There has been a lot of criticism towards Copa America 2024. Right from refereeing decisions, camera placements, the quality of the pitch, and now even the size of the pitch. The 2024 edition of the Continental Championship is being played in the USA and 10 out of the 14 stadiums in the competition have smaller pitches than the FIFA standard pitches.
These stadiums have the smallest pitch size allowed by COMNEBOL: 100 metres long and 64 metres wide. Which is very different to the 105 metres long and 68 metres wide standard turf size regulated by FIFA. To put this in perspective, these dimensions are closer to those used for under-13 matches rather than professional games. The reason behind this is that not all stadiums hosting Copa America matches can accommodate the full-size pitch. These pitches are usually used to play American Football and not ‘soccer’ as they call it in the USA. Hence, the pitch dimensions are smaller than the standard pitches one would get elsewhere.
However, this decision has significantly impacted the style of play. The reduced dimensions affect positioning, counter-attacking, and the use of space. Defenders, in particular, benefit from the smaller pitches as there’s less space for attackers to exploit. Additionally, matches have become more physical and less technical since players are constantly in closer proximity. This has led to there being a significant rise in the fouls, interceptions and take-ons in plays. Matches have become more close-fought and above all, the importance of physicality has increased massively.
This change has drawn criticism from some of the tournament’s top players. Messi and Di Maria have labelled the situation a disaster. After the Quarterfinal win against Ecuador, Messi said, “The pitch always has an influence. It’s a reality that the pitches (at the Copa America) aren’t good. Now, we returned to New York, where we played against Chile, which also wasn’t so good. I think the best one was the one in Miami, which was good from what you saw from the outside at least. It’s natural and that’s already different.”
Vinicius Jr has not only criticized the pitch size but also the quality of the surfaces. Even Dibu Martinez, after Argentina’s opening match against Canada, compared the Copa America to the Euros in this aspect stating, “Very bumpy. We faced a strong Canadian side on a pitch that was a disaster. It jumped on you as you ran. We must improve in this aspect — otherwise, Copa América will always appear at a lower level than the European Championship.”
