FILE PHOTO: Jul 7, 2017; Harrison, NJ, USA; CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani addresses the media before a Gold Cup game between Canada and French Guiana at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) - The 2024 Copa America will be played in the United States, the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL confederations announced on Friday, as part of a new strategic partnership that will include a jointly organised club tournament.
Next year's Copa America, organised by the South American confederation (CONMEBOL), will also feature six invited teams from the CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) region.
It will be the second time that South America's most important national team tournament will be held in the U.S. after the special commemorative edition in 2016, which also featured six CONCACAF teams.
On the women's side, CONCACAF will invite four South American national teams to the 2024 W Gold Cup, a tournament that will have its first edition this year in the U.S..
CONMEBOL and CONCACAF also announced plans for a club tournament to be held in 2024 with four teams, two from each region qualifying through their existing regional tournaments, the Copa Libertadores and the CONCACAF Champions League.
"CONMEBOL and CONCACAF are united by historical and emotional ties. But above all, we are united by a passion for football and sport that is characteristic of the whole of the Americas," said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez in a statement on Friday.
"We want this passion to lead into more and better competitions and for football and its values to grow and strengthen throughout the hemisphere."
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani added: "This partnership is to support the continued growth of men's and women's football in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, and will truly be of mutual benefit to both Confederations."
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
