Children’s Mercy Park has been selected as one of 11 host venues for this summer’s 2021 Gold Cup, Concacaf announced on Thursday.
“The announcement of these outstanding venues moves us a step closer to what is sure to be a great Gold Cup this summer,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. “It is fitting that in our 60th anniversary year we will use a number of stadiums with a rich history of hosting Concacaf football.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Gold Cup back to Children’s Mercy Park,” said Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid. “Since we opened the venue, it’s always been a priority for us to bring big international matches to Kansas City. This will be another huge event and we’re excited to have the opportunity to host again.”
First contested in 1991, the Gold Cup is Concacaf’s flagship international competition and the 16th edition will be played from July 2-Aug. 1 to crown the best men’s national team in the region, which includes North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup returns to Kansas City – a Candidate Host City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - for a fourth time (2011, 2015, 2019, 2021) since Children’s Mercy Park opened a decade ago as the world-class home of Sporting KC.
Concacaf Gold Cup History in KC
2011: USA-Guadeloupe; Canada-Panama
2015: USA-Panama; Honduras-Haiti
2019: USA-Panama; Guyana-Trinidad & Tobago
2021: Teams and Matches TBA
The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup will officially kick off with a new Preliminary Round held from July 2-6 at Inter Miami CF’s DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with 12 nations competing for the final three berths in the Group Stage.
The Group Stage will begin July 10 with 16 teams and will be played in a hub-city format, reducing team travel to prioritize the safety of all involved. The groups for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup were drawn last year and include Asian champion Qatar as a guest participant.
- Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao, TBD (Prelim Round)
- Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique, TBD (Prelim Round)
- Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname, TBD (Prelim Round)
- Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar
For the first time in 2021, the Gold Cup will use Video Assistant Referees (VAR) and all of the final group stage matches will be played concurrently. The top two finishers in each group which will advance to the knockout stage’s single-elimination bracket on the road to the Gold Cup Final at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 1.
Concacaf will announce the full schedule, ticketing information and other details in the coming weeks and fans can sign up here to be notified.
Children’s Mercy Park, which will host Leagues Cup for the first time in August, continues to attract many of the sport’s most prestigious matches at the club, college and international levels. High-profile events held at the stadium include the 2013 MLS All-Star Game, 2013 MLS Cup, 2014 Concacaf Women’s Championship, 2015 NCAA College Cup, Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying (2012, 2015), Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Finals (2012, 2017), 2018 Tournament of Nations, Concacaf Champions League (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019) and Concacaf Gold Cup (2011, 2015, 2019, 2021).
