1 USA'S DRESS REHEARSAL
When Ecuador pulled out of a plan to host this summer's competition at the end of 2022, barely an eyebrow was raised.
Copa America hosting duties are seldom straightforward, with changes more normal than a Uruguayan slurping some mate. The previous edition, held in Brazil in 2021, was initially scheduled to take place in Colombia and Argentina a year earlier, before COVID fears redirected proceedings. The 2019 extravaganza was supposed to be in Chile, but also ended up in Brazil, while the 2015 tournament was due to be hosted by Brazil, but switched to Chile. Got it? Good.
What irked many this time was Ecuador's replacement: the USA. Critics claimed the decision - which means the hosts, plus fellow CONCACAF members Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica and Canada, join the fun minimises the 108-year-old competition's prestige. Some even sarcastically labelled this year's event the 'Copa Panamericana'.
On the flip side, it does represent a 2026 World Cup dress rehearsal - to be played across the USA, Canada and Mexico. The States has staged the Copa America once before, a special centenary edition in 2016, and can now test-run eight of the venues used in two summers' time: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, Santa Clara and Kansas City (Missouri).
Other host cities include Austin, Charlotte, Orlando and Phoenix. Las Vegas, too, fresh from Super Bowl hosting duties in February. The last host city is the other Kansas City, found in Kansas state and home to MLS side Sporting Kansas City, immediately across the river from Missouri's Kansas City, home to Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium. We told you nothing was ever straightforward...
2 MESSI'S 'THREE-PEAT'
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NINE REASONS TO BE EXCITED FOR COPA AMERICA
Family feuds, Bielsa's return and an Icelandic dentist - it's all been going on ahead of South America's biggest tournament hosted by, er, the USA. Oh, and Messi's going to be there as well...
30 GREATEST PUNDITS EVER
FFT rates the finest opinion offerers in the history of UK television, via Del Boy, Space Jam and Donald Trump...
"TERRY VENABLES PUT HIS FAITH IN ME AT EURO 96 - I COULDN'T LET HIM DOWN"
Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Michel Platini have more goals at the Euros than Alan Shearer's seven - the forward hit five on home soil to secure the Golden Boot in 1996, and tells FFT why he found form at the perfect moment
HOW DID I FEEL AFTER SCORING NINE GOALS IN FIVE GAMES AT EURO 84? TIRED!
Forty years ago, Michel Platini's Euros-record tally propelled France to glory on home soil... and he wasn't even a forward. No player has ever had a finer European Championship - now, in his own words, he recalls it to FFT
WHY ENGLAND COULD TAKE THE HANDBRAKE OFF AT THE EUROS
Gareth Southgate has been labelled a cautious coach in recent major tournament near-misses - in Germany he might just be more adventurous, which brings risks but also potential reward
GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND
A Frenchman, an Englishman and a local genius walk into a Caucasus country to qualify for a first major tournament - is this a joke? Not for Georgia, who are dreaming big
SYIVINHO KING OF ALBANIA
The former Arsenal defender was an unexpected appointment last year, but he guided the Balkan nation to Euro 2024 - and now he tells FFT that he wants to spring another surprise...
CAPITAINE LEADER LEGENDE
Kylian Mbappe wrote his name into history at successive World Cups. Now France's captain and desperate to break his Euros goal drought, can he make it to the Berlin final and succeed where Zinedine Zidane failed 18 years ago?
JUDE AWAKENING
Three years ago, Jude Bellingham briefly became the European Championship's youngest ever player - now, after a superb debut season at Real Madrid, he's ready to make a greater impact
VIVA RONALDO
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal career was as good as over when he was dropped at the last World Cup - instead, CR7 goes to Euro 2024 as their main man once more, aged 39. Will this be the end, and can he make one last pitch to be considered the greatest?
