FMF President Says USA Will Host 2016 Copa America

The 2016 Copa America will be played in the United States, according to a report at Goal.com. Although the South American tournament was not originally scheduled to be played that year and Chile is hosting the 2015 edition, a “special edition” will be played to commemorate its 100th anniversary.

The president of the Mexican Federation, Justino Compean, said the tournament was originally being considered for Mexico, but that economic concerns made the United States a more palatable host.

Initially it was thought that CONMEBOL would invite the best from CONCACAF to play in a 16-team Copa America, but that appears to be off the table. Instead, CONMEBOL will continue to play Copa America for the South American championship and CONCACAF will continue to play the Gold Cup for the championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Then, in the year after those two tournaments, there will be a Pan American Cup with the best of the two confederations.

Copa America is a brilliant tournament, but gets little attention outside of South America. The Gold Cup is largely ignored even in North and Central America. Right now, there are two major international tournaments -- the World Cup and Euro. A Pan American Cup has the potential to resonate not just in the Americas, but around the world as another major tournament.