AUSTIN, Texas - Q2 Stadium, the North Austin home of Austin FC, has been chosen as one of eleven venues for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The tournament, set for July and August, will feature 16 national teams, including the six-time champion U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) and eight-time champion Mexican Men’s National Team. 12 of the teams qualified through the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League.
"It is an honor for Q2 Stadium, in its first year of operations, to be designated as one of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup venues," said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. "Austin FC and the greater Austin region look forward welcoming Concacaf and qualifying national teams to the world-class Q2 Stadium."
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Five other Texas stadiums have also been designated as 2021 Gold Cup venues: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, BBVA Stadium and NRG Stadium in Houston, Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and Toyota Stadium in Frisco. Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. Exploria Stadium in Orlando, and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz are also venues for the tournament.
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The 2021 Gold Cup will officially kick off with a new Preliminary Round (Prelims) at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Twelve nations who qualified through their Concacaf Nations League performances will compete for the final three spots in the 16 team Gold Cup Group Stage.
The Round One and Two Prelims matchups were drawn on September 10, 2020.
"To host a competition of this caliber is a great honor," said Drew Hays, Director of the Austin Sports Commission. "Austin is an event city, and the Concacaf Gold Cup further elevates our offerings. We are thrilled to welcome fans from North & Central America and to showcase the city during this bi-annual competition," added Hays.
The group stage featuring 16 national teams will begin on July 10 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 on September 10, 2020 and are as follows:
- Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao and Winner Prelims 9
- Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique and Winner Prelims 7
- Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and Winner Prelims 8
- Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada, and Qatar
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For the first time, all the Gold Cup’s final group stage matches will be played concurrently to ensure an even more compelling spectacle as the teams each compete to reach the knockout stage, says Austin FC.
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At the end of Group Stage play, the top two finishers in each group will advance to a knockout stage, which for the first time in Gold Cup history see teams on opposite sides of the bracket meet from the quarterfinals onwards. The knockout stage will be played as follows:
- Quarterfinal #1: Winner Group D vs Second Place Group A
- Quarterfinal #4: Winner Group B vs Second Place Group C
- Quarterfinal #2: Winner Group A vs Second Place Group D
- Quarterfinal #3: Winner Group C vs Second Place Group B
The semifinals will go:
- Semifinal #1: Winner Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner Quarterfinal #4
- Semifinal #2: Winner Quarterfinal #2 vs Winner Quarterfinal #3
The winners of those two matches will then play in the finals.
Austin FC says Concacaf will announce the schedule, ticketing information, and other details in the coming weeks.