For only the second time in history, South America's continental championship is being held at venues across the United States this year, offering a taste of what North America can expect when the 2026 World Cup is staged in the region in two years' time. Gleaming, state-of-the-art stadia mostly used to the violent, bone-crunching collisions of the NFL, are instead pulsing to the rhythms of the beautiful game, with migrant fans an integral part of the spectacle. At an eve-of-tournament warm-up game at the Maryland home of the Washington Commanders NFL team, Colombian fans turned a friendly against the United States into a virtual home fixture, roaring on 'Los Cafeteros' to a 5-1 thrashing of the Copa America hosts.
Those kind of scenes have been replicated across the group phase of the Copa America, with migrant spectators flocking to venues from all corners of the United States. "Thousands of compatriots who have arrived tell me: I come from Florida, I come from New York, Atlanta, from everywhere," said Alejandro Quintero, 48, a Colombian fan who has lived in North Carolina for three years. "Everyone can be united through soccer," added Quintero, who has sought asylum in the US due to security issues in his homeland.
"These type of events help us to have hope." In addition to the 10 teams from South America who usually take part in the Copa America, this year's tournament has been expanded to include six teams from the CONCACAF region -- North America, Central America and th.
