concacaf-forgets-about-the-east-coast-for-the-2025-gold-cupConcacaf forgets about the East Coast for the 2025 Gold Cup

Concacaf announced several pieces of information on Wednesday regarding the 2025 Gold Cup, including the dates of the matches and the draw, but one of the most notable topics came when the venues for the stadiums that will host the cup were revealed, leaving out all the venues on the East Coast of the United States and Canada.

According to information released by the organizers of the 2025 Gold Cup, there will be a total of 14 stadiums in the United States and Canada, but all are focused on the West Coast, including four venues in California and three more in Texas.

This is what the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey looks like, which was not considered for the 2025 Gold Cup. PHOTO: AP / Julio Cortez.

It was even noteworthy that prominent venues such as Yankee Stadium in New York, home of NYCFC, or Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, home of NY Red Bull, were not included in the list of venues considered for the event.

Likewise, Chase Stadium, home of Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami in Florida, was also not taken into account, although this is presumed to be due to the capacity of just over 20,000 fans.

MetLife Stadium, which hosted the recent Copa America USA 2024 and where Argentina played, was also ruled out.

Argentina and Canada faced off in the Copa America at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. PHOTO: AP / Adam Hunger.

Of those, three venues will be making their Gold Cup debut, including BC Place in Vancouver, Canada, PayPal Park in San Jose, California, and US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The tournament will represent an opportunity for Concacaf teams, and especially for Mexico, the United States and Canada, to have the chance to participate in a competitive tournament, considering that the three teams will host the 2026 World Cup and are not participating in the World Cup qualifiers.

Regarding the designation of the venues and the official presentation of the event, FIFA Vice President and Concacaf President Victor Montafliani spoke about the upcoming Gold Cup and recalled that it will be the last official tournament in the region before the World Cup.

“The Concacaf Gold Cup is our flagship event for men’s national teams and the 2025 edition is sure to be a highly competitive tournament that delivers results on and off the pitch for the competing teams and their fans. As the last official centralized tournament in our region before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this Gold Cup will represent a major challenge for all participating federations and will be critical to their preparations for World Cup qualification and participation in the FIFA World Cup itself,” Montafliani said in a statement.

He also took the opportunity to thank the stadiums that will host the competition.

“I want to thank the 14 stadiums and host cities for their immense support of the Gold Cup, Concacaf and their commitment to supporting the growth of the game in our region,” added Montagliani.

Check out the list of stadiums that will host the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2025 here:

AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2023)
Q2 Stadium – Austin, Texas (2021)
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015)
NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Shell Energy Stadium – Houston, Texas (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California (2023)
Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, Nevada (2021, 2023)
US Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN (first time venue)
State Farm Stadium – Phoenix, Arizona (2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Snapdragon Stadium – San Diego, California (2023)
PayPal Park – San Jose, CA (first time host)
Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, California (2017, 2023)
CITY PARK – St. Louis, Missouri (2023)
BC Place – Vancouver, Canada (first time host)

2025 Gold Cup Format

According to the format announced by the organizers, the event will feature a group stage of 16 teams and four groups of equal numbers of participants.

Following the group stage, from 14 to 24 June, the four group winners and four runners-up (eight teams in total) will advance to the knockout stage.

The knockout phase will begin with the quarterfinals on June 28 and 29, followed by the semifinals on July 2 and the final, where the new Concacaf champion will be crowned, on Sunday, July 6.

Group stage: 14-24 June 2025
Quarter-finals: 28-29 June 2025
Semi-finals: July 2, 2025
End: July 6, 2025

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By Scribe