🌎 Where does Concacaf's collaboration agreement with CONMEBOL stand?
Two out of three ain't bad
Ask someone from the U.S. how many continents are, then ask a Colombian the same, and you’ll likely get a different answer. Those in the U.S. count seven, while many South Americans count five. For plenty of people in the Western Hemisphere, America is one continent, stretching from Canada to Chile.
From a soccer standpoint, it’s clear both ‘halves’ of the Americas have plenty in common. Mexican fans hope to see their clubs back in the Copa Libertadores - CONMEBOL’s version of the Champions Cup. It’s unlikely, but the cultural ties are still strong.
Yet, we are separated on the international soccer landscape, with CONMEBOL comprised of the 10 Latin American nations in South America and Concacaf picking up (basically) everything else.
There have been plenty of blogs, videos and social media posts about the idea of a coming together. When I was on the BBC’s World Football Phone-In, Brazil-based expert Tim Vickery and I probably got a question about the confederations merging every other episode.
A full meld isn’t on the horizon, but two years ago this week Concacaf and CONMEBOL announced a ‘strategic collaboration agreement’. It was the first time since the 2016 Copa América Centenario that the confederations formally unveiled plans to work together.
“CONMEBOL and Concacaf are united by historical and affective ties. But above all, we are united by the passion, characteristic of all the Americas, for football and sports,” CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said at the time. “We are determined to renew and expand our joint initiatives and projects.”
There were three key elements to the agreement
The first was that the two confederations would work together to organize the 2024 Copa América. That happened last summer. Venues around the U.S. hosted the tournament, six invited teams from Concacaf participated and the stated goals from both sides - CONMEBOL assisting its teams in preparing on and off the field for the 2026 World Cup in North America and Concacaf providing its top teams more high-level competition - were achieved.
The second was increased collaboration when it comes to women’s national teams. Four CONMEBOL teams were invited to the W Gold Cup. That happened last year, with the United States beating Brazil in a March 10 final. Again, the goals from each side look to have been reached.
The third was a club competition between two clubs from CONMEBOL and two from Concacaf in a single-site Final Four.
In my analysis after the collaboration was announced, I noted it was similar to an idea I’d cooked up several years earlier: “We need a December tournament in a single-site, featuring the Libertadores champion and runner-up and the Concacaf Champions League champion and runner-up,” I wrote in July 2022
Unlike the other two tournaments, that has not happened.
Don’t look for the club competition to take place - at least not any time soon
Asking around on the second anniversary of the strategic collaboration agreement, I found that idea has been tabled. Months after the announcement from Concacaf and CONMEBOL, FIFA announced its expanded Club World Cup.
Unsurprisingly and understandably, both confederations want to play nice with FIFA. As the global governing body has continued to double and triple down on the expanded Club World Cup, the appetite for conducting a four-team tournament that could be seen as competition fell off.
Plus, a few folks noted, it actually is somewhat redundant now. In addition to the teams like the Seattle Sounders and Botafogo clashing in this summer’s Club World Cup, the current Concacaf Champions Cup holder Pachuca played Botafogo at FIFA’s International Cup in Qatar this winter. That’s the type of matchup fans would’ve seen had this regional tournament gotten off the ground.
The idea isn’t entirely dead, but if FIFA’s club calendar continues to include both the Intercontinental Cup with its “Derby of the Americas”, it isn’t something that will be carried out.
No tournament … but no beef, either
After the chaos at Hard Rock Stadium that forced authorities to delay the final, there was quick finger-pointing. That, plus the differences in organization that were clear from the 2016 Centenario to the 2024 Copa América has led to speculation that the relationship between officials in the confederations may have grown icy.
Instead, it seems Concacaf and CONMEBOL remain open to collaboration, and fans could see more in the future. Of course, Concacaf also maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with other confederations, too. It recently cited its MOU with the Asian Football Confederation in its announcement that Saudi Arabia would be invited to the 2025 and 2027 editions of the Gold Cup.
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No matter the potential pettiness between confederations, it seems that FIFA is the parent that can make sure everyone plays nice. Should there be another collaboration that makes sense for Concacaf and CONMEBOL, expect no hesitation.
What’s the other continent that the Colombian doesn’t count? Australia?
I had been wondering where things stood on the club competition front. Thanks for this update!