More teams and more chances of having the tournament being played away from the UnIted States. That's the roundup of what Victor Montagliani said about the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will be played by 16 teams from 2019 and beyond.
CONCACAF's main man, Victor Montagliani, revealed that this decision will benefit some countries that have never experienced what it feels like to participate in the region's top-caliber competition.
"The expansion of the Gold Cup and the upcoming launch of the CONCACAF Nations League are key steps in delivering on the ONE CONCACAF Vision, to make the region’s most competitive football more accessible to more of our Confederation’s teams, players and fans," Montagliani stated.
Furthermore, Montagliani admitted that CONCACAF will study the possibility of bringing Gold Cup matches to Central American and Caribbean countries. There have been Gold Cup games held outside U.S. soil in only three editions (1993, 2003 and 2015), and CONCACAF's president wants that to change.
The tournament has hosted 12 teams since its creation, with invited teams such as Brazil, Japan, South Korea and South Africa taking part of the competition. Mexico is the most-winning team with seven trophies to their name, followed closely by the USMNT with six.
