Copa America, one of the world’s biggest international soccer tournaments, is coming to the Phoenix area this week.
The tournament typically features the 10 South American nations and is played to determine that continent’s champion. This edition is a larger spectacle. It includes the six best nations in North America, rounding out a 16-team tournament that will crown a champion of the Americas.
The 32 games are spread among 13 metro areas, mostly in the southern half of the country. Three of those games will be held in Glendale, at the Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium:
The latter two of the three games figure to be marquee affairs. Mexico and Ecuador are, on paper, the top two teams in Group B. As the final game of the group stage, both teams could be fighting for a berth in the quarterfinals when they arrive in the Valley.
The final game in Glendale, meanwhile, is a quarterfinal. Based on the current odds, the most likely matchup for that game is Brazil vs. the US. That game would feature international soccer’s most historic team against the host country, making it one of the most anticipated games of the tournament.
Copa Ameríca 2024:Mexico vs Ecuador, what to know about match in Arizona
Plenty of tickets for all three games are still available on SeatGeek, which is the official ticketing partner of State Farm Stadium. Including fees, box office tickets start at $65 for Colombia-Costa Rica, $99 for Ecuador-Mexico and $129 for the quarterfinal. Resale tickets may be available cheaper.
Why so expensive? It’s not entirely clear. Typically, CONMEBOL — the governing body for South American soccer — sets prices for Copa America tickets. For this edition, though, ticket sales were delegated to each stadium’s ticketing partner. That means either SeatGeek or Ticketmaster oversaw ticket sales for each venue. Both have become known for obscene prices for sporting events and concerts in recent years.
As such, don’t expect full crowds. The 2016 Copa America — the only previous one held in the U.S. — did average 46,000 fans per game. But in cavernous NFL stadiums, even a repeat of that number would leave large swaths of empty seats at most matches. The one surefire exception will be games featuring Lionel Messi and Argentina, which won the 2022 World Cup.
Still, there will be a festive atmosphere. According to Yahoo Sports, more than a quarter of ticket sales have been to fans traveling from South America for the tournament.
If you can’t make it to State Farm Stadium, the games are broadcast by Fox Sports (in English) and Univision and TUDN (in Spanish).
The majority of games are on Fox Sports 1, with a handful on either Fox or Fox Sports 2. Among the three games in Glendale, only the Mexico-Ecuador game is on Fox. The other two will be on Fox Sports 1.
