Copa America final to be held at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium - with the tournament opening in Atlanta on June 20 and group draw slated for Dec. 7

The Copa America final is going to be held at the 65,000-seater Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 14 - the home of the Miami Dolphins.

The tournament begins in Atlanta on June 20 with other venues to be announced, but reports on Monday said Los Angeles and Las Vegas will host the semifinals. The group draw, meanwhile, will be held on December 7 in Miami.

The tournament is set to begin on June 20 at 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Major League Soccer's Atlanta United has set numerous attendance records. Defending Copa América champion Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will presumably be one of the teams taking part in the opener.

The retractable-roof stadium near downtown Atlanta, which opened in 2017, will install a grass field over its artificial playing surface for the tournament.

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens already has a Bermuda grass field and seats about 65,000 after a $500 million renovation that included installation of a roof above seating areas. The 36-year-old home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins will host the July 14 final.

If Argentina advances to the championship game, it would give Messi a chance to play in the same market as his current MLS team, Inter Miami.

Copa América is expanding this season, with six teams from North America joining the usual 10 nations from South America that compete for the continental championship. It mirrors a special tournament that was held in 2016 in the United States to mark the centennial of the event - the only previous time it was staged outside of South America.

Copa América hosting duties usually have rotated among the 10 COMNEBOL nations in South America. The arrangement called for Ecuador to host in 2024, but that country backed out because of security issues.

All 10 South American national teams compete in the quadrennial tournament, and two guest teams have been invited to most of the tournaments since 1993.

For the 2024 edition, the CONMEBOL regulars will be joined by six CONCACAF qualifiers, comprised of the four quarterfinal winners in the Nations League and two play-in teams from the quarterfinal losers.

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