Since its creation in 1916, the Copa America has established itself as the second most important competition for the teams of that continent, just behind the World Cup.
A title in the Copa America is a milestone in itself, but does it also serve as a qualifier for other competitions? And namely, will the winner of the 2024 edition book a spot at the World Cup in 2026, which is also being played in the United States.
The Sporting News has all the details.
MORE: Copa America 2024 full bracket and latest results
Does the Copa America champion qualify for the next World Cup?
The Copa America champion does not qualify for the next World Cup.
To this end, CONMEBOL and CONCACF carry out their own qualifying processes, where the teams from South America on the one hand, and from North America, Central America and the Caribbean on the other, seek their place in the next quadrennial global gathering.
The Copa America does function as a qualifier for the Finalissima, which since it was recovered from its old version (Artemio Franchi Cup) and put into the calendar again in 2022 — Argentina beat Italy 3-0 — pits the winner of the Americas competition against to the European Championship winners.
Teams in Copa America 2024
The 16 teams in the 2024 Copa America were broken up into four pots of four teams each for the group-stage draw.
Pot 1 consisted of four pre-drawn teams broken up into the first position in each of the four groups. First were defending champions Argentina, who were pre-selected into Group A and given the opening match of the tournament.
To round out Pot 1 was reigning CONCACAF Gold Cup champions Mexico, hosts and defending CONCACAF Nations League champions USA, and the next highest-ranked CONMEBOL side Brazil.
The remaining four pots were arranged by FIFA ranking, with the two CONCACAF playoff winners pre-drawn into Pot 4. Two teams' spots come via the playoffs in March, with Canada beating Trinidad & Tobago and Costa Rica edging past Honduras.
Full list of teams competing at Copa America 2024
| Argentina | Uruguay | Chile | Jamaica |
| Mexico | Colombia | Panama | Bolivia |
| USA (host) | Ecuador | Venezuela | Canada |
| Brazil | Peru | Paraguay | Costa Rica |