MEXICO
Mexico to be seeded team in Copa América, will top Group B in draw
El Tri were given the news by CONMEBOL that the current Gold Cup holders will be top of Group B in the Copa América draw.
The Mexican National Team can rest assured that they will be one of the seeded sides in next summer’s Copa América 2024.
Given the new FIFA ranking released at the end of November, speculation floated around that El Tri were set to be selected as second seeds during the group stage draw. The release of the new FIFA ranking showed that Jaime Lozano’s side had dropped down and had been overtaken by four teams that will be at the continental competition: Argentina, Brazil, United States and Uruguay.
Why will Mexico be a seeded team in the Copa América draw?
However, it has now been revealed the Mexico, along with the USMNT, Argentina and Brazil, will indeed be one of the seeded teams in the draw and will, as a result top Group B in the Copa América group stage.
This comes after their Gold Cup triumph in which they overcame Panama in the final, held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood: Santiago Giménez got an 87th minute winner to give El Tri the trophy at the end of the night.
Article 21 of CONMEBOL regulations for the Copa América 2024 states the following: “The reigning champion of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, qualified through the CONCACAF Nations League 2023/2024, will be the seeded team in Group B”.
With this, Edson Álvarez, Santiago Giménez and co. have secured their place in at the top of the second group of the tournament, leaving behind the rumours that had speculatively placed Uruguay as the top seed. This news comes as a nice surprise for fans after Mexico dropped two places in the FIFA ranking from 12th to 14th following the defeat and win against Honduras.
When is the Copa América draw?
The draw for the tournament will take place on December 7 and will be held in Miami, the new unofficial home of soccer in the US. Since the arrival of Lionel Messi, the city of Miami has seen a huge surge in interest regarding football in the country, with various other sporting events being held in and around the Florida location.
What is also known is that Jaime Lozano’s side will come up against at least one South American team in their group, as the potential teams in Group B include Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.