The competition, which also features the United States national team along with five other guest nations from the CONCACAF federation, features dozens of games during nearly a month of sporting action across 14 cities in the United States.

The Copa America 2024 final, on July 14, will be held in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Other key matches are being contested in Atlanta, Charlotte, and East Rutherford (New Jersey).

“That Delta and the LATAM group — the airlines that best connect South and North America — are the sponsors of the Copa America 2024 is the perfect example of how both regions are destined to be together,” said Soledad Lago Rodríguez, director of communications for Delta. “Both airlines share a vision and commitment to deliver an exceptional travel experience to all fans who travel to cheer on their national teams.”

To further promote the event, LATAM will transform its airport lounges across the region into a space where fans can enjoy matches of the tournament on a giant screen while accessing comfortable spaces, cocktails, food, and WiFi.

“Athletes and attendees from different countries of the continent will travel to compete and enjoy this great sports festival, so good air connectivity is essential for the success of this tournament,” said Constanza Pizarro, corporate communications manager of LATAM Airlines Group.

Photo: James Rodríguez will star at Copa America 2024 as captain of the Colombian national team. (Credit: @jamesrodriguez/X and Adidas)

Because the Colombian National Team will play two matches in Russia that start at 7 am and 9 am local time, the Colombian Association of Bars (Asobares) had asked the city to lift its prohibition on establishments selling alcohol before 10 am.

But the office of Mayor Enrique Peñalosa this week announced that it would not change its regulations, disappointing both those looking to make some extra revenue during the competition and those who wish to enjoy cerveza or aguardiente while they cheer on their team.

This was not an issue during the last World Cup in Brazil, where Colombia qualified for the first time in 16 years, because the nations’ similar time zones meant games were played in the afternoon and evening. But some games being played in Russia start as early as 5 am on Colombian time.

“Honestly, that’s not the society that we want, where people start drinking at 7 in the morning,” said Peñalosa in a statement. “This ends up causing disorder, fights, violence, and even homicides. So we do not approve the request.”

The mayor’s office did note that bars, restaurants, and other establishments are welcome to open their doors as early as they like to host World Cup fans. But alcohol sales cannot start until 10 am in line with the regulations that always apply throughout the capital.

Asobares received better news in Cucutá. The largest city on the Colombian border with Venezuela — and birthplace of Selección superstar James Rodríguez — has agreed to modify its restriction hours and allow alcohol sales in bars starting at 7 am for the entire month of the World Cup from June 14 to July 15.

Bogotá will celebrate the team’s games, however, by setting up a series of outdoor big-screen televisions throughout the city on game day. The screens measure five meters by fours meters and will be showing the three Colombia group-stage games in a total of 12 different parks across the city.

Peñalosa will also ramp up the number of police officers in the streets during games to help ensure security and prevent issues related to the larger crowds that will be gathering across the city.

The first game against Japan, kicking off at 7 am on June 19, can be viewed in Parque Santander (in the neighborhood of Candelaria), Parque Cayetano Cañizares (Kennedy), and Parque El Virrey (Chapinero).

The most anticipated game comes against Poland, the other favorite to advance from Group H to the knockout round, will take place in the early afternoon, at 1 pm, on Sunday, June 24. This main event match will be shown in Parque Nacional (Santa Fe), Parque Tunal (Tunjuelito), Parque Chunizá (Usme), Parque Cedritos (Usaquén). Parque Bronx (Mártires), and Parque Tercer Milenio (Santa Fe).

The final group game pits Colombia against Senegal on June 28 at 9 am. It will be shown on big screens in Parque Los Hippies (Chapinero), Parque La Gaitana (Suba) and Parque Villa Luz (Engativá).

Named for his initials and national team jersey number, the public sale of this digital coin will start on July 12 in partnership with SelfSell through the fintech startup’s blockchain-powered mobile app.

Photo: James Rodríguez, superstar midfielder for the Colombian national football team, at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. (Photo credit: Danilo Borges/copa2014.gov)

SelfSell is pushing the new coin to promote its core offering that allows the sale of cryptocurrencies through iOS and Android apps that are intended to represent “direct investments in people themselves,” according to the company.

The Bayern Munich midfielder, who was named to the UEFA Champions League team of the season this month, announced the launch of the cryptocurrency last week in a video message.

The message debuted during a presentation by SelfSell founder and CEO Yuan Li at the BlockShow 2018 in Berlin. “I have come to a new field,” said James in the video.

In the financial world, James has previously served as a pitchman for Cyprus-based financial markets trading platform Libertex. He also has sponsorship deals with Adidas, Calvin Klein, Chinese mobile giant Huawei, and Colombian mobile service and cable provider Claro.

In his home country, he also has his own J10 underwear brand with Bronzini and has appeared on product packaging and commercials for Nestle-branded chocolate drink Milo and popular local soft drink Pony Malta.

According to SelfSell, this will be “the first cryptocurrency launched by a football player on active duty, aiming to build stronger fan relations and create new growth driven power for global sport market.”

