Copa America 2021 moved to Brazil

Bengaluru, May 31: CONMEBOL has confirmed the 2021 Copa America will go ahead as planned, with Brazil taking over hosting duties.

This year's edition of the tournament – postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – had been due to be shared between Colombia and Argentina.

However, Colombia lost co-hosting status amid mounting political unrest in the country, while the event then needed to find a new location after a surge in coronavirus cases ruled out playing games in Argentina.

Copa America won't be held in Argentina as CONMEBOL considers new hosts

CONMEBOL met on Monday to determine the future of the competition, electing to move the tournament to Brazil, who were crowned champions on home soil in 2019.

A post from the governing body's official Twitter account read: "The CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 will be played in Brazil!

¡Brasil recibirá a la CONMEBOL @CopaAmerica 2021! El mejor fútbol del mundo llevará alegría y pasión a millones de sudamericanos. La CONMEBOL agradece al Presidente @jairbolsonaro y su equipo, así como a la Confederación Brasileña de Fútbol @CBF_Futebol,

— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) May 31, 2021

"Tournament start and end dates are confirmed. The venues and the fixture will be informed by CONMEBOL in the next few hours. The oldest national team tournament in the world will make the whole continent vibrate!"

The tournament will run from June 13 to July 10.

Brazil hosted and won the last Copa in 2019. They will now host the Copa America for the second consecutive time after original co-hosts Colombia and Argentina were both stripped of their hosting rights due to political protests and rising COVID-19 cases respectively.

CONMEBOL removes Colombia as co-hosts of next month's Copa America

Colombia, who had been set to host for only the second time, had already been removed as co-hosts on May 20 as a result of street protests against President Ivan Duque, leaving Argentina as the sole host nation.

But Argentina also had their 10th host tournament taken away following a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, with strict lockdown measures imposed last weekend amid a seven-day average of 35,000 cases and 500 deaths.

The CONMEBOL finally decided to award the hosting rights to Brazil.

Brazil, who hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the largest and most populous nation in South America whose national team are the current holders of the Copa America, will now step in at short notice to host the continental competition for the sixth time.

(With OPTA inputs)