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CONCACAF has announced the full schedule for the 2021 Gold Cup, the region’s flagship men’s national team competition. This year’s edition will include a new Preliminary Round (July 2-6) prior to the Group Stage (July 10-20) and a revamped Knockout Stage (July 24 – August 1).
This summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 16th edition of the competition and a key part of CONCACAF’s 60th anniversary celebration, will be played in 11 stadiums across eight US metropolitan areas. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host the competition’s final match on Sunday, August 1.
“We are extremely pleased to confirm the schedule and venues for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, which promises to be a celebration of football in our great region,” said CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. “2021 is CONCACAF’s 60th anniversary year and we look forward with great anticipation to watching the best men’s national teams in our confederation compete for the Gold Cup title. With an exciting new format and the prospect of welcoming passionate fans to the stadiums for these compelling matchups, I can’t wait for the football to begin on July 2nd and to crown a champion in Las Vegas on August 1,” added Montagliani.
Prior to the start of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage, 12 national teams which qualified through their CONCACAF Nations League (CNL) performances, will compete in the Preliminary Round (Prelims) from July 2-6. These matches will take place at DRV PNK Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and will determine the final three teams in the Gold Cup Group Stage. The six round one Prelims matches and the three round two Prelims matches were drawn in September 2020.
The Group Stage of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup will kick off on July 10 and will run through July 20. The 12 qualified nations, the AFC Asian Cup Champions Qatar (guest participant) and the three Prelims winners were drawn in September 2020 into four groups and will play as follows (full schedule available below):
Group A – Mexico, El Salvador, Curaçao and Winner Prelims 9
Group A will begin play on July 10, with El Salvador taking on Curaçao at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, before current champion Mexico faces off against Winner Prelims 9 in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. Group A will remain in North Texas for the duration of the Group Stage.
Group B – USA, Canada, Martinique and Winner Prelims 7
Group B, stationed in Kansas City (Children’s Mercy Park), will take to the field on July 11, with Canada and Martinique facing off in the first match of the day, while six-time champion United States will take on Winner Prelims 7. USA and Canada will remain in Kansas City for the Group Stage, while Martinique and Winner Prelims 7 will travel to Frisco, TX (Toyota Stadium) for the third match date.
Group C – Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and Winner Prelims 8
Jamaica and Suriname will open Group C play at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium, on July 12. Group seed Costa Rica will take on the remaining team to qualify via the Prelims in the second match of the day. For the last group stage date on July 20, Suriname and Winner Prelims 8 will travel to Houston, TX (BBVA Stadium) while Costa Rica will face Jamaica in Exploria Stadium.
Group D – Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar
Group D, based in Houston, TX (BBVA Stadium), will kick off on July 13 with guest participant and AFC Asian Cup Champions Qatar versus Panama in the first match of the evening, before Honduras take on Grenada. On July 20 in Orlando, Grenada and Panama will close Group Stage play while Honduras face Qatar in BBVA Stadium.
In an exciting football first development to this year’s edition of CONCACAF Gold Cup, each group’s final group stage matches will be played simultaneously. This is to ensure an even more compelling spectacle as the teams compete to reach the Knockout Stage.
At the end of the Group Stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Quarterfinals.
Knockout Stage – Quarterfinals, semifinals and final
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will play host to the Quarterfinal doubleheaders on July 24 and 25, respectively.
The Semifinals will be played on July 29, in NRG Stadium in Houston, and the brand-new Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The venue for each specific semifinal matchup will be confirmed at the conclusion of the Group Stage (Q2 Stadium, Austin and NRG Stadium, Houston will each host one Semifinal).
The winners of the two semifinal matches will travel to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to face off in the Final on August 1.
