Copa America Centenario 2016 Draw: Groups, Schedule revealed for Copa America to be held this summer ~ Footy Geek

Forget Euro 2016 for a moment: there’s another football tournament about to take place this summer including superstars like Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Alexis, James Rodriguez.

On June 3, 16 teams get busy in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, a new, improved, historic tournament to celebrate 100 years of Conmebol’s premier international competition. It’s being held in the USA – the first time in history it’s gone outside South America. The official Copa America literature suggests that “fans in all 10 venues will be able to experience some of the best football ever played in the United States”.

How is the Centenario different from Copa America?

The Copa America is South America's premier international tournament. The longest running international football tournament in the world, it's the continent's equivalent of the UEFA European Championship or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four, with the top two teams from each group and the best two third-place finishers advancing to an eight-team knockout round.

Uruguay has won the most Copa America titles, taking home the trophy 15 times. Argentina is in second with 14 titles, and Brazil rounds out the top-three with eight championships. Ecuador and Venezuela are the only two CONMEBOL countries that have never won the tournament.

The 2016 Centenario, of course, will be a little different. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the tournament, CONMEBOL partnered with US Soccer and CONCACAF to stage a juiced-up version of the event in the States. The tournament, which has never before been hosted outside of South America, should captivate the attention of the entire Western Hemisphere, with big teams and big stars set to face off for the first trophy of its kind.

Which countries are participating?

Sixteen teams will compete in the Copa America Centenario, with all 10 CONMEBOL federations joined by six CONCACAF countries.

When and where will the tournament be played?

The Copa America Centenario will kick off on June 3 and will conclude with the final on June 26. A total of 10 stadiums were selected from of a group of 24 bidders to host tournament matches, with the minimum stadium capacity for the tournament set at 60,219.

The Draw:

The Pots:

Pot 1: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, United States (pre-drawn)

Pot 2: Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay (top CONMEBOL nations)

Pot 3: Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama (CONCACAF remaining nations)

Pot 4: Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela (CONMEBOL remaining nations)

Final Draw in full:

The draw took place in Manhattan on Sunday, here are the four groups to be facing off against one another in the group stages of this summer's tournament.

Group A: United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay

Group B: Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti, Peru

Group C: Mexico, Uruguay, Jamaica, Venezuela

Group D: Argentina, Chile, Panama, Bolivia

The hosts United States are drawn in the group of death. They'll face CONCACAF rivals Costa Rica, 2011 Copa America finalists Paraguay and 2014 World Cup Quarterfinalists Colombia.

Mexico has a tough draw, too, and will only be slight favorites to get out of their group. Uruguay will be their biggest rivals, while Jamaica and Venezuela should be competitive. Argentina will face defending champions Chile in a rematch of the 2015 Copa America final, but will be expected to defeat Jamaica and Venezuela. Brazil are the top seed that got the easiest draw, against Ecuador, Haiti and Peru.