As a warmup, perhaps, for the Republican National Convention, Cleveland announced its bid last month to host the 2016 Copa America, a prestigious men’s soccer tournament that, until now, has always been held abroad.

The event will be held next June at eight to 13 stadiums across the country, and local officials are hoping Cleveland’s First Energy is one of them.

“We haven’t received any feedback yet, but we feel good about our chances,” Jeff Pacini, vice president of business development for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, told Cleveland.com recently.  If selected, Cleveland would be a likely candidate for some of the Copa’s preliminary-round matches.

The official bid was submitted in March, and venue decisions could be reached as early as next month, officials say.

Cleveland is one of 24 U.S. cities in contention for the hosting slots. The other cities in the running can be found here.

This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2015.

Alaina Nutile is the Web Editor who oversees all digital content and social media initiatives for Cleveland Scene Magazine and Detroit Metro Times. Before joining the staff in June 2013, she interned at Business Insider in New York City, and at La Hora in Quito, Ecuador. Alaina is a graduate of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where she double majored in English and Spanish. Her interests include Japanese food, Breaking Bad, and career development advising.

One reply on “Cleveland in Running to Host the 2016 Copa America”

  1. Though major outdoor matches have not been gate busters in Cleveland – and that dates back to a Team USA appearance in Municipal Stadium as a prep for the 1994 FIFA World Cup – the marketing for this tournament by U.S. Soccer, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF should crank up tourism for the host cities…..and the reason why stadiums must have at least 50,000 seats.

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