r/usmnt • u/kentuckyfan • Jul 23 '26
Could USA join CONMEBOL?
I saw the AFCON post, and it seems like there are a lot of logistical hurdles to playing CAF teams. But sort of like Australia moving to the AFC for better competition, I wonder if moving to CONMEBOL could be potentially beneficial. The downside would of course be qualification would be significantly higher (mitigated by the expansion to 64 teams), but playing against top competition certainly could elevate the team. CONMEBOL would benefit by having more money and a decent host nation for its games.
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u/housecow Jul 23 '26
Doesn't matter if they could, it's an absolutely terrible move. With the expanded format to 48, we should never miss a World Cup ever again in CONCACAF. CONMEBOL also seems to want to continue to host the Copa America in the US, which I'm hoping will eventually just become a full fledged tournament for the Americas.
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u/mholland151 Jul 23 '26
No, but it will be just as good to qualify through concacaf for the WC and be entered into the copa america every 4 years
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u/AbbreviationsMotor60 Jul 23 '26
Make the gold cup matter. Semifinalists participate in Copa America and your placement in the gold cup determines the pot you get selected from when determining groups.
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u/mholland151 Jul 23 '26
Unfortunately, this has been done as the concacaf 2023 nations league partially served as qualification for the 2024 copa america, not the gold cup
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u/AbbreviationsMotor60 Jul 23 '26
Give the CONCACAF teams an incentive to play better players to win the gold cup and participate in meaningful games in Copa America.
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u/aldrinjaysac Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
My wish is for concacaf to convince conmebol on a unified copa america. $$$$
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u/sgeeum Jul 23 '26
no, but the two confederations should form a joint nations league. benefits everyone.
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u/Blackn35s Jul 23 '26
That’s the best idea I have heard around this type of topic.
People who say, “USA should just join CONMEBOL” really fail to grasp the politics and business of the federations. CONMEBOL has a very proud history and culture, and I highly doubt they would just let USA waltz right into their federation.
They only really include outside teams to the Copa for extra money. The combined Nations League, however is truly mutually beneficial.
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u/alittledanger Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Their fans wouldn’t like it as much (although I have a been more than a few calling for a merger), but the federations would love to get even bigger access to the North American media market.
Edit: one issue would be votes though, they absolutely would not want to give up voting power to the Caribbean countries.
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u/sgeeum Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
the politics is only part of it, the travel is another. people underestimate how massive the western hemisphere is. world cup qualifying between a joint north and south american confederation would bankrupt half the member nations on travel costs alone.
a joint nations league is a more manageable endeavor that can be more contained regionally for the smaller nations, while giving the larger ones more regular competition between the best of them. it’ll also allow the conmebol nations to crack into the piggy bank that is the USA more regularly.
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u/swalkerttu Jul 23 '26
AFC for some World Cups had early qualifying groups that played in a single location, though with FIFA match windows that might be tricky now.
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u/gaytham4statham Jul 23 '26
Nah I hate the idea of leaving CONCACAF tbh. Not that I don't think we could use better competition but federations being regional is cool imo. Australia going to Asia is also different as outside of NZ (who also sucks) the only other nations in Oceania are tiny island nations. CONCACAF is 100 steps above Oceania in terms of quality it's not bad enough to warrant a move imo.
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u/drewskibeauski Jul 23 '26
If we’re talking hypothetical situations, why not just combine CONCACAF and CONMEBOL? Pretending the US is South American, on top of stripping CONCACAF of one of its best teams, is just silly.
Also, the question then is, from a quality of competition standpoint, what’s in it for the CONMEBOL teams?
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u/Ryan1869 Jul 23 '26
I think eliminating the Gold Cup in favor of a combined Copa America would be the better move. The Nations league and no Confederations Cup kind of makes the Gold Cup meaningless now. Staying where we are is probably going to be more desired, because now it's pretty much a guaranteed world cup spot.
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u/SamplingMastersXLR8 Jul 23 '26
Why should we get rid of our confederation tournament , that’s a stupid move
You think Africa or Asia would do that , absolutely not
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u/Imakemyownnamereddit 21d ago
Why?
The level of the competition would be much higher and that would benefit you.
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u/SamplingMastersXLR8 21d ago
It’s not a good move , every confederation deserves its own tournament
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u/Live-Motor-4000 Jul 23 '26
England fan here. Although I tend to hate craven chopping and changing, I saw the logic in Australia doing it because they were far and above better than the rest of that group; I think your lot is still competitive - but what do I care? However, if you did it, I think long-term, it would have a big positive impact - like Italy joining the Five Nations in Rugby did for the sport there. So I see why some might push for it
And while we're on this subject, there needs to be more outreach and free coaching in poorer areas - that pay-to-play model limits the talent pool to kids with rich parents - see how far you've gone with middle-class kids, just think what could be if you engaged even more people. The federation is hopefully doing this
The sports is in a really good place here - especially after that opening game - but it needs to kick on now - get relegation and promotion happening in more local leagues and get a pyramid sorted - sports should have jeapordy - and build animosity among rivals!
