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In many ways, Copa America is an unofficial dry-run in preparation for World Cup 2026. But the CONMEBOL tournament has already exposed several issues in the United States that need to be addressed by FIFA before the World Cup kicks off in 2026.
It’s important to mention that the 2024 Copa America, hosted in the United States, only features one-third the number of teams at World Cup 2026. Copa America includes 16 nations. World Cup 2026, played mostly in the United States but also in Mexico and Canada, features a record 48 nations.
Let’s go through the issues one by one that have been exposed at this Copa America:
1. Some of the stadium fields are of poor quality
Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and MetLife Stadium just outside of New York City have been two points of focus. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said the state of the pitch in Atlanta was a disaster. Kamal Miller, a defender on the opposing team, said the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium felt hollow. Even Vini Jr has criticized the Copa America pitches, which should be a wake-up call for World Cup organizers.
Likewise, in Argentina’s game at MetLife Stadium, sand shot up across the pitch with the temporary grass on top of the stadium’s turf.
In Los Angeles, Mexico star Edson Alvarez suffered a non-contact injury that has since ruled him out for the rest of the Copa America. If you watch a replay of the incident, you’ll see Alvarez (shirt number four) suffer an injury due to the field surface. Luis Advíncula suffered a similar injury in Copa America at AT&T Stadium.
Eight of the 14 venues in use for the Copa America will also feature in the World Cup in 2026. Of those, five have used temporary real grass on top of traditional artificial turf. Seven stadiums at the World Cup will follow that trend. However, if the host United States can’t prepare pitches for the Copa America, concerns arise for the World Cup in two years.
Price issues mar Copa America:…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/copa-america/copa-america-issues-reveal-us-is-not-ready-for-world-cup-2026/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-07-01 14:00:00
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