All roads lead to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, this Thursday, with the Copa America 2024 opening ceremony set to kick off the continent's premier national footballing extravaganza ahead of the tournament opener between holders Argentina and Canada at the same venue.
The 48th edition of the competition — jointly organized by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the North, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) for only the second time in its history — will feature 16 teams, including the regular 10 from CONMEBOL and six representatives from CONCACAF, such as host nation United States.
The opening ceremony will be staged shortly before Lionel Messi and company take to the field to kick off the tournament that will run through to the final on July 14.
The Sporting News has the key details ahead of the event, including how to watch it across the world and the start time in Atlanta and other major territories.
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What channel is Copa America 2024 opening ceremony on?
Broadcasters from across the world will be showing the best action from Copa America 2024, including the opening ceremony, which will take place around an hour before kickoff on June 20 in the opening match between hosts Argentina and Canada.
Below are the key details on how to watch:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Fox Sports, TUDN, Univision | Fubo, TUDN app/website, ViX |
| Canada | TSN 1, 4, CTV Two, RDS 2 | TSN+, RDS app, CTV app |
| UK | Premier Sports 1 | Premier Sports Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | — |
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USA: Copa America 2024 matches will be broadcast in English on Fox Sports Network with streaming options available on Fubo where new users can sign up to a FREE trial.
In addition to the English-language coverage on Fox Sports, Univision has the rights to broadcast Copa America in Spanish language on Univision, the sports-only channel TUDN, as well as the other sister channels owned by TelevisaUnivision (UniMas). Spanish-language streaming will also be available on ViX.
Canada: TSN and TSN+ is the place to go for Copa America 2024 action in Canada. CTV and RDS are also showing Canada's opener.
Australia: Fans in Australia can follow all the Copa America 2024 action live and on demand on Optus Sport.
UK: Matches at Copa America 2024 will be available on Premier Sports 1 in the UK, with live streaming service offered on Premier Sports Player.
If Copa America 2024 is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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When is the Copa America 2024 opening ceremony?
The tournament kicks off with the opening game, which will see reigning world champions Argentina taking on Canada, at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 20, 2024. The opening ceremony will take place prior to the match.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the renowned home of the NFL's Falcons and MLS' Atlanta United, will host the event and the opening game.
With a seating capacity of 71,000 (expandable to 75,000), the stadium has hosted prestigious American sporting events such as Super Bowl LIII and the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2018. The stadium is well known for its unique retractable roof system.
Who is performing at the Copa America 2024 opening ceremony?
Two days before the opening ceremony, CONMEBOL announced that multi-Grammy-award-winning artist Feid would be the first performer at the event.
The Colombian, who has received rave reviews for his Ferxxoapocalipsis Tour of the U.S. and Canada this year, was teased as the star act of the show when CONMBEOL posted an image of social media of a soccer ball and a pair of glasses adorned with double crosses — a signature look of the Reggaeton performer.
However, Feid won't be the only star lighting up the stage. Rumours persist that Shakira is also performing at the ceremony given that her song "Punteria" is the official anthem of the Copa America. Nothing has yet been confirmed, though.
MORE: Full list of teams playing at Copa America 2024
What time is Copa America 2024 opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony is expected to start either an hour or 30 minutes before kickoff of the opening match between Argentina and Canada on June 20, which is 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. local time (ET).
Here's how that translates around the world:
- USA/Canada (ET): 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
- UK (BST): 12 a.m. or 12:30 a.m. (the following day — June 21)
- Australia (AEST): 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. (the following day — June 21)
- India (IST): 4:30 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. (the following day — June 21)