Will Copa América Return to the United States in 2028?
Why CONMEBOL may return to the United States—and what another tournament could mean for stadium revenue, host cities, tourism and Concacaf.
The United States could host Copa América again in 2028, extending an extraordinary run of major international soccer events across the country.
Reuters reported in December 2025, citing The Athletic, that CONMEBOL and Concacaf were discussing a possible U.S.-hosted tournament following Copa América 2024 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, no hosting decision has been announced as of the date of publication.
As of July 2026, the United States is a potential host, ye to be confirmed. CONMEBOL has not published the tournament dates, participating teams, host cities, venues or commercial structure.
The available information is limited, but the reported discussions raise a clear business question: why would CONMEBOL return its principal national-team competition to the United States rather than stage it in South America? The answer begins with revenue.
Is the United States Hosting Copa América 2028?
Not officially.
Reuters reported that discussions were underway over a possible U.S.-hosted tournament. The report identified Argentina and Ecuador as alternative candidates and said nothing had been finalized.
Reports have continued to describe negotiations between CONMEBOL and Concacaf, potentially involving the ten South American national teams and six Concacaf qualifiers.
Neither confederation has confirmed that format. Official confederation sources had not announced a 2028 host, schedule or venue plan when this assessment was prepared.
Any claim that Copa América 2028 will be held in the United States is therefore premature. The current evidence supports an early-stage commercial analysis, not a definitive event announcement.
Why the United States Remains Commercially Attractive
The United States offers CONMEBOL access to large stadiums, substantial hospitality inventories, established ticketing infrastructure and a valuable consumer market.
Copa América 2024 attracted approximately 1.6 million spectators across 32 matches, according to Reuters. Official tournament information confirms that the competition used 14 stadiums across the United States.
Several were NFL venues capable of accommodating significantly larger crowds and hospitality programs than many traditional soccer stadiums.
A similar model in 2028 could create revenue through:
General admission and premium ticket sales
Corporate suites and hospitality
National and international sponsorship
Broadcast and streaming rights
Licensed merchandise
Fan festivals and sponsor activations
Tourism partnerships
Local event spending
This does not mean every 2024 match performed equally well or that a future tournament would automatically succeed. Attendance varied by fixture, market and participating country.
Operational problems surrounding the 2024 final in Miami also demonstrated that access control, security and crowd management require more than an just ab appropriate stadium.
The commercial attraction is nevertheless straightforward: the United States provides a large inventory of premium-priced seats, corporate spaces and major commercial markets.
The 2026 World Cup Changes the Calculation
By 2028, stadium operators, public authorities and commercial suppliers will be able to draw on experience from Copa América 2024 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Host cities will also possess current data about visitor behavior, transportation, accommodation demand, security requirements and fan engagement.
CONMEBOL could select from venues and markets tested through one or both competitions. This could reduce some delivery risks, although it would not eliminate event-specific costs or operational challenges.
The 2026 World Cup may therefore leave behind more than a soccer legacy. It could create a reusable national event platform for future international competitions.
Copa América 2028 would be one of the first opportunities to test the commercial value of that platform.
Readers can follow the publication’s wider coverage through the U.S. Soccer Business hub.
Why Concacaf Participation Would Matter
A U.S.-hosted tournament would become considerably more attractive if national teams from Concacaf participated.
The 2024 edition included six Concacaf teams alongside CONMEBOL’s ten members. Repeating that 16-team format could bring the United States, Mexico, Canada and other regional qualifiers into the competition.
Their involvement would expand the tournament’s ticketing, sponsorship and broadcasting potential across North America.
Mexico is particularly important. Its national team can generate substantial attendance in multiple U.S. markets, while the United States would provide the tournament with a domestic ticketing and media narrative.
For Concacaf, participation would give its leading national teams meaningful competitive matches between the 2026 and 2030 World Cups. For CONMEBOL, it would provide additional teams, markets and commercially valuable fixtures.
However, the qualification system and revenue-sharing arrangements remain unknown. It is also unclear whether Concacaf teams would participate under the same model used in 2024.
These unresolved details will help determine whether a 2028 agreement is primarily a hosting arrangement or part of a deeper commercial partnership between the confederations.
The Olympic Scheduling Problem
The strongest obstacle may be the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The LA28 Olympic Games are scheduled to open on July 14, 2028.
LA28 has also selected Olympic soccer venues in New York, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena. The gold-medal matches are scheduled for July 28 and 29 at the Rose Bowl.
Olympic soccer will therefore create potential competition for stadium access, event personnel, security resources, sponsors, broadcasters and public attention across several U.S. markets.
