In just over two months' time, the latest iteration of the CONCACAF Gold Cup will kick off. 15 teams will be hoping to unseat reigning champions Mexico, who, with eight titles, are the most successful team in the competition's history.
This year's edition will be held across the United States, with eight different cities and 11 stadiums set to host the matches. Making this tournament very interesting is a newly added Premliminary Round, which will start on July 2nd and run through July 6th, before the Group Stage (July 10th through July 20th), and finally the Knockout Rounds (July 24th through July 29th) ending with the Final on August 1st.
Here's all you need to know ahead of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
What's the format of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
The format of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup is as follows:
- Prelim Round: July 2 - July 6
- Group Stage - July 10 - July 20
- Knockout Round Stage 1 (Quarter-Finals) - July 24 - July 25
- Knockout Round Stage 2 (Semi-Finals) - July 29
- Final - August 1
What teams are taking part in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
United States (Hosts)
Mexico (Defending Champs)
Canada
Jamaica
Honduras
Costa Rica
Panama
El Salvador
Martinique
Curaçao
Suriname
Grenada
Qatar (special invited guests and winners of the AFC Asian Cup)
*Plus three teams that will earn a ticket after making it through the preliminary rounds
What are the groups at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curaçao, and the winner of preliminary match 9
Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique and the winner of preliminary match 7
Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and the winner of preliminary match 8
Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar
What exactly is the Preliminary Round at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
A total of 12 teams will participate in the Preliminary Round that will start on July 2nd and end on July 6th. It's comprised of two rounds. First round will be played on July 2nd and July 3rd, which will reduce the pool to six teams. Second round will kick off on July 6th, and after that, the final three teams will be decided.
In short, only three lucky teams will ultimately get a shot to feature in the group stages - and perhaps beyond - at this summer's Gold Cup tournament.
Who are the 12 teams who will feature in the Preliminary Round at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
Here are the teams who will be featuring in the preliminary round matches starting on July 2nd and running through July 6th.
Haiti
Guatemala
Trinidad and Tobago
Cuba
Guadeloupe
Bermuda
French Guiana
Guyana
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Barbados
Montserrat
Bahamas
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