New York, United States (AFP) — The United States Soccer Federation wants to launch a new 16-team international tournament next year featuring 10 sides from South America and the strongest teams from the Concacaf region, the New York Times reported yesterday.

The Times said in a report that USSF president Carlos Cordeiro had sent a letter to the 10 federations which make up Conmebol offering to stage the new tournament.

The event, which strongly resembles the successful 2016 Copa America Centenario held throughout the United States, would be held at the same time as the 2020 European Championship.

The Times report said that the proposed event would guarantee nearly $200 million to be shared amongst the invited teams and their ruling bodies.

It follows discussions held over the past year between officials from Conmebol and Comcacaf about a possible new tournament.

The winners of the tournament would earn more than $11 million.

The proposal will be discussed next week in Miami, ahead of a meeting of Fifa’s Council on March 15.

The 2016 Copa America Centenario was staged at venues across the United States to mark the 100th anniversary of the South American footballing showpiece.

The event featured 10 members of South America and six teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf).

The success of that tournament, which saw Chile beat Argentina in the final on penalties, served as a precursor to the successful North American bid for the 2026 World Cup.

The proposed 2020 tournament would feature a group stage and a knockout round to decide a winner.

The Times report noted, however, that it remained to be seen how the US-backed proposal would be greeted by Conmebol.

The South American federation is staging a Copa America in Brazil this year, but has planned to switch the tournament to the same schedule as the European Championship from 2020. No host nation has yet been allocated for the 2020 event.