GOLD CUP RETURNS TO AT&T STADIUM AS DALLAS PUSHES TOWARD FIFA WORLD CUP 26™

By Stephen Evans

As Dallas prepares for the arrival of FIFA World Cup 26™, there will be no dearth of quality action on the pitch to help grow the anticipation, including some of the best teams in our region of the world competing in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The Concacaf Gold Cup is a biennial tournament for national teams in the North and Central American and Caribbean region associated with Concacaf. This year’s event marks the 17th edition of the confederation’s flagship competition for men’s national teams, which has seen the United States take two of the last three tournaments. The United States will try to become the first team to win back-to-back Gold Cups since Mexico did it in 2009 and 2011.

AT&T Stadium in Arlington will play host to matches in the Knockout Stage, essentially the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Four of the final eight teams will face off on Saturday, July 8, in a double-header at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm. The other quarterfinal matches will take place the next day in Cincinnati, OH.

The Concacaf Gold Cup crowns the top men’s national team in the region, and this year’s event will be played in 15 stadiums across 14 cities in the United States and

Canada. Mexico (eight times), the United States (seven times), and Canada (one time) are the only nations to have won the Concacaf Gold Cup

The national teams are divided into groups for the tournament, and group champions are crowned as the schedule advances. Group A teams consist of Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. Group B includes Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and against the runner-up Group C team at 8:30 pm. Both contests will be aired on Fox Sports 1.

This summer’s matches at AT&T Stadium will mark the sixth time the stadium has hosted Concacaf Gold Cup matches. With a capacity of 85,000 fans, AT&T Stadium was the site of Gold Cup matches during the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2021 competitions and has a history of hosting some of the tournament’s biggest matches. In 2021, AT&T Stadium also hosted a quarterfinals

Qatar, while Group C includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Martinique, and Panama. Group D is made up of Canada, Cuba, Guadeloupe, and Guatemala. As host of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar was invited to participate in the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cup tournaments.

The event got underway on Saturday, June 24, with a tie between the United States and Jamaica.

The Knockout Round at AT&T Stadium will pit the first place Group C team against the runner-up Group B team at 6:30 pm, followed by the first place Group B team doubleheader which saw Canada blank Costa Rica 2-0 before the United States shut out Jamaica 1-0.

The Dallas region is set to play a crucial role in the FIFA World Cup 26™. While specific assignments have not yet been made, Dallas is hoping to land the final or semifinal matches at AT&T Stadium, while also serving several other roles, including the host of the International Broadcast Center and other official designations.

Tickets for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup matches at attstadium.com.