MIAMI, Florida — CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the United States Soccer Federation revealed yesterday that 24 US metropolitan areas have indicated their interests in hosting matches during the 2016 Centennial Cup America.

These cities are planning to submit proposals to the event’s Local Organising Committee, US Soccer, to host matches during the historic centennial edition of the South American championship.

The 2016 edition of tournament, which will take place in June, will mark the first time this world-class event has been staged outside of continental South America.

“We are looking forward to taking the first step in the organisation of this historic event that will unite the Americas and the world in 2016,” said CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb.

“The unique opportunities that we have with the Centennial Cup America, flanked by the 2015 and 2017 Gold Cups, will help set the stage to demonstrate how our region is ready to welcome back another FIFA World Cup in 2026.”

It is anticipated that between eight and 13 stadiums will ultimately be selected. One important factor in determining the winning bids will be a recommended stadium seating capacity of at least 50,000, as this high-profile tournament is sure to draw multitudes of fans to each stadium selected.

“The interest level from cities across the nation has been phenomenal,” said US Soccer president Sunil Gulati. “Everyone understands the tournament will be a huge event during the summer of 2016 and it’s exciting to see all of these cities putting together bids to be involved.”

The deadline for proposals is March 16, while winning cities will be announced in May.

The 24 metropolitan areas currently considered for hosting Centennial Cup America matches

Arizona (Phoenix), California (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco), Colorado (Denver),

Washington, DC, Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa), Georgia (Atlanta), Illinois (Chicago),

Indiana (Indianapolis), Maryland (Baltimore), Massachusetts (Boston), Michigan (Detroit),

Missouri (Kansas City, St Louis), New York/New Jersey, Ohio (Cleveland), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Tennessee (Nashville)

Texas (Dallas, Houston), Washington (Seattle).

The 2016 Centennial Cup America will feature six teams from CONCACAF and all 10 teams CONMEBOL.

From CONCACAF, host United States and Mexico are automatic qualifiers, while Costa Rica (2014 Central American Cup winner) and Jamaica (2014 CFU Caribbean Cup winner) qualified with regional championships last year. The final two teams from CONCACAF will be determined via a play-off to be held among the top four finishers at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup not already qualified for the Centennial Cup America.

WEBB… we are looking forward to taking the first step in the organisation this historic event