Dallas Cup and Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational set to kickoff 2022 events

DALLAS, Texas – More than 265 elite boys and girls teams from across the United States and different parts of the world will vie for the prestigious “Boot and Ball” championship trophy as the 2022 Dallas Cup and Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational are set to begin.

The 2022 edition of the tournament will be played April 9 through April 17 in the Greater Dallas area, with more than 265 elite boys and girls teams from across the United States and different parts of the world vying for the prestigious “Boot and Ball” championship trophy. Between participating teams and referees, more than 30 countries will be represented in 2022.

The marquee opening day event will take place at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium on Sunday, April 10, featuring three tournament games and the tournament’s opening ceremony, welcoming the more than 5,500 participating athletes.

The 12:30pm match will be a Girls’ Invitational game between Germany’s 17U Eintracht Frankfurt and local side 17U FC Dallas Premier, which is the first girls’ Dallas Cup game to ever be played at the Cotton Bowl.

A pair of elite 19U Gordon Jago Super Group matches will follow with Mexico’s Tigres UANL squaring off against FC Dallas at 3:00pm, and the 19U El Salvador National Team taking on Liga MX side CF Monterrey at 6:45pm.

In keeping with the tournament’s core value of Diversity & Inclusion, Dallas Cup and Cotton Bowl Stadium are also hosting the U.S. Men’s National Deaf Team, who will take the field for a training match starting at 10:00am.

The 2022 Dallas Cup presented by Coca-Cola will kick off on April 10 and will run through April 17, featuring Boys’ 12U divisions up to the 19U Gordon Jago Super Group. The 19U Gordon Jago Super Group brackets are as follows:

Group A

• Tigres UANL (MEX)
• Panama National Team (PAN)
• FC Dallas (USA)

Notable Group A Facts: Defending Super Group champion Tigres hoisted the club’s fourth Under 19 Super Group “Boot and Ball” championship trophy in 2019, after defeating Spain’s Villarreal CF in the final, 2-1. The Panama National Team looks to become the first youth national team to win a Dallas Cup title since Costa Rica accomplished the feat in 2014. FC Dallas is the most recent Super Group champion from the United States, claiming the “Boot and Ball” in 2017.

Group B

• HB Køge (DEN)
• CF Monterrey (MEX)
• El Salvador National Team (SLV)

Notable Group B Facts: Danish side HB Køge is making their Dallas Cup debut and look to become the first champion from Denmark since 2013 (Aalborg BK). CF Monterrey is the winningest club in Dallas Cup history, winning 16 titles across all age groups, but they are still seeking their first Super Group championship. The El Salvador National Team joins the Panama National Team in the Super Group, marking the first time since 2010 that the Dallas Cup has hosted two U19 national teams in a single tournament draw.

The boys’ tournament will be played concurrently with the second annual Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational presented by Mary Kay, featuring Girls Under-15-Under-19 divisions, which runs from April 9 through April 15. This year will feature the first international competitors in the Girls’ Invitational with Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt competing in the 17U division and England’s Everton Football College in the 19U division. The 2022 Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational presented by Mary Kay will feature a competitive stateside contingent, headlined by local powerhouse Solar SC, who claimed three girls’ titles in 2021.

Games will be played throughout the week, free of charge, at the Classic League Soccer Complex at Richland College, MoneyGram Soccer Park in Northwest Dallas, and Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco (girls). The Dallas Cup Girls’ Invitational finals and the Super Group semifinals will be played on Friday, April 15 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, which will also host championship matches of the U13-U19 age groups on Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17.