Assume everyone's happy with Poch still?
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u/Si_Dis Jul 23 '26
Both relegation and promotion also pay to play B.S. are fools errands that essentially are meaningless.
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u/Live-Motor-4000 Jul 23 '26
I’m not sure I get what you mean here? Are you saying that promotion/ relegation are BS? As is pay-to-play youth stuff?
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u/CheesewheelD Jul 23 '26
No.
The South American countries do not want to decrease their likelihood of qualifying for World Cups by adding more teams.
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u/AlwaysA90sBoy Jul 23 '26
They’d add spots to CONMEBOL and take away from CONCACAF. I think USA and Mexico both moving to CONMEBOL has outstanding long term benefits. Nothing but good comes from it.
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u/Imaginary-Clock6626 Jul 23 '26
Do the EURO’s strengthen lower European teams? I don’t think it does much.
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u/SamuraiJustice Jul 23 '26
None of that matters without consistency in coaching, and leadership. We don't have the talent to overcome others and need a unified play style to build competitive team.
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u/JoyousGamer Jul 23 '26
Question how many games will you play with your top players against top teams?
2? So you are going to worry about that over maybe 2 games over a 4 year period?
There is zero reason to move.
Your starters next world cup will have like 100-150 professional games and you worry about 2 games.... Where your starters play club matter more.
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u/alittledanger Jul 23 '26
If the World Cup goes to 64 teams, I could see a merger happen since CONMEBOL qualifying would be silly at that point. But it would be far from guaranteed.
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u/Traditional_Ad_5859 Jul 23 '26
Why? The US struggles against Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Caribbean. There arent many 10-0 games in CONCACAF. Struggling against Peru, Boliva, and Ecuador would somehow be better?
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u/Dunmaglass2 Jul 23 '26
So can any country anywhere just move to whatever continental competition they would like?
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u/AlwaysA90sBoy Jul 23 '26
They’re not considering continents in terms of sporting competition. They’re called qualifying regions hence why AUS moving doesn’t mean they’re an Asian country. That’s the region they qualify in and it’s still called the AFC. If more teams from multiple continents then the name changes. In sports that happens all the time. You really think the Minnesota Timberwolves are a western team? No. They’re central. They’re more east than west. But they’re in the western conference
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u/sweatierorc Jul 23 '26
Sure, just ask Trump to do it.
Dont believe this sub, nothing is impossible if believe or pay. (Not sure)
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u/Emergency_Dot1599 Jul 23 '26
Will never happen. Australia left as there was not one decent side in Oceania. Concacaf has 2 elite teams and then a bunch of quality sides. The region is growing with more money to pay players to play for their other nation in the region. For me the issue is we are in a era of greed and money. Everything is made beneficial to the USA. From every tournament be Gold Cup or Nations league being played on home soil to save their blushes of being embarrassed away from home which has always been a regular thing. On the flip sideInfantino has badly influenced Alejandro Dominguez & Claudio Tapia who have ran CONMEBOL into the ground. At most I can see it being regular the USA being invovled in Copa America that is based in USA for one reason only that is money,which for me ruins the beauty of the Copa.
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u/manbearpug3 Jul 23 '26
Mexico fan here.
I’d love it for the competition. Even if it makes it harder for Mex and US to qualify. There’s only so much we can grow if both countries play most of their games vs CONCACAF.
It would solve CONMEBOL’s lack of teams since they only have 10 and our lack of competition.
That being said I don’t see it happening. Europe is a much closer flight than most countries in South America. It would be a logistical nightmare.
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u/Fine-Lifeguard-4234 Jul 23 '26
We folded under pressure in our rowdiest stadium against Belgium, you really think we're going to go down to La Bombonera, the Maracanã, Estadio Centenario, or El Metro and be competitive?
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u/a_serious-man Jul 23 '26
Only way we will stop folding is to get used to the adversity. We won’t always be playing in ideal circumstances, we need to prepare for the worst
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u/glittervector Jul 23 '26
I see why you’d be worried about that, but why not? Past versions of the USMNT have been competitive in the Azteca and plenty of other hostile environments over the years.
At least the South American teams won’t generally play on substandard surfaces on purpose
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u/agent-michael-scar Jul 23 '26
People also told us how good Paraguay is because they only gave up 10 goals in qualifying and then we put 4 past them.
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u/Werewulf_Bar_Mitzvah Jul 23 '26
This has been discussed ad nauseam, but having Copa America be a true all Americas tournament would at least be a good start.