CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Big news for the Charlotte soccer community.
Bank of America Stadium has been selected to host Copa América 2024 the semifinals and the third-place playoff match.
The semifinal match will be played on July 10. The third-place playoff match will be held on July 13.
Ten South American teams plus six from North and Central America and the Caribbean will take part in the 2024 Copa América. The four semifinalists in the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League will qualify along with two winners from play-in games among the four quarterfinal losers.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was awarded the 2024 Copa América opener and South Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium will host the final of the tournament, held outside of its home continent for only the second time.
The tournament is set to begin on June 20 at 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United has set numerous attendance records. Defending Copa América champion Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will presumably be one of the teams taking part in the opener.
The retractable-roof stadium near downtown Atlanta, which opened in 2017, will install a grass field over its artificial playing surface for the tournament.
Argentina is the defending champion.
The previous Copa América held in the U.S. from June 3-26 in 2016 also included 16 teams. Games were played at Chicago; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Glendale, Arizona; Houston; Orlando, Florida; Pasadena, California; Philadelphia; Santa Clara, California; and Seattle. The final was at East Rutherford.
The U.S. men's soccer team will open its 2024 schedule with an exhibition against Slovenia on Jan. 20 in San Antonio.
The U.S. plays Jamaica on March 21 at Arlington, Texas, in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League and faces Mexico or Panama three days later in the championship or third-place game.
The Americans are preparing for the Copa América, South America's championship, which they host from June 19 to July 14.
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.