By Paul Nicholson
December 20 – The Gold Cup 2017, CONCACAF’s top event for national teams, will be played in a total of 14 stadiums in 13 metropolitan areas, four of them first-time hosts, as the confederation expands the competition to support emerging football markets in the US.
Played July 7-26, the 12-team competition will make debut visits to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas; FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio; Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; and Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
“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.
So far seven nations have qualified for next year’s tournament. Mexico and the United States are pre-seeded. Canada also has an automatic spot. Curacao, French Guiana, Jamaica, and Martinique, have qualified via the CFU Caribbean Cupfrom the Caribbean, will compete for the Confederation crown in July.
Haiti, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago, play off in January with the winner going through to a two-leg playoff against the fifth-place team from the UNCAF Central American Cup.
The UNCAF Central American Cup will qualify four teams from its January championship.
Winners of the Gold Cup gain a play-off for the 2021 Confederations Cup in Qatar, as well as automatic qualification for the 2019 edition of the Gold Cup.
The 2015 Gold Cup was played in the aftermath of the US Department of Justice corruption indictments that saw a number of CONCACAF officials arrested and its marketing partner Traffic Sports left helpless. The tournament itself was a triumph of organisation and commercial savvy that financially saved the confederation, and media and spectator numbers that broke previous records.
Commercial sales are well under way for 2017 and Fox and Univision have broadcast rights for the dominant US TV market. Scotiabank, Nike and Sprint are all sponsor partners though Scotiabank appears to have dropped off as title sponsor for this edition of the tournament.
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Host Cities and Venues
Group Stage Venues & Dates:
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
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)
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1732538485labto1732538485ofdlr1732538485owedi1732538485sni@n1732538485osloh1732538485cin.l1732538485uap1732538485