BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Teams in this year’s Copa America will be allowed to have an expanded squad of 26 players instead of the usual 23, South American soccer body CONMEBOL said Thursday.

Several teams, including world champion Argentina, had already asked for the number of players to be expanded for the tournament, which starts on June 20 in the United States.

The decision was announced by CONMEBOL during FIFA’s congress in Bangkok, Thailand.

The move aligns CONMEBOL with UEFA, which is also allowing a maximum of 26 players per team for this year’s European Championship.

Most major tournaments used 23-man squads before the coronavirus pandemic hit. That number was raised to 26 for the previous Euros, played in 2021, so teams could replace players who needed to quarantine.

The deadline for teams to submit their final squads is June 12.

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