CONCACAF, CONMEBOL set for "historic" joint announcement on Thursday

CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb will be part of a joint announcement with CONMEBOL on Thursday. (AP) CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have scheduled a joint press

CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb will be part of a joint announcement with CONMEBOL on Thursday. (AP)

CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have scheduled a joint press conference for Thursday in Miami to make what they have called an "historic announcement."

CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and CONMEBOL president Eugenio Figueredo Aguerre will be present, in addition to "a number of internationally renowned soccer stars" from both regions. The widespread speculation is that it will be the unveiling of the long-rumored 2016 Copa America Centenario -- marking CONMEBOL's 100th anniversary -- that involves both confederations and takes place on U.S. soil. 

Reports of the Copa America Centenario being held in the U.S. have been circulating for almost two years, after CONMEBOL full-on announced it was happening. CONCACAF and U.S. Soccer publicly entertained the idea while stopping well short of saying it was a go. U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati has downplayed the notion consistently, though a little more than two weeks ago he issued his least emphatic denial via his Twitter account:

#CopaAmerica 2016 in U.S.? Interesting idea but nothing agreed to by @ussoccer yet.

— Sunil Gulati (@sunilgulati) April 11, 2014

BeIN Sports reported recently that the announcement of the event was "imminent," saying that the competition would include the 10 teams in CONMEBOL, the USA, Mexico and four other CONCACAF participants who would qualify for the event. If the event is to indeed take place, a number of questions will need to be answered, almost all of them dealing with the logistics of putting on the event during a congested calendar. Other issues involve making sure it secures a place on the FIFA international calendar, which would then require clubs to release players for the event and ensure that each nation is at full strength.

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