MIAMI: The Copa America next year will be co-hosted by Argentina and Colombia – countries six hours apart by air.

CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, decided at a meeting in Miami not to follow up interest expressed in staging the tournament in Australia or the United States.

This year’s Copa is being staged in Brazil and then the competition switches in line with the European Championship.

The 2020 finals will be organised on the basis of two groups of six nations each, five from South America and one guest. The top four in each group will go forward to the knockout stages with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final being played in the same host country.

The decision was a politcal compromise after both Argentina and Colombia bid to play host in 2020.

The change in format increases the number of games and dates of the Copa America. The 2019 tournament features 12 teams split into three four-team groups with eight best advancing to the knockout stage.

The current format involves 26 matches but the 2020 formula means 38.

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