For now, tickets have already gone on sale except for the final; The meeting of the Medical Commission and the Anti-Doping Unit has already taken place; A FanFest is being prepared in South Florida and many activities will surely be announced as the tournament's opening whistle approaches.
The 2024 Copa America will be played in 14 venues in the United States, from June 20 to July 14, with the participation of 16 teams, the 10 from South America and the six most qualified from CONCACAF. There will be a total of 32 matches.
For the inaugural match, at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta between Argentina and Canada, tickets range from 294 to 1,150 dollars; For the first match at the Hard Rock Stadium, on June 23, between Uruguay and Panama, prices start at 116 dollars and six days later in the same scenario, prices range from 499 to 770 for Argentina vs. Peru.
There are cheaper tickets, for example 49 dollars at the gigantic AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, on June 21 for Chile vs. Peru.
The semifinals, on July 9 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, range from $384 to $1,006.
In the so-called “Hospitality†zones the most expensive tickets start at 2,000 without taxes for group matches.
“Those are the best seats inside the stadium, in the middle of the field and in the first level,†said Cuban Antonio Paz, whose company VIP Global joined the German company Absolut Sports, which is the official agency of the Cup. America.
Paz, who is based in Miami, and has the experience of 10 World Cups, the Olympic Games, the Champions League, the Super Bowl and all the major sporting events, said that his company will focus on the sale of VIP and corporate packages.
“That includes food and drink before, during and after the games,†Paz explained. “Also five-star hotels, limousine or luxury bus transfers from the airport to the hotel and the stadium and vice versa.”
Prices have changed since Paz started in this business at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
“The average price I sold each ticket on México 86 was 15 dollars, the best at 25 and the worst at 10,†Paz recalled. “I sold the tickets for the final between Argentina with Maradona and Germany at the Azteca stadium for 35 dollars.”
Paz recalled that the Copa América will mark the beginning of a three-year cycle and a possible fourth year of soccer at the highest level in the United States with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup. In May, FIFA will define the venue for the 2027 Women's World Cup and the United States and Mexico are strong candidates to win the tournament.
“Miami will be one of the most important sub-venues in all of these events,†Paz said. “The final of the Copa America will be here, the most important matches of the Club World Cup will be in Miami and the Hard Rock Stadium will have seven matches in the 2026 World Cup.”
The reasons why Miami will have so much prominence were explained by Paz: it is the first gateway from Latin America, it has great population diversity, it is a paradise, FIFA, the AFA and CONCACAF have their offices here, we are seven hours by plane from London or Madrid and eight from Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro.
The hotel capacity is formidable and is available in summer, the infrastructure is first-class, the Hard Rock Stadium is one of the best in the world with a very large parking lot, the climate is very good. From Miami everyone wants to go to Disney World and with the Brightline you can reach Orlando in a few hours.
In addition, due to the time difference in the East, it is better accommodated so that the matches can be seen in prime time in Europe, the largest world football market.
On the other hand, the FanFests are being prepared, which are here to stay with the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The Argentine Festival has been scheduled for July 9 at the Dania Beach casino. There will be a giant screen to enjoy the game, stalls selling sports equipment, food, barbecues and special guests to liven up the party.
The group stage of the Copa América will be played from June 20 to July 2. Then, the quarterfinals on July 4-6. The semifinals will be on July 9 and 10, the match for third place on July 13 and the final on the 14th at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
This means that there is a possibility that the Argentine Festival will take place the day the Albiceleste plays the semifinals at MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, or the next day at Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, North Carolina. .
Surely other activities will be skipped because as was demonstrated in the Copa América del Centenario in 2016, when for the first time it was not played in South America, the tournament was a total success, not only in sports. but also for the way people enjoy it throughout the United States.
And everything indicates that the 2024 edition will not be different.
