Advertisement

UEFA Euro 2020 champions Italy will face CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 winners Argentina in June 2022, the governing bodies of the respective continents have confirmed.

The governing body of European football, UEFA, announced an agreement for three editions of the intercontinental match, called Copa EuroAmerica. The second edition will be played in 2024 between the respective winners of the European and South American championships.

While the date and the venue are yet to be confirmed, it is said that the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples - named after the Argentina and Napoli star who died last year -  is being considered as one of the venues.

"By reaching this agreement, Uefa and Conmebol express their commitment to the development of football beyond their geographical zones, as a bridge uniting people, countries, continents and cultures," a statement from the UEFA  read.

"The Uefa executive committee and the Conmebol council also expressed a strong willingness to continue collaborating on other issues of mutual interest going forward.

"The organising of this match is part of the expansion of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which notably includes women’s football, futsal and youth categories, the exchange of referees, as well as technical training schemes," UEFA said.

Cooperation between these two governing bodies follows their opposition to FIFA's proposal to have the World Cup every two years. UEFA's Aleksander Ceferin warned earlier this month that the European football community would boycott the World Cup if it were held every two years.

"We can decide not to play in it," Ceferin told the Times newspaper.

"As far as I know, the South Americans are on the same page. So good luck with a World Cup like that."

According to the proposal, the World Cup would rotate with continental championships, such as the European Championship and Copa America. The event would occur every two years, rather than four as currently is the case.

Featured photo: AFP / Andy Rain

Advertisement