The company says that 160 million JR10 Tokens — 8% of the total issuance — will be “issued to James’ fans free of charge” in order to “create a rapidly growing JR10 fans community.”

READ MORE: Machismo? Adidas Facing Sexism Allegations After Unveiling New Colombia Jersey

The launch coincides with the final week of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, which will end with a final championship game on July 15.

While Colombia is not among the favorites to win the every-four-year football tournament, James Rodríguez rose to global superstardom during the last World Cup in 2014 when he led all scorers by netting six goals in just five games as Colombia had its best showing ever at the competition.

“It’s sad that after we put so much effort in each tournament, they pick Paulina Vega.” – Nicole Regnier of the Colombian women’s national team

The German sports apparel giant selected Colombian football stars James Rodríguez and Juan Guillermo Cuadrado to model with the new yellow jersey and post the photos to their social media accounts.

But, to the surprise of many Colombians, the campaign did not feature any players from the Colombian women’s team, which typically wear the same uniform as the men.

Instead of showcasing the nation’s female footballing talent, Adidas asked former Miss Universe Paulina Vega to pose with the Colombian jersey and post a picture on her Instagram account.

Vega has no connection with Colombian football, but is widely known in the country for her participation in beauty pageants and TV shows. She also models for Chilean retail chain Falabella.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbJ92g8DxPZ/?taken-by=paulinavegadiep

One of the first to protest the apparent exclusion of female players from the campaign was Vanessa Cordoba, a goalkeeper in Colombia’s recently created female football league. “I understand that for publicity reasons, you may want to give the shirt to Paulina Vega,” Cordoba wrote on her Twitter account. “But players count too. They have merits and deserve respect.”

Cordoba’s view was echoed by Nicole Regnier, a forward for the Colombian national football team who has a large following on social media. “It’s sad that after we put so much effort in each tournament, they pick Paulina Vega,” Regnier told Colombian radio station La FM.

Instead of showcasing the nation’s female footballing talent, Adidas asked former Miss Universe Paulina Vega to pose with the shirt and post a picture on her Instagram account.

Dozens of Twitter users wrote messages in support of the female players, and the complaint soon became a story on national news outlets like El Tiempo, Semana, and El Espectador. The story has picked up enough steam that Adidas has even received bad English-language press about the incident internationally in major U.S. and U.K. outlets, including Bleacher Report and the Daily Mirror.

Jineth Bedoya, deputy editor-in-chief of El Tiempo and an internationally recognized women’s rights advocate who was abducted and raped by a Colombian paramilitary group in 2000, published a video message on Twitter criticizing the company. “It’s incredible that a brand like Adidas…discriminate,” she said. “Why aren’t our great [female] players in the campaign?”

Others shared similar messages. “I would’ve like to see a female player presenting the shirt, it would have been inspiring for girls and women in Colombia,” wrote Carolina Agudelo, a designer.

“Vanessa Cordoba does well to evidence machista situations. Simple actions help make our society better,” added Franz Rodríguez-Gualdrón, a political scientist at Bogotá’s Javeriana University

Though the Colombian women’s football team is not as widely followed as the men’s team, both are outfitted by Adidas. The female team has been making strides competitively, making it to the knockout stage of the 2015 Women’s World Cup and qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. The launch this year of the 18-team women’s professional league — the “Liga Professional Feminina” — was widely hailed as a major step forward for the sport in Colombia.

Adidas has so far not responded to the complaints. But the company has apparently started to send jerseys of the same new design to members of Colombia’s female football team.

On Thursday, three days after the jersey was officially launched through the company’s social media campaign, Colombian forward Catalina Usme shared photos of herself on Twitter wearing the new kit.

“It goes on your skin but first in your heart,” Usme wrote on her account.

Se lleva en la piel pero primero en el corazón 🇨🇴❤️ ¡Esta es la nueva! #HereToCreate @adidasco pic.twitter.com/tN9P61hofV

— Catalina Usme (@catausme) November 9, 2017

“I’m happy to become partners with the award-winning Forex and CFD solution Libertex,” said James Rodríguez. “We share the same values and strive to be the best at what we do. Their reputation has helped them become the leader in online trading.”

Since breaking out into international stardom as the leading scorer at World Cup 2014 in Brazil, James has become the biggest pitchman in Colombia and among the most sought after in global football. He is now featured by adidas, Huawei, Pepsico, and Hugo Boss. He also has his own energy drink called 10 Gold and has made some $7 million USD in endorsements in 2016, according to Forbes.

Company CEO Michael Geiger said that he sees James as great representative of its new branding efforts. “The campaign’s motto, ‘Play with the best, trade with the best,’ truly reflects the nature of our partnership,” said Geiger.

Libertex is a trading resource of Indication Investments Ltd. that was launched in 1997. The company, a Forex Club group member, has reported having more than 700 employees in its network and more than two million clients across the world.