Get ready and grab your soccer scarf, because big-time teams are coming to the United States in less than a month! The best players in world soccer will play head-to-head right here… probably at a stadium near you! If watching the games from your favorite TV is an option, we know you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat. If you’re as excited for the big tournament as we are, strap on your shin guards and pump up your excitement with our need-to-know guide to Copa America Centenario.
Copa America and the United States are a new match in soccer. There’s a pretty neat impact on American soccer history from this year’s set of matches for a few reasons. First off, the Copa America tournament has never been held outside of South America. 2016 marks the first year that the United States will host teams, supporter groups, and diehard fans all in one place! This makes the U.S. a pretty cool host, don’t you think?
Secondly, Copa America Centenario celebrates the tournament’s 100th anniversary. The tournament kicked off in 1910 as the one-off of Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo, turned into the Campeonato Sudamericano de Football (the South American Championship) in 1916, and finally grew into Copa America in 1975 that we love to watch today.
The tournament kicks off June 3th and runs through fields across the country until June 26th. Pick your favorite team out of the 16 participating and watch live at a nearby stadium! But where, you ask? Some of the hottest cities in the U.S. are hosts. The first game starts at Levi’s Stadium in California, and the final match is held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. We’ve created a list of city guides of all participating stadiums, so you can really make the Copa experience a trip to remember.
Sixteen teams will play in Copa America Centenario, with all 10 CONMEBOL federations joined by six CONCACAF countries. The teams will be divided into four groups of four teams each, with each team scheduled to play other teams in their group. The top two teams in each group will then advance to the knockout round, with the eight remaining teams then playing a single-elimination, win or go home tournament on the June 26 final game.
June 3rd:
USA vs. Colombia | 9:30PM
June 4th:
Costa Rica vs. Paraguay | 5:00PM
Haiti vs. Peru | 7:30PM
Brazil vs. Ecuador | 10:00PM
June 5th:
Jamaica vs. Venezuela | 5:00PM
Mexico vs. Uruguay | 8:00PM
June 6th:
Panama vs. Bolovia | 7:00PM
Argentina vs. Chile | 10:00PM
June 7th:
USA vs. Costa Rica | 8:00PM
Colombia vs. Paraguay | 10:30PM
June 8th:
Brazil vs. Haiti | 7:30PM
Ecuador vs. Peru | 10:00PM
June 9th:
Uruguay vs. Venezuela | 7:30PM
Mexico vs. Jamaica | 10:00PM
June 10th:
Chile vs. Bolivia | 7:00PM
Argentina vs. Panama | 9:30PM
June 11th:
USA vs. Paraguay | 7:00PM
Colombia vs. Costa Rica | 9:00PM
June 12th:
Ecuador vs. Haiti | 6:30PM
Brazil vs. Peru | 8:30PM
June 13th:
Mexico vs. Venezuela | 8:00PM
Uruguay vs. Jamaica | 10:00PM
June 14th:
Chile vs. Panama | 8:00PM
Argentina vs. Bolivia | 10:00PM
June 16th - 18th.
June 21st - 22nd.
June 25th.
June 26th.
Once you have your tickets (check out the official page of Copa America 2016 to check out their travel packages and ticket sales), place to crash, and game plan for your Copa America experience, you’re still missing one thing! Don’t forget to complete your game day look with a custom scarf for your favorite team. Shop Now!
