November 28 – Concacaf will be taking its blue riband Gold Cup national team showpiece to Costa Rica for the first time in 2019.
Sunday June 16, the Estadio Nacional, in San Jose, Costa Rica will host a Gold Cup doubleheader, featuring the home nation, that will kick off Group B action in the competition.
“We are very proud to bring the Concacaf Gold Cup to Costa Rica, where fans have shown great excitement, passion and love for our game,” said Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.
“By hosting our premier competition in Central America, we are achieving a core principle of our ONE Concacaf Vision, which is to increase access to the game, develop football and ensuring our fans experience the highest quality of football in the region.”
The 2019 edition of the Gold Cup (held every two years), has been expanded to 16 teams for the first time. There is still a lot to play for as so far only six teams have qualified – Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States, who played in the final 2018 World Cup Concacaf qualification play-offs.
Not only has the Gold Cup expanded in terms of number of teams that will compete, but it will also be adding a second venue outside the US (where it will be hosted in 15 metropolitan boroughs) in the Caribbean. The Caribbean venue is yet to be announced.
Taking the Gold Cup outside the US where it has traditionally been held is part of a bid to by Concacaf to help its member associations grow the support in their country – both at fan level but also commercially.
Concacaf Council Vice President and Fedefutbol President Rodolfo Villalobos said: “This announcement is part of our efforts to transform the Federation into a highly professional entity and a benchmark at the regional level. It is part of the constant and planned efforts to grow our football. We also celebrate the opportunity Costa Ricans will have to enjoy the Gold Cup at home for the first time in its history.”
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