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What is the Gold Cup?

By Adam Stocker

Jul 25, 2015; Chester, PA, USA; The CONCACAF Gold Cup entrance to the field before the third place match between Panama and the United States at PPL Park. Panama wins on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 25, 2015; Chester, PA, USA; The CONCACAF Gold Cup entrance to the field before the third place match between Panama and the United States at PPL Park. Panama wins on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Gold Cup determines the confederation champion for CONCACAF, the governing body for North America, South America and the Caribbean.

The Gold Cup is an international soccer tournament that determines the confederation champion for CONCACAF, the governing body for the sport in North America, South America and the Caribbean.

The first Gold Cup was in 1991, succeeding the previous CONCACAF Championship. The tournament is every two years but changed when it occurred in the 1990s. The second edition was in 1993 but the tournament wasn’t held again until 1996. From 1996 until 2002 the tournament occurred every two years. The tournament was moved to 2003, however, so it didn’t occur in a World Cup year.

Over the years, the tournament has grown in size. From 1991 until 2005 the tournament featured eight teams. In 2007, the tournament increased to current 12-team format. The current format features three groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. The two best third-place teams also advance to the quarterfinals. In 2019, the tournament field will increase to 16 teams.

Since the introduction of the tournament in 1991, the United States and Mexico have dominated the competition. Mexico have won seven champions while the United States have won five times. The only other nation to win the Gold Cup was Canada in 2000.

The United States have hosted every Gold Cup with the exception of 2003, when they co-hosted with Mexico, and 2015, when they co-hosted with Canada. In 2017, 14 different venues across the United States host games. The final is on July 26 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

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The winners of the 2017 Gold Cup advance to the CONCACAF Cup where they face the 2019 winners of the Gold Cup for a place in the Confederations Cup. If the same team win the 2017 and 2019 Gold Cup, they will automatically qualify for the Confederations Cup.

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