The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced that Central America will stage matches during the Gold Cup national team tournament for the first time next year.
The Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica will host a Gold Cup double-header featuring the home nation on June 16, 2019. The matches will feature teams in Group B.
It will mark the first time in the Gold Cup’s 15-tournament history that matches have been in held in Central America.
As well as the double-header in Costa Rica, matches will be played in 15 US metropolitan areas and one yet-to-be-announced Caribbean venue.
The Estadio Nacional was inaugurated on March 26, 2011. The 35,000-seat stadium has hosted a range of international events, including the 2014 FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup, Costa Rica national team matches and athletics tournaments.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said: “We are very proud to bring the CONCACAF Gold Cup to Costa Rica, where fans have shown great excitement, passion and love for our game. By hosting our premier competition in Central America, we are achieving a core principle of our ONE CONCACAF Vision, which is to increase access to the game, develop football and ensuring our fans experience the highest quality of football in the region.”
The complete schedule for the Gold Cup will be announced next year once all nations have qualified. Next year’s Gold Cup will mark an expanded edition of the tournament, with 16 teams set to compete.
Image: Terran21
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