The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and schedule were announced today by CONCACAF. The path to the next FIFA Confederations Cup begins with three back-to-back days of group matches, starting on Sunday, June 5, at Arlington's Cowboy Stadium.
Houston's Reliant Stadium will host the tournament's semifinal round on Wednesday, June 22, in a doubleheader beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT. Reliant Stadium previously hosted in 2005, 2007 and 2009 and has consistently drawn among the largest crowds in the tournament. A quarterfinal doubleheader in 2005 headlined by a match between Mexico and Colombia drew a crowd of 60,500, while the 2007 quarterfinal doubleheader again featuring El Tri attracted a crowd of 70,092, which was the highest in the tournament.
The 2011 Gold Cup champion and CONCACAF representative to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil will be crowned on Saturday, June 25, at the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
A one-week of exclusive pre-sale will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9. Fans can call the local stadium box office or local MLS team for further information. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 16, through www.goldcup.org. Tickets for the semifinal round at Reliant Stadium are available at Ticketmaster.com.
Mexico will anchor Group A, which will begin tournament play on June 5 against El Salvador, preceded by Costa Rica and Cuba at Cowboys Stadium. Honduras will lead Group B the following day, facing Guatemala at The Home Depot Center on June 6, with the Caribbean face off between Jamaica vs. Grenada earlier in the evening. The United States will play the following night, Tuesday, June 7, in Detroit's Ford Field against its border rival Canada in Group C, which also will include Panama and Guadeloupe.
"We are extremely excited for this year's Gold Cup and are completely confident that it will be the best ever", CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said. "We are bringing our fans the region's best football in fantastic venues - with a lot on the line. It is truly a can't-miss event."
The Gold Cup, which has generated record attendances and television ratings in each of the past three competitions, will be played coast-to-coast at 13 venues again this year, including five new stadia. New Meadowlands Stadium, RFK Stadium and Reliant Stadium will serve as quarterfinal and semifinal venues, respectively, leading up to the grand finale at the Rose Bowl on June 25.
*Semifinals
*Wednesday, June 22 – Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX)
Quarterfinal winners, TBD
Quarterfinal winners, TBD
Matches scheduled for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. local (7 p.m. and 10 p.m. EDT) with order TBD
About CONCACAFCONCACAF "The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football" is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south. Follow CONCACAF on its official Twitter account: @CONCACAF
