CONCACAF Gold Cup venues, seeded teams announced

MIAMI (Via CONCACAF) – CONCACAF unveiled Monday the 14 stadiums in 13 metropolitan areas across the United States that will host the next CONCACAF Gold Cup to be played from July 7-26, 2017.

Venues, group stage dates and group assignments for already-qualified seeded nations — Mexico and the United States — were also revealed for the 14th edition of the biennial event.

The announcement was made simultaneously from coast-to-coast by athletes, musicians and local dignitaries representing each of the host venues, including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, rock band Kings of Leon and the mayors of several of the participating cities.

In order to allow more fans throughout the USA to take part in the continental championship first-hand, CONCACAF extended the tournament’s footprint into emerging soccer markets. The 2017 Gold Cup will feature four first-time hosts: Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas); FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland, Ohio); Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California); and Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee).

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Returning in 2017 are ten previous Gold Cup host venues: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (2009, 2011, 2013); BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas (2013, 2015); Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2009, 2015); Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California (1996, 2000); Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (2011); Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey (2011, 2013); the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California (1991, 2002, 2011, 2013); Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado (2013); Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (2015); and University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (2009, 2015).

“We’re excited to bring the Gold Cup to new markets across the country. These cities have all proved ready and eager to host our region’s marquee soccer championship, and welcome world class international soccer next summer,” said CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “With matches also set for some of our more popular venues over the years, such as Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, next year’s Gold Cup will highlight the top-tier sporting status of international soccer across the nation.”

The dates for Gold Cup matches scheduled for each group-stage city were also announced, as well as the groups to be headed up by the tournament’s seeded nations: the United States (Group B), and Mexico (Group C).  Group A will be filled out pending the completion of the tournament field, with January’s UNCAF Central American Cup set to determine four direct qualifiers.

Complete groups and the full schedule, including selection of dates and assignment of matches for the knockout round and the awarding of the Final, will be announced next year.

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To date, seven national teams from the ultimate field of twelve have qualified for next year’s tournament:  Canada, Curacao, French Guiana, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico and the United States.

Canada, Mexico and the United States are automatic North American entrants, while the four Caribbean nations earned berths by virtue of securing semifinal places in the 2016/17 Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup.  The top four finishers from the Central American Cup — to be played in Panama from January 13-22, 2017 — will also qualify.

The three best second-place finishers from the third round of Caribbean Cup play — Haiti, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago – will compete against each other in January 4-8, 2017, with the winner facing the fifth-place team from the Central American Cup to determine the final Gold Cup qualifier.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the region’s official national team championship and will be broadcast next year in the United States on the FOX and the Univision family of networks.  Drawing large crowds and millions of television viewers, the Gold Cup is a celebration of soccer, sportsmanship, and culture.

The winner of the 2017 tournament will take home continental bragging rights and an assured spot in the next CONCACAF Cup, a play-in game to qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup, in the case two separate champions emerge from the next two editions of the Gold Cup.

Fans can now visit www.GoldCup.org to sign up for an exclusive pre-sale offering for any Gold Cup game day in 2017, before seats go on sale to the general public.  Tickets for the 2017 Gold Cup will go on sale at a later date.  The LOC encourages fans to purchase their tickets early in order to secure the best seats for a great fan experience.

2017 CONCACAF GOLD CUP

Seeded Nations
Group A: to be determined
Group B: United States
Group C: Mexico

Group Stage Dates & Venues
July 7, Group A: NY/NJ – Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)
July 8, Group B: Nashville – Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN)
July 9, Group C: San Diego – Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA)
July 11, Group A: Houston – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)
July 12, Group B: Tampa Bay – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
July 13, Group C: Denver – Sports Authority Field (Denver, CO)
July 14, Group A: Dallas – Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX)
July 15, Group B: Cleveland – FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland, OH)
July 16, Group C: San Antonio – Alamodome (San Antonio, TX)

Knockout Round Venues (alphabetical order by metropolitan area)
Bay Area – Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
Dallas – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Los Angeles – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Phoenix – University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ)