‘A plague of liars’: what caused the disastrous pitches at Copa América?

The surface at many venues for this summer's tournament caused concern among players and coaches. Will lessons be learned for the 2026 World Cup?

For the three nations set to co-host the 2026 World Cup - the United States, Mexico and Canada - this summer's Copa America, held in the US, provided a timely test of their ability to compete at their home tournament in two years.

The results were mixed. The US and Mexico crashed out in the group stage, while Canada made it all the way to the semi-finals, losing to the eventual champions, Argentina.