Copa America winners Argentina to face Euro Champions Italy in June 2022 friendly

UEFA and CONMEBOL have decided to collaborate in organising a friendly match between the Euro 2020 champions Italy and the Copa America 2021 winners Argentina. Italy defeated England in the Euro 2020 final while Argentina defeated arch-rivals Brazil in the Copa America 2021 final. The friendly is likely to take place in June next summer with the venue yet to be confirmed.

Moreover, as per the statement issued by the two governing bodies, there will also be further games scheduled between the winners of each competition after the next two editions of each tournament.

UEFA and CONMEBOL issue joint statement

The joint statement of UEFA and CONMEBOL read,

UEFA and CONMEBOL have today announced the broadening of their existing cooperation as well as the staging of a match between the UEFA EURO 2020 winners Italy and the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 winners Argentina during the international window in June 2022 at a venue to be confirmed.

The organising of this match is part of the expansion of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which notably includes women’s football, futsal and youth categories, the exchange of referees, as well as technical training schemes.

The agreement reached by the two organisations currently covers three editions of this match between the respective continental winners, and also includes the opening of a joint office in London, which will be in charge of coordinating projects of common interest.

By reaching this agreement, UEFA and CONMEBOL express their commitment to the development of football beyond their geographical zones, as a bridge uniting people, countries, continents and cultures.

The UEFA Executive Committee and the CONMEBOL Council also expressed a strong willingness to continue collaborating on other issues of mutual interest going forward."

Where can the Italy vs Argentina match be held?

According to AP, Naples has been suggested as a plausible venue for the Italy vs Argentina match. Naples is famous because of Argentina great Diego Maradona, who became a legend in the city after he helped Napoli win two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990. The Argentine legend sadly passed away on November 25, 2020, at the age of just 60 years old.

Image: AP, Twitter@Azzurri