Copa America could be switched to the USA, as fears continue over the current coronavirus situation in South America.
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After being delayed by a year due to the pandemic, the tournament is due to kick off on June 12 in Argentina, but South America’s governing body CONMEBOL are desperately trying to find an alternative solution for the event as Argentina is currently in lockdown and all soccer game have been called off.
After Colombia and Argentina were originally scheduled to co-host the tournament, games will no longer be held in Colombia due to ongoing protests against the government.
All games will be played in Argentina, as things stand, although Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela have all offered to co-host the tournament. This situation is very fluid.
A report from Telemundo’s Diego Montalvan states that plans to host the entire tournament in the USA are gathering momentum, as Blu Radio in Colombia had the initial story.
Per Motalvan’s report, games would not be played in stadiums and cities hosting the 2021 Gold Cup games as CONCACAF would not want the two tournaments to clash at all.
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Is moving the Copa America to the USA feasible?
With regards to the Gold Cup the dates overlap a little, but not much.
The Gold Cup is due to take place mostly in Texas, plus Orlando, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Phoenix from July 10 to August 1, while the Copa America is scheduled to take place from June 13 to July 10.
Of course, if the Copa America tournament is moved from Argentina at such short notice, and out of South America altogether, it would mean that a lot of logistical plans would have to be changed.
That would take extra time, and that could mean the tournament being pushed back a few weeks. On the face of it this makes sense.
Fans can attend games in pretty large numbers if the tournament is held in the USA, plus the Copa America Centenario was a huge success when it was held across the United States of America in the summer of 2016.
At least some fans would be able to attend, plus revenue could be generated through ticket sales and this temporary solution could suit the players and staff as the U.S. is in a much better situation in terms of vaccination rates than most of the world.
Report: Copa America could be played in USA originally appeared on NBCSports.com