A potential homecoming for Lionel Messi?! 2024 Copa America final to be played in Miami, and Argentina have already qualified for the tournament

It was announced Monday that the opening match of the tournament will take place on June 20 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia - home of MLS side Atlanta United. The final, meanwhile, will take place in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 14.

It would be a storied homecoming for the Argentine, who crafts his trade just down the road from the Miami Dolphins stadium with Inter Miami. The Herons and the Argentine have turned South Florida into a hotbed for soccer since his July arrival to the MLS club, and now, they're set to see the city host one of the most prestigious finals in the history of world soccer.

“We expect stadiums filled with the passion of the entire American continent for the inauguration and final of an unforgettable CONMEBOL Copa America,” said Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL. “In Atlanta, the ball will start rolling and it won’t stop for a month until the final match in Miami. These are magnificent stadiums in wonderful cities. We are grateful for the valuable cooperation of the U.S. authorities and our friends from CONCACAF in the organization of this competition.”

Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the final of the 2021 edition of the tournament, but that's the only Copa title that Messi has in his back pocket. La Albiceleste's last tournament win was in 1993, but overall, they have won 15 times since 1921.

The Group Stage draw takes place on December 7 at 7:30 pm ET in downtown Miami, with teams seeded via their FIFA ranking. The USMNT can clinch a berth in the tournament with a victory vs Trinidad & Tobago Monday evening, while La Albiceleste automatically find themselves in the mix.