LA 2024 and US Soccer today celebrate the kick-off of the oldest continental soccer competition in the world as California hosts the first match of Copa America Centenario 2016 tonight in Santa Clara between host nation USA and Colombia, reaffirming its position as a world leader in sports event hosting.
In its 100th year, the US edition of Copa America marks the first time that the competition will be held outside of South America and will run from June 3 through June 26. Five of the top ten teams in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking are participating in the tournament (including three of the top five), as is the reigning recipient of FIFA’s coveted Ballon D’or, Lionel Messi (ARG).
Three group-stage matches will be held at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which was also the setting of the 1984 Olympic gold medal match between France and Brazil, the 1994 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Italy and the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final between China and USA. The Rose Bowl will host matches between Brazil and Ecuador, Colombia and Paraguay, and Mexico and Jamaica. The Rose Bowl would also be the site of the Olympic soccer competition should LA 2024 be awarded the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman said: "We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the world’s best soccer teams and biggest soccer stars to the United States for this historic competition. Los Angeles, in particular, is a city that lives and breathes sport, so to host three matches at the iconic Rose Bowl is a great honor. Sport is an integral part of Angelenos’ everyday life, and I have no doubt that all Copa America participants and travelling fans will feel warmly welcomed.
"The Rose Bowl is an example of Los Angeles’ existing world-class sporting infrastructure, which, coupled with our ideal weather conditions and our long-standing commitment to sport and healthy living, make Los Angeles a Games-ready city if awarded the honor of hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said: "It is a privilege to host the Copa America Centenario 2016 in the United States, the first time that the competition has ever been held outside of South America. We are especially proud to be able to welcome the world’s greatest soccer players to Los Angeles, a city that loves soccer and is home to two MLS clubs, the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club.
"LA would undoubtedly provide an electric setting for the sport should it be awarded the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Millions of young Americans play soccer every year, and Los Angeles’ ready-made connection with youth culture makes it uniquely suited as a host for Copa America 2016, as well as an Olympic and Paralympic Games."
Copa America 2016 will feature 32 matches between 16 teams from 2 continental governing bodies of association football (CONCACAF and CONMEBOL), taking place in 10 US cities with stadiums that all hold more than 50,000 spectators. CONMEBOL teams include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. CONCACAF teams include Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and the United States.
California company Google is celebrating the tournament with a specialized doodle on its homepage.
To this day, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games holds the attendance record for the three highest attended soccer games in United States history, culminating with 101,799 spectators at the gold medal match at the Rose Bowl. Overall 1,425,541 people attended soccer matches at the 1984 Games.
For more information, visit ca2016.com and LA24.org
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