Lionel Messi and Argentina's Copa America journey begins in Atlanta while the USMNT start in Dallas: USA-hosted tournament's venues announced

The announcement arrived Monday afternoon, with the following cities earning hosting rights: Las Vegas, Arlington, Charlotte, Kansas City x2, Orlando, Miami Gardens, Santa Clara, Atlanta, East Rutherford, Houston, Austin, Inglewood and Glendale. The tournament will kick off on June 20 with the reigning-champions Argentina playing in Atlanta, while the USMNT will begin their journey in Dallas.

Argentina will look to run it back and claim back-to-back Copa America titles in 2024, while the USMNT will look to prove themselves against the top opposition for their first appearance in eight years in the tournament. Gregg Berhalter and Co. will have their biggest test ahead of hosting the 2026 World Cup in the Copa America, while Lionel Messi will look to add one more trophy to his cabinet before thinking about his international future.

The last time the USMNT competed in the Copa America was 2016, when they were invited for the 100-year anniversary of the prestigious tournament. They took 4th place, falling to Colombia 1-0 in the third-place match.

The tournament begins June 20, with the group stage running until July 2. The quarterfinals will then kickoff on July 4 - Independence day in the USA - and run through July 6, with the semifinals on July 9 & 10 and the final on July 14. The tournament will play host to 10 CONMEBOL teams and six guest teams from Concacaf - with four of the six being confirmed in the United States, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama. The other two participants from Concacaf will be determined via playoff matches between Canada and Trinidad & Tobago, and then Costa Rica and Honduras.