2024 Copa América to begin at Atlanta United’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Conmebol, South America’s soccer organizing body, made both announcements Monday in anticipation of the 16-team tournament. Both venues will be used for games during the 2026 World Cup that’s co-hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico.

For the opener, Mercedes-Benz Stadium can accommodate more than 71,000 fans and has hosted some of the largest single-game crowds in MLS history. Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, has the capacity for over 65,300 fans and could provide a “home” game for Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi if defending champions Argentina advance that far.

For the 2024 Copa América, all 10 South American teams auto-qualify. They’ll be joined by six Concacaf qualifiers, comprised of the four Nations League quarterfinal winners and two teams from the quarterfinal loser last-chance games.

“We expect stadiums filled with the passion of the entire American continent for the inauguration and final of an unforgettable Conmebol Copa América,” Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez said in a release.

“In Atlanta, the ball will start rolling and it won’t stop for a month until the final match in Miami. These are magnificent stadiums in wonderful cities. We are grateful for the valuable cooperation of the U.S. authorities and our friends from Concacaf in the organization of this competition. We look forward to the best Conmebol Copa América of all time.”

The tournament’s draw will be held Dec. 7. Additional venues are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.

For the 48th edition of the Copa América, this will be the second time in the South American tournament’s history that it will involve 16 teams. The 2016 version included the same number of teams and was also held in the United States.