It was meant to be a grand show, a prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Instead, what would have been just another soccer tournament in the United States turned into a fiasco of organization and seriousness as Concacaf and US Soccer allowed the sport to be “hijacked” in their own backyard as Conmebol saw a lot of profits and not much else.

It has been a week since the world saw the dismay that was the Colombia-Argentina final at Hard Rock Stadium. Not only did unticketed fans storm the entrance of the stadium, causing those who paid thousands of dollars to miss the game entirely, but the world also witnessed the negligence of various soccer confederations and cities in trying to maintain order in events that could be considered “high risk”.

Since then, many have asked the question: who is at fault for some of the things that happened at the Copa America? Is this a reflection of US Soccer governance, or was it just a “cash grab” for Conmebol and not much else? We dive in to take a look at what went wrong at Copa America 2024.

Conmebol refused help

According to various journalists like Nico Cantor and Felipe Cárdenas, from the very beginning Conmebol was not too keen on getting help from US Soccer or Concacaf in the organization of the tournament. In 2016, due to the FIFAGate investigation with many of the Conmebol and Concacaf executives facing extradition and jail, the 2016 Copa America was in danger of being canceled. It was Soccer United Marketing, SUM, the marketing hub of Major League Soccer when it comes to most of the soccer played in the country, and US Soccer who took on many of the organizational responsibilities and costs, and according to ESPN made around $75 million for stepping in.

Alejandro Dominguez

Despite a few hiccups with wrong anthems being played during matches, an upside-down flag of Bolivia, and spelling Colombia as “Columbia,” the tournament went off without a hitch.

Fast forward to 2023, and Conmebol made it clear that they had no interest in giving up such profits for the 2024 edition of the tournament. While US Soccer served as “consultants,” the federation, according to CBS Sports, was paid $10 million to let Conmebol host the event on American soil.

That same CBS Sports report stated that US Soccer collected 5% of all ticket sales of the Copa America and will make between $20 to $25 million for simply allowing Conmebol to take over in their own backyard.

Concacaf, on the other hand, simply had their teams participate and were nothing more than a point of reference for certain items by Conmebol.

According to various reports, Conmebol did not heed recommendations by security staff, Concacaf, and US Soccer for many aspects of the tournament, from security at games to catering for journalists.

Conmebol’s logistical nightmare

As has become public record by Marcelo Bielsa’s rant, Conmebol did not provide adequate facilities for many of the national teams who participated in the tournament. Bielsa mentioned that the practice fields were so bad that Bolivia was forced to not train one day.

Bielsa and Lionel Scaloni also mentioned the poor laying of grass fields in many of the venues, some having been laid down on a week’s notice. This caused the ball to bounce and the grass systems to not be connected for an even surface.

Then there are claims by journalists that Conmebol charged reporters for food for those working on-site throughout much of the tournament. Normally, in major events like these hosted in the United States, reporter catering is paid for.

Conmebol was negligent, but US Soccer and Concacaf are also to blame

Taking the money and running has become a modus operandi for Conmebol, who over the last few years have not been able to organize their own club tournament finals, as one Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors had to be played in Madrid, Spain, given no one in Argentina could guarantee safety.

Since the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana have been moved to a one-venue final, the Sudamericana has suffered from poor attendance, while the Copa Libertadores has stood firm with big crowds.

To many South American traditionalists the club finals have become pats on the back for executives and sponsors rather than the passionate finals of old, which now require some fans to make 7 hour long flights for games they used to be able to go see locally when played as a two leg final. 

Knowing how Conmebol has operated in the past, and promoting the Copa America as a “dress rehearsal” for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the US Soccer federation showed little intelligence in just allowing Conmebol to do whatever they wanted in terms of logistics to a tournament that was meant to elevate soccer in the United States.

Conmebol and stadium securities as well made infantile mistakes during the competition, like seating the family of players, such as the family and friends of the Uruguayan national team, in regular seating with rival fans, as was the case in the semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia.

The end result was a disgraceful scene that resulted in Uruguayan players having to leap into the crowd and fight with fans to protect their wives, children, and in some cases elderly parents.

Local authorities are also in the spotlight for their poor work leading up to the event, in not having enough personnel at the stadium to help security deal with unruly fans and mobs of people who were intoxicated or fighting. Blame can also be shared that Conmebol, Concacaf, and US Soccer did not do enough to help local authorities understand the importance of some of the games played in an effort to avoid public maylays.

Nothing of the 2024 Copa America seemed to be a unified effort, which was the big highlight of the 1994 World Cup. Each game seemed to be a one-off in terms of logistics and security.

It can also not go without stating that the fans, who went to a sporting event with no ticket with the criminal intention of breaking in without paying, cannot be without blame. The lesson learned by many is that come 2026 our world is a vastly different place, and things may not be as smooth as the 1994 World Cup. People’s feelings of entitlement and lax repercussions for running on fields, putting people in danger, being filmed breaking into a stadium, or throwing objects with little prosecution, is a major warning that for 2026 everyone must bring their A game.

The aftermath

The aftermath of the Copa America for all involved looks very different. For Conmebol, it’s back to business as usual. To them, Argentina won the Copa America, the tournament was a major success, and anyone who had anything ill to say about the competition could be facing sanctions as is the case of Marcelo Bielsa.

The players of Uruguay could also be facing sanctions for protecting their families in a logistics error that Conmebol and the organizers have refused to own up to.

US Soccer, muddled in their own crisis upon firing Gregg Berhalter as USMNT coach, has had little to say about the Copa America, and Concacaf has also been very quiet.

As for Hard Rock Stadium, they issued a statement stating that fans who could not enter the match for the final are “encouraged to reach out to Ticketmaster to request a refund”.

The Copa America came and went, Argentina and Lionel Messi lifted the trophy, and nearly a week later Soccer is back to where it is in the United States, a niche sport that promises to rise again for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Maybe this time they can get it right.