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The on-again, off-again Copa America Centenario is back on again, and this time it appears to be permanent. The tournament, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Copa America and feature six CONCACAF teams along with the 10 CONMEBOL nations, will take place from June 3-26, 2016 and could also be coming to Seattle. Seattle was among 24 cities to express formal interest in hosting parts of the tournament and were reportedly among the favorites.
That the tournament is back on is no small feat. It was only a little more than a month ago when U.S. Soccer pulled out of a meeting to discuss the tournament and it was widely believed to be pulling out entirely. CONCACAF and CONMEBOL officials were among those targeted in recent FIFA arrests, and the shady dealings pertaining to the rights to this tournament were a major reason why.
Apparently, tournament officials eventually agreed to make significant concessions on that front in order to get the United States back on board.
The release had this interesting entry:
To ensure there is a transparent governance structure in place to oversee the management and execution of the tournament, all three parties agreed to create a new Executive Committee to govern the event. The Committee, which will be made up of two representatives from CONMEBOL, two representatives from CONCACAF, and one representative from U.S. Soccer, will oversee policy decisions for the tournament and facilitate greater financial transparency regarding funds collected for broadcasting and sponsorships.
As part of the tournament’s new governance structure, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have reclaimed their respective broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event by ending their relationships with Datisa, S.A. The Confederations will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) publicly to ensure transparency and accountability in the selection of new commercial partners.
Where this leaves Seattle is obviously very much in question, and there's been no official timeline as to when a decision might be made. If the tournament comes to Seattle, the Sounders would likely be heavily involved as they now have the promotion rights to any soccer match at CenturyLink Field.