CHICAGO: Venues for the controversial Copa America Centenario have been named by the South and North American confederations, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF.

The 10 are: Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Seattle.

The tournament will mark the 100th anniversary of the initial South American championship,  the oldest surviving national team tournament in the world game. It will be played between June 3-26 though its staging had been in doubt for some time because of the ongoing FIFAGate investigation being run by the US Department of Justice.

Senior officials of both CONMEBOL and CONCACAF have been implicated in a $150m bribery scam concerning commercial rights to international football competitions in the Americas.

Some 24 cities originally submitted bids. The stadia had to possess minimum seating capacity of 60,000.

“These 10 cities and venues will provide a fantastic setting for fans across the world to attend Copa America Centenario and allow them to see the amazing passion for soccer in the United States,” said US Soccer president Sunil Gulati.

“The participating teams and fans will be treated to a first-class environment in each city and stadium, adding to the world-class talent that will be competing on the field. We are looking forward to working closely with all of the cities and venues in hosting this prestigious event and creating an extraordinary experience for fans.”