Houston’s NRG Stadium will host three matches for the 2016 Copa America Centenario, including a group stage game featuring Mexico on June 13 and a semifinal match on June 21, tournament organizers announced today.
The 2016 Copa America Centenario is the historic centennial edition of Copa America – the South American championship – and will be staged outside of South America for the first time. The tournament will feature six teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and all 10 teams from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
In addition to Mexico’s final group stage game on June 13, NRG Stadium will host a final group stage game on June 11 for Group A involving two opponents other than the United States. The June 21 semifinal is one day before the other semifinal, set for Soldier Field in Chicago. The Copa America Final will be held June 26 at MeLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Brazil and Mexico have been awarded group seeds and will head Groups B and C, respectively, while Argentina, as the highest FIFA-ranked nation in the Americas (per December FIFA rankings), will be seeded at the top of Group D. As the host nation of the tournament, the United States is the top seed in Group A and will open group play at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on June 3 before continuing its Copa run in Chicago at Soldier Field on June 7 and Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field on June 11.
As a benefit to Dynamo and Dash season ticket members, a special private sale will be available to purchase tickets for the Copa America Centenario matches. More information on the ticket allocation process will be communicated in the coming weeks. To purchase Dynamo or Dash season tickets, call 713-276-GOAL or visit here.
Non-Dynamo and Dash season ticket members may visit CA2016.com to register for ticket access. Due to the expected high demand for this premium soccer tournament, fans are urged to register early to guarantee access to information as it becomes available. More ticketing information will be released in the coming weeks.
From CONCACAF, host United States and Mexico are automatic qualifiers, while Costa Rica (2014 Central American Cup winner) and Jamaica (2014 CFU Caribbean Cup winner) qualified with regional championships last year. The final two teams from CONCACAF will be determined in a double-header playoff set to be disputed Jan. 8, 2016, in Panama City. Trinidad & Tobago will face Haiti, and Panama squares off against Cuba with the winners qualifying for the Copa America Centenario.
The South American field for the tournament features Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Uruguay has been crowned champion of the Copa America a record 15 times, while Chile won its first title at this past year’s edition, which it hosted.
NRG Stadium was chosen from among 24 candidates that originally submitted bids earlier this year. All ten venues passed rigorous standards – including minimum seating capacity of 60,000 and other world-class infrastructure requirements – in order to host matches of this high-profile tournament.
For more information on the Copa America Centenario, visit www.CA2016.com.
