🌎 Concacaf-CONMEBOL alliance gives the Americas what they needed

...except for moving Copa América. On the new partnership:

The flirting is over. Concacaf and CONMEBOL changed their relationship status Friday, announcing a strategic collaboration agreement that will see the Americas’ two governing bodies work together on a number of projects.

Among those, the 2024 Copa América will take place in the United States and feature six Concacaf teams, the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will feature four guest teams from South America and the launch of a new tournament, a “Final Four” for men’s club that sounds suspiciously like my proposed Pele Cup tournament.¹

🌎 Introducing the Pele Cup

This is the exact alliance both confederations needed.

“Today’s strategic partnership announcement will enhance football across our region and in both our confederations,” Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said in a video statement released today. “This will prepare us in our region - both on and off the field - to really be ready for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

While the pluses are obvious for Concacaf, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez emphasized in his statement that the agreement should be mutually beneficial.

Some will criticize CONMEBOL for going for a straight money grab. It is a shame Copa América has been taken off its traditional hosting rotation. Local fans are seeing less and less of the teams they love and support, with more tournaments being moved to alternate locations, whether it be Saudi Arabia or the United States.

Moving to the U.S. in 2016 for the ‘centennial’ edition was a thinly veiled chance to pocket some greenbacks. The change for the 2024 edition makes sense for the Concacaf teams on a sporting level, with the three North American hosts getting high-caliber games next summer². For the South Americans, the non-cash benefit is less obvious.

🌎 Does Concacaf need CONMEBOL?

Yet, what has been obvious for more than a decade now is the continuing shift of resources and attention to UEFA and the European competitions it oversees. While CONMEBOL may be clearly ahead of Concacaf when it comes to senior men’s national teams, the holistic view reveals something different.

Concacaf remains miles ahead when it comes to the senior women’s level, even as it begins revamping its women’s competitions to allow teams that aren’t traditional powers to get more games and have more regularity.

Whether it’s just a nod or not, bringing four South American teams in for the first W Gold Cup is an opportunity for the Americas to unite and push back against the growing strength of European women’s teams, with South American teams rarely testing their level against squads outside the region.

And, while South American clubs generally have more history and prestige, there is clearly something flat about the game. Top talents are snatched up by European clubs before local fans have a chance to connect with them. And unless they play for a Brazilian or Argentine team, the chances of making it to even the Libertadores quarterfinal are next to nil, such is the dominance of teams from those two countries in the last several years.

Liga MX’s economic might and MLS’ evolution into an excellent development league have been a source of interest in South American soccer circles for some time.

That leads to the Pele Cup tournament, something that the confederations can utilize to generate revenue, yes, but also to push their top teams to consider what it will mean to play top international competition from outside the region more often than one team potentially doing so once a year at the Club World Cup.

Europe is king of the sport right now, even if the Americas has shown through reigning world champions Argentina and the United States that this part of the world has the talent to compete. What we’re lacking is the organization, the investment and, quite frankly, the belief.

Leaders here can throw up their hands and accept the reality, profiting from players moving to Europe and hoping the raw materials we send are polished into gems that can compete.

Or, they can try to change the paradigm.

This is the equivalent of kicking a rock down the mountaintop, but if there’s more that follows, it could be the start of an avalanche that turns the tide and makes the Americas, together, the strongest and best region for the sport in the world.

1. (Not that I am the only person who has had the idea for a combined cup competition in a single location)

2. They will have to qualify, with Concacaf also upping the stakes for the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League