After 2016, the United States will play host to another Copa America Championship, and this time around, the tournament is set to be the biggest cultural event in the country. The craze for football, a.k.a. soccer, is growing rapidly.
In the three decades since the U.S. first hosted the FIFA World Cup, soccer has finally hit the big time stateside, capturing the growing fan base in the states, who are now embracing the sport, the fanfare and the popularity.
This year, the momentum will be celebrated on a massive stage with Copa América being played across the U.S., starting June 20th.
For soccer fans with Copa America 2024 tickets, Copa América is the annual tournament that determines the champion of CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation.
It has long been a high-profile sporting event for soccer fans, featuring global soccer powerhouses like Brazil and reigning World Cup champions Argentina. Now that soccer fever has spread north of the equator, and with the U.S. hosting the event in 2024, Copa América is anticipated to be a defining soccer tournament for the Western Hemisphere—and the brands participating.
It is a good thing for the CONCACAF region. The increase in popularity has much to do with the sport being driven by Latino fans. But in the next few years, the boost from this year’s Copa America should fuel a bigger following for soccer in the country, believes Heidi Pellarano, the Chief Commercial Officer for CONCACAF.
“Over the next two years, we will get to enjoy the best soccer, played by the best players in the world, starting with Copa América this summer, followed by CONCACAF’s CNL Finals and Gold Cup in 2025, all leading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
A Growing Market
International soccer tournaments such as Copa América have grown in popularity with the U.S. audience in the past couple of decades, as have pro leagues, such as the English Premier League and Liga MX—the two most-watched soccer leagues in America.
The UEFA Champions League has also gained massive traction in the United States, where more new fans are tuning in even with the odd time zones to catch a glimpse of the footballing action.
According to ticket retailers, this effect has even snowballed into more enthusiasm for purchasing Copa America 2024 tickets.
With networks like Univision and TUDN maintaining their ongoing commitment to soccer with thousands of live matches yearly, soccer is an ongoing priority for TelevisaUnivision audiences.
When coupled with the popularity of soccer-centric T.V. shows such as “Ted Lasso” and “Welcome to Wrexham” (which documents celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s purchase of a Welsh professional association football franchise) and superstar Lionel Messi’s recent move to MLS’ Inter Miami C.F., there is no question that professional soccer has arrived at centre stage in U.S. sports and culture.
Copa America 2024 Appeal
Copa América’s appeal to the fandoms of some of the top-ranked teams and players in the world will further cement soccer’s draw as a premium marketing opportunity. A recent Ad Age-Harris Poll revealed that Copa América ranks No. 3 for brand equity growth among Gen Zers, above brands including Coca-Cola and Toyota.
This will also indicate that there will be a larger volume of Copa America 2024 ticket sales amongst the younger crowd, who will now have a chance to witness the stars in real-time at the stadiums.
It’s no surprise, then, that this summer, hundreds of thousands of spectators will fill stadiums across the U.S. (with millions more watching at home) as Messi and his FIFA No. 1-ranked Argentina, Vinicius Jr. and Brazil, Santiago Gimenez and Mexico, Christian Pulisic (aka “Captain America”) and the USA.
A galaxy of stars and world soccer powers compete for the top prize.
An Engaging Audience
The unique circumstance of having Copa América and the World Cup in the U.S. within two years has created a hyper-engaged audience and bespoke opportunities for brand marketers.
Brand sponsorships have significantly evolved since the last Copa América held in the U.S. in 2016, not to mention since the World Cup was last held here in 1994, and there are several new opportunities for brands to invest in the sport’s growing popularity.
Among the higher-profile partnerships, CONMEBOL’s December 2023 announcement that Puma would be the official match ball of Copa América made a splash in the sports marketing world. Soon after, Michelob Ultra was named the official global beer of the tournament, with Messi as brand ambassador.
The focus for the Copa America 2024 will primarily revolve around one team: Argentina. The defending champions will be all out to make it 2/2, having already won the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
For Lionel Messi, this might be his final Copa America tournament. With the fan following he’s received in the United States, playing for Inter Miami, expect Copa America 2024 tickets for Argentinian games to be extremely high.
Israel to Play in Future Copa America?
The Israel Football Association (IFA) has signed a new agreement with CONMEBOL, which they “very much hope” will enable the Israel national team to participate in future Copa America editions.
The Copa America draw has space for two invitational teams to participate in the tournament’s group stage.
The IFA announced on Thursday that they were “proud to join the magnificent CONMEBOL family”, whose members include reigning World Cup champions Argentina and five-time world champions Brazil.
The agreement was signed by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez and IFA president Moshe Zuares during the CONMEBOL Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay.
He added: “Our true friendship with Alejandro Guillermo Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL and (the) vice president of FIFA, has given birth to (this) wonderful fruit for Israeli football.
“I very much hope that the Israeli national team will participate in one of the major tournaments organised by CONMEBOL, perhaps even the Copa America.”
A separate statement shared with the IFA’s official X account was accompanied by videos of what appeared to show an Israeli delegation signing paperwork alongside CONMEBOL officials.
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