Copa America Centenario 2016 has kicked off.
Well, not literally. But the competition and its festivities began Sunday night in Manhattan at the Hammerstein Ballroom, where representatives of each of the 16 competing nations sat as the groups for this summer's Copa were drawn from four pots.
Following performances by Diego Torres and Yandel, the ceremony got down to business as a variety of assistants and hosts initiated the draw's commencement, as the teams were drawn going backwards, starting with Pot 4 and eventually finishing with Pot 2.
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)
The Resulting Groups
As the draw took place in Manhattan on Sunday, we now are aware of the four divisions 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
What It All Means
These groups now can be filled in to the previously announced schedule of matchups and venues across the United States. The opening match will take place Friday, June 3rd, between the hosts USA and groupmates Colombia.
The rest of the first round of matchups in Groups A and B will be played that Saturday, June 4th, and then Groups C and D will partake in their opening matchups on Sunday and Monday, the 5th and 6th.
It looks like there are not too many groups of death. Stay tuned at VAVEL USA for all your Copa America Centenario 2016 updates.