still not sure I can agree with you on this. Insofar as Mexico has international prestige, I would say that is primarily from success in global competitions like its consistent moderate World Cup success and the impressive achievements of its youth teams and its prominence as a good World Cup host nation, not from its success in Copa America tournaments. Clearly the Copa America competitions count for a lot more than the Gold Cup, but I just don't feel that Copa America is where Mexico's national team earned its stripes. I almost never hear anyone talk about Mexico's Copa America performances except Mexico fans, whereas the World Cup performances and even the recent youth team and Olympic performances I hear fans from lots of countries talk about. And it's not that I think Copa America has no influence on the world's perception of Mexico's national team, but rather that Mexico's success in some Copa America competitions has generally come concurrently with a lot of other markers of international success, so it's not like if you took away Copa America 2001 that people would think any less of Mexico.

 

Trivia...
Name the only countries that have reached the Round of 16 in the last five World Cups (1994-2010):
Brazil
Germany
Mexico

 

Not a done deal yet according to USSF president Gulati:
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1782267?cc=4716

 

Come on Canada. Playing in this would be a huge Boost to them even if they do end up losing 8-1 against Uruguay.

 

And people don't take Mexico serious for some reason.

 

Looks like the announcement is on Thursday:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...acaf-conmebol-make-historic-joint-announcemen

Curious about the FIFA calendar situation...

 

I wouldn't mind CONMEBOL bringing it over to the US. They need to start marketing their tournaments better anyways. Libertadores is a horribly marketed tournament, and their Continental Cup is also low in the marketability. At least now it's every 4 years.

 

Tournament officially announced.
June 3-26, 2016 which means it will overlap with Euro 2016 (June 10-July 10).
10 CONMEBOL countries
U.S. and Mexico
2014 Copa Centroamericana winner
2014 Caribbean Cup winner
Remaining two teams will come from the top four finishers from the 2015 Gold Cup after a playoff involving the four sides.

CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo:
"I'm not clear if it will be on a FIFA date or not. We have been of late insisting that should be on the FIFA calendar."

http://www.conmebol.com/es/content/conmebol-y-concacaf-dan-vida-la-copa-centenario
http://www.concacaf.com/article/con...-bring-copa-america-2016-to-the-united-states

 

Mexico vs Brasil/Argentina in the final. Book it Duglettes!

 

Can't wait! This takes some of the sting out of the Qatar 2022 screw job and it's a unique tournament too. Just hope a city near me features in the 10-12 host cities.

 

Screw job? No one got screwed, the WC needs to be spread to new countries. They didn't know of the worker endangerment, but the thing is, all countries have exploited people like Qatar does, in many cases worse so. So it's a "without sin, cast stone" kinda deal.

 

Hey Sepp! Welcome to BigSoccer. Please make yourself at home. We've got plenty more hallucinogens in the fridge if you'd like a nightcap.

 

Please keep the Qatar discussion to the appropriate thread.

Glad to see that FIFA haven't put this on the international calendar and hopefully they remain firm, not just for CONCACAF (guest teams) but also CONMEBOL. With Brazil 2014 followed by Chile 2015 it would be plain insanity to request some South American players to play in this money grab as well - making it three consecutive summer tournaments in a row.

 

I'm not that concerned about it not being on the FIFA calendar right now. FIFA is going to crumble as a sporting organization right after Brazil has their party. UEFA made their play with the expanded Euros. The CONMEBOL/CONCACAF partnership has made theirs. Now, none of them need FIFA. I feel bad that the top East Asian teams and better African sides are about to get left out without a place to play, that the women's game is likely to suffer, and that in all likelihood Brazil 2014 will be the last World Cup(I hope its a good one). But, the joint Copa just shows that the major stakeholders are about to move on with the business of football and FIFA is now just a greedy and corrupt middleman in the way.