Houston is one of ten American cities selected to host the 2016 Copa América Centenario, a historic tournament featuring the best national teams from North America, South America and the Caribbean. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the famous South American tournament, it will be staged in the United States for the first time next June. As a benefit to Houston Dynamo and Dash season ticket members, a special private sale will be available to purchase tickets for the Copa América Centenario matches. More information on the presale and general ticket allocation process will be communicated in the coming weeks. To purchase Dynamo or Dash season tickets, call 713-276-GOAL or visit www.HoustonDynamo.com/tickets. Here is a primer on the tournament, which is on par with the European Championships and will feel like a mini-World Cup across the U.S. next summer.

Copa América is the oldest international soccer tournament in the world. The first edition was held in Argentina in 1916. For the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the tournament, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL partnered to host a special edition of the event in the United States in the summer of 2016: the Copa América Centenario.

The Copa América Centenario will mark the first time the historic South American championship has been played outside of that region, and represents the most important sporting event to come to North American shores in decades – rivaling the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games in grandeur and relevance to the world of sport. It will be the largest soccer event with the most impact in the United States since the 1994 FIFA World Cup

The Copa América Centenario will be held in 10 cities across the United States. The event will kick off on June 3 and culminate with the Final on Sunday, June 26, 2016.

The schedule and ticketing information is expected to be released in early to mid-December

The tournament draw will be held in the early part of 2016

The official tournament was added to the FIFA Events Calendar, which assures that the participating countries can call-up the best players available for this historic event.

The host metropolitan areas and respective stadiums are: Boston (Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA), Chicago (Soldier Field), Houston (NRG Stadium), Los Angeles (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA), New York, New Jersey (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ), Orlando (Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), Phoenix (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ), San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium, Bay Area), and Seattle (CenturyLink Field).

Los Angeles (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA), New York, New Jersey (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ), Orlando (Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), Phoenix (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ), San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium, Bay Area), and Seattle (CenturyLink Field). Like the World Cup, stadiums will host multiple match days. Most stadiums will host three matches.

Four of the top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings will be at the tournament: Argentina (3), Brazil (8), Chile (5) and Colombia (7). There will be 16 teams participating in this event:

10 from CONMEBOL: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

6 from CONCACAF: United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica, plus two TBD.

The final two teams from CONCACAF will be determined in a double-header playoff set to be disputed on January 8, 2016, in Panama City. Trinidad & Tobago vs. Haiti and Panama vs. Cuba; the winner of each match qualifies for the Copa América Centenario.

To compare with 1994 World Cup held in the United States: Three of the same stadiums will be used, all since remodeled (Rose Bowl, Soldier Field, Citrus Bowl)

Three of the same cities, but with new state of the art stadiums (New York, Boston, Bay Area)

Four cities that did not host the 1994 World Cup will host the Copa América Centenario: Houston, Phoenix, Seattle and Philadelphia