Copa America Centenario set for United States

The Copa America’s centenary tournament will be held in the United States in 2016, it has been confirmed.

The decision represents the first time the competition has been held outside South America, and the continent’s 10 nations will be joined by six sides from the CONCACAF region.

United States and Mexico will be granted automatic entry, while the champions of the 2014 Caribbean Cup and Copa Centroamericana will also be involved.

A play-off will be held among the top four non-qualified teams at the 2015 Gold Cup to determine the remaining two spots.

The one-off competition will be titled the Copa America Centenario and host venues will be chosen through a bidding process.

The regular Copa America is held every four years, and the 2015 and 2019 editions will take place as scheduled in Chile and Brazil respectively.

With two tournaments set to take place in consecutive European close-seasons, it remains to be seen whether South America’s biggest stars will be involved, but CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb assured: “There is no question that some of the best talent in the world will be on display.”

Uruguay are the reigning Copa America champions and are its most successful side with 15 titles.