Copa América traditionally takes place during June and July. The 2024 final was played on July 14—the same calendar date on which the 2028 Olympics are scheduled to begin.
A U.S.-hosted Copa América may consequently need to finish earlier, operate alongside Olympic preparations or avoid markets and venues involved in Olympic soccer.
The overlap could also affect sponsorship. Brands holding Olympic rights may face restrictions around competing events and marketing language, while non-Olympic sponsors could see Copa América as an alternative platform during a crowded sports calendar.
This scheduling issue does not make a U.S. tournament impossible. It makes the eventual dates and venue plan commercially significant.
What Host Cities Could Gain
A Copa América host city can generate visitor spending through hotels, restaurants, transportation, retail and entertainment. The scale depends on the fixtures it receives, the teams involved, the number of traveling supporters and the length of their stay.
A group-stage match between teams with limited local support will not produce the same effect as a knockout match involving Argentina, Brazil, Mexico or the United States.
Economic-impact claims should therefore be assessed city by city rather than applied uniformly across the tournament.
Potential host cities would also need to examine:
Stadium rental and conversion costs
Police and public-safety expenditure
Transportation requirements
Fan-festival costs
Marketing commitments
Public services
Hotel demand and visitor displacement
The destination value of international media exposure
Gross visitor spending is not the same as net economic benefit. Any credible impact analysis must account for public costs, spending that would have occurred without the event and revenue that leaves the local economy.
Until Copa América host cities, matches and public commitments are disclosed, precise local economic-impact projections would be speculative.
What CONMEBOL Would Risk
Returning to the United States would offer commercial advantages, but it would also raise questions about Copa América’s identity.
The competition is South America’s continental championship. If the United States hosted in 2028, it would become the tournament’s third U.S.-hosted edition since 2016 and the second consecutive edition staged outside South America.
That may strengthen Copa América as a pan-American commercial product, but it could weaken the traditional host rotation and reduce opportunities for South American supporters to attend.
CONMEBOL would also need to demonstrate that it learned from the crowd-control failures surrounding the 2024 final at Hard Rock Stadium. Venue capacity alone cannot guarantee a safe or well-managed event.
Another U.S. tournament would place increased scrutiny on security planning, ticket verification, perimeter control and coordination among organizers, stadium operators and public agencies.
What to Watch Next
A formal announcement would need to answer several unresolved questions:
Which country or countries will host Copa América 2028?
Will the competition retain a 16-team format?
How will Concacaf teams qualify?
When will the tournament take place?
Which stadiums and cities will participate?
How will revenue be divided between the confederations?
Will host cities provide public funding or operational support?
How will organizers avoid conflicts with the 2028 Olympics?
What security changes will follow the 2024 Miami final?
Until those details emerge, the United States should be described as a reported candidate.
The Business Conclusion
A return to the United States would make commercial sense for CONMEBOL.
The country offers large venues, extensive hospitality capacity, valuable sponsors, established Latin American fan markets and an operating network that will have been strengthened by the 2026 World Cup.
The model could also give Concacaf teams another high-level competition while extending the commercial relationship between the two confederations.
But the case is not complete.
The host has not been confirmed, the financial terms are unavailable and the 2028 Olympics create a significant scheduling complication. There is also no public evidence showing what cities might pay or how tournament revenue would be distributed.
Copa América 2028 in the United States is a credible possibility and a strong commercial proposition. It is not yet an awarded event.
That is the central fact on which any responsible early-stage analysis must be built.
Copa América 2028 Business FAQ
Has the United States been selected to host Copa América 2028?
No. The United States has been identified in reporting as a potential host, but CONMEBOL has not announced a final decision.
When could Copa América 2028 take place?
Official dates have not been published. Scheduling will need to account for the LA28 Olympic Games, which open on July 14, 2028.
Which other countries could host the tournament?
Argentina and Ecuador have been identified in reporting as alternative candidates. No host has been confirmed.
Why would CONMEBOL choose the United States?
The United States offers large stadiums, premium hospitality, major sponsor markets, substantial Latin American audiences and recent operational experience from Copa América 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.
Would Concacaf teams participate?
A 16-team competition involving ten CONMEBOL members and six Concacaf qualifiers has been discussed in reporting, but the format and qualification system remain unconfirmed.
Editorial Disclaimer
This independent early-stage analysis is based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Important details—including the host, format, dates, venues, financial arrangements and public-sector commitments—have not been announced.
The Business Behind Sports has not been commissioned or paid by CONMEBOL, Concacaf, any prospective host city, stadium operator or commercial partner connected with Copa América 2028.
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