Argentina and Colombia to host Copa America in 2020
Tuesday 9 April 2019 18:28, UK
Argentina and Colombia have been announced as hosts of a revamped Copa America, which will feature north and south zones, in 2020.
Six teams will begin the campaign in a north zone in Colombia, while six play in a south zone in co-hosts Argentina, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Tuesday during a meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Featuring alongside Argentina in the southern group will be Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and an as yet undisclosed guest.
Joining Brazil in the northern group are Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and another invited nation.
The two invited teams for the 2019 edition are Japan and 2022 World Cup host Qatar.
The teams will play each other once in their groups, and the top four sides in each group will then qualify for the quarter-finals.
The new format means the tournament will comprise 38 matches, 12 more than the current schedule.
"The core objective of this change was to make it easier for fans to get geographically closer to the matches," said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.
The changes are part of a widespread attempt to revitalise South American club and international competitions and bring them more into line with Europe.
In addition, CONMEBOL have abandoned their six-decades long tradition of playing the Copa Libertadores final on a home and away basis, and will this year play the final at a neutral ground for the first time, much like the Champions League.
This year's Copa America in Brazil, which kicks off on June 14, will be the last to be played in an odd year. After 2020, the South American tournament will once again be held every four years.
