The Copa America Centenario is going to be huge – that’s no surprise to soccer fans with international superstars like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez coming to the United States.
Just how huge might surprise you, however. In a recent article in Forbes, it is being estimated that the upcoming 16-team tournament to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of South America’s most prestigious international competition that will be played in 10 cities could be the biggest soccer event in the States since the 1994 World Cup that was played here.
“The scale of the 2016 Copa America Centenario will be, at a minimum, twice the size of Copa America 2015, from both in-stadium attendance, global television reach and US market awareness,” Kathy Carter, President of Soccer United Marketing, Major League Soccer’s commercial arm, told Forbes. “This will be the single biggest soccer event since the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and we expect that to start with the launch of ticket sales.”
The article reports that Copa America is estimating that around 1.5 to 2 million fans will attend the 32 matches across the country. Ticket sales to the general public begin Feb. 3 and fans can visit the tournament website to register for tickets at CA2016.com.
“This event is going to be so big that we believe that it will equal or exceed domestic television ratings for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and we all know how much that event grabbed hold of the country,” said Carter. “Every pub and outdoor viewing party was tuned into soccer. It’s happening again this summer – here.”
