The 2019 Copa America in Brazil will take on a farcical new format which will see six nations from outside of South America partake in the tournament.
Yesterday, the proposal was presented by the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) to the CONMEBOL Council in Santiago, who naturally approved the potentially lucrative idea.
The 2019 tournament will now consist of the 10 CONMEBOL countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) with six more guests currently 'TBC'.
One of the proposals would see a number of Latin countries from Europe be invited to fill the extra six slots, with Spain, Portugal, France and Italy mooted since March to be on the guestlist. Australia's FFA have also admitted they are considering an invitation, with other Asian and Central American countries also suggested as possible new recruits to South America's continental competition.
Brazil's Globo, who reported the news early this morning, sum up the motives behind such a seemingly bizarre measure quite nicely in their original article:
The main argument in favor of the globalisation of the Copa America is financial - just as it had been in the bloating of the World Cup, which went from 32 to 48 selections. More teams, more games, more money.
Yippee.
And so for financial reasons, we - and more pertinently the people of South America - now face the possibility of Spain or Portugal conquering the continent once more in 2019, as three centuries beginning in 1492 weren't enough.
We understand Martin O'Neill's Ireland are currently not being considered to partake in the 2019 tournament, so hold off on booking flights to Brazil for the moment.
In less stupid news, the Copa America will return to the USA the following year, and from then on the tournament will take place every four years, during the same summers as the European Championships.
