I've been thinking about this cup for some time since 16 teams provides for a nice and neat format - 16 teams = 4 groups of four. Based off the 2014 World Cup, slotting each of the four groups can be done fairly. Pot A: World Cup teams that reached the Quarterfinals or better (4 teams) Pot B: World Cup teams that reach the Round of 16 (4 teams) Pot C: 2 World Cup teams that did not get out of the Group Stage (2) and teams that DNQ (2 of six teams) Port D: 4 World Cup teams that DNQ. To keep things simple, I'll assume the same six teams as in the CONCACAF Hexagonal. Pot A: Brazil, USA, Peru, Panama Pot B: Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Jamaica Pot C: Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay Pot D: Colombia, Uruguay, Honduras, Bolivia I was surprised this worked out so cleanly. Ports A, B and D have two clear favorites to advance, and Pot C is very balanced, with any of the four teams capable of advancing, with Chile as the front runner.
I think they're more likely to use FIFA rankings or some historical basis of sorts. Uruguay is the defending champion, and NT with the most Copa America Titles, I'd be surprised if they weren't seeded. Also, the US will be the host, so most likely they'll be seeded as well. My guess would be: Pot A: USA, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina Pot B: Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica Pot C: Ecuador, Honduras, Peru, Paraguay Pot D: Bolivia, Venezuela, Jamaica, Panama
Sorry, actually I forgot that by 2016 Uruguay will no longer be the defending champ (unless they repeat in 2015). In any case, they will probably end up with a seed unless we get a Champion outside of the top 3 in 2015.
I realized I made a mistake in first post - I meant those to be the four groups, not the four pots. I do like the idea of seeing the USA - and avoiding Argentina and Brazil in the group stage.
I would love if this format became the norm from now on. 16 teams, combine Conmebol w/ Concacaf, every 4 years, in the same year as the EuroCup. This way we could get rid of the regular Copa America and the Gold Cup and actually have a competitive tournament to look forward to. From what I heard, this centennial edition might have trouble getting the top players to be released by their clubs though, given that it's not an official FIFA date for these NTs. Hope they can get a way around it, as otherwise it will never really take off.