Copa America rosters will expand to 26 players, CONMEBOL confirms

The South American confederation has increased the roster size by three players

CONMEBOL has confirmed that the roster size for the 2024 Copa América has been increased from 23 to 26.

The change was announced on Thursday after a CONMEBOL meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The South American confederation added that all 26 players could be part of a matchday roster, provided a team reduces the number of staff members on the bench.

“The maximum number of delegation members on the bench on match days will remain at 23, including players and coaching staff,” CONMEBOL said.

“In the event that a [team] chooses to field 26 players – 11 on the field and 15 on the bench, the maximum number of staff on the bench should be 8, for example. It is important to mention that the maximum number of substitute players on the bench for each match is 15, and the minimum number of substitute players on the bench for each match is 7.”

This year’s Copa América will be a special edition held in the United States, featuring all 10 CONMEBOL nations plus six guest countries from Concacaf. The tournament kicks off on June 20.

The decision by CONMEBOL follows a similar call from UEFA, which also expanded its rosters for this summer’s Euro 2024 to 26 players.

The expansion is in contrast to the most recent men’s and women’s World Cups, which FIFA decided would both remain with 23-player rosters.

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