Thirteen Major League Soccer markets and 11 additional US cities have expressed interest in hosting matches for the Copa America Centenario tournament in 2016, when the best teams from North, Central and South America will compete for the first time on US soil.
The deadline for venues to submit their proposal is March 16, 2015, and the cities chosen will be announced in May. It is anticipated that between eight and 13 stadiums will be selected. A minimum seating capacity of 50,000 is required for tournament venues.
The current MLS cities that have expressed interest are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Chicago, Boston, Kansas City, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Seattle.
Atlanta has also expressed interest ahead of its 2017 MLS debut, along with Phoenix, San Diego, Jacksonville, Tampa, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland and Nashville.
"Everyone understands the tournament will be a huge event during the summer of 2016, and it's exciting to see all of these cities putting together bids to be involved,” USSF president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “With over 18 months until the tournament starts, we already are starting to see the impact and interest the tournament will have with soccer fans across the United States."
The 2016 Copa America Centenario will feature six teams from CONCACAF and all 10 teams from CONMEBOL: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
From CONCACAF, host USA and Mexico are automatic qualifiers, while Costa Rica (2014 Copa Centroamericana winner) and Jamaica (2014 Caribbean Cup winner) qualified this fall. The final two teams will be determined via a playoff to be held among the top four finishers at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup not already qualified for the Copa America Centenario.
