March 13 – The final and third-placed play-off for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Philadelphia. The tournament kicks off July 7 in Dallas and travels through 12 North American cities before reaching Philadelphia for the finals weekend on July 25-26.
“We are anticipating an exceptional Gold Cup in 2015, with a grand finale weekend to be played right here in Philadelphia, a city with a special affinity for the world’s game,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb at the announcement yesterday.
Philadephia will host the third place play off at PPL Park, the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. This is the first time the Gold Cup has had a third place play-off. The final will be played the following day at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
“Philadelphia is a great sports city. From our passionate fans to our tremendous venues, Philadelphia offers a unique and exciting sports experience. This environment, and our ability to host large-scale events well, will combine for a top tier grand finale Gold Cup event,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter.
Thirteen North American cities will host Gold Cup matches, 12 cities in the US – Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix – and Toronto in Canada.
The 12 team tournament currently has 11 qualifiers: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States. The final spot will be decided later this month via a home and away play off between Honduras and French Guiana.
The winners of the 2015 Gold Cup will earn a play-off against the USA for the right to represent CONCACAF at the 2017 Confederations Cup (FIFA’s warm-up event for the Russia 2018 World Cup).
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