Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami colleagues will compete in a club tournament for the first time in 26 years. The Copa Interamericana will be held next year for the first time since 1998, thanks to the efforts of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. It is a cross-continental event with premier clubs from both North and South America participating.
The competition was earlier a two-club event between CONCACAF Champions Cup and Copa Libertadores champions. The competition in 2024, however, will be an expanded edition, according to the Spanish daily AS. It looks like the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Leagues Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League champions from the previous year will compete in a four-team knockout event.
Lionel Messi will be trying to win another trophy after Inter Miami qualified through their League Cup victory in August. Fluminense, the Copa Libertadores champions, will also be vying for the trophy. LDU Quito of Ecuador, who won the Copa Sudamericana, and Club Leon of the CONCACAF Champions League will also compete. According to sources, Gerardo Martino’s team will meet Fluminense of Brazil in the semi-finals.
In all, 13 different teams have won the Copa Interamericana, including Argentine club Independiente, which has won the title three times in a row.
Nacional of Uruguay, Club America of Mexico, and Atlético Nacional of Colombia have all won it twice.
The last team to win it was DC United in 1998, when they defeated Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. According to reports, the organisers decided to rerun the tournament for January. Which was six months before Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami . Although the tournament has not yet been formally confirmed, CONMEBOL is likely to issue an announcement in the coming days.
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