Seattle selected as one of 10 host cities for soccer’s Copa America

SEATTLE – Copa America is coming not only to the United States for the first time, but to Puget Sound.

CenturyLink Field was announced Thursday as one of 10 U.S. stadiums that will play host to 2016 Copa America Centenario, the centennial edition of the championship of South American soccer.

This centennial tournament is the first to be held outside of South America. It will feature 10 teams from CONMEBOL (the South American soccer confederation), and six from CONCACAF (representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean).

The tournament will be played June 3-26 in the metro areas of Boston (Gillette Stadium), Chicago (Soldier Field), Houston (NRG Stadium), Los Angeles (Rose Bowl), New York (MetLife Stadium), Orlando, Florida, (Citrus Bowl), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), Phoenix (University of Phoenix Stadium), San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium) and Seattle. Those venues were chosen from an original list of 24 applicants.

“On behalf of Seattle Sounders FC, we are honored to welcome Copa America Centenario to Seattle next summer,” Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer said in a news release. “This is a prestigious tournament that is truly global in scale, and we’re thrilled for fans in the Pacific Northwest that will be able to take part at CenturyLink Field.”

Sounders FC season ticket holders are eligible to purchase Copa America tickets in a special presale. Others can receive ticket information at www.CA2016.com.

CONCACAF will be represented by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and winners from Trinidad & Tobago vs. Haiti and Panama vs. Cuba matches Jan. 8 in Panama City. The South American field is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Uruguay has won the tournament a record 15 times, while Chile is the defending champion.