Q2 Stadium, the 20,500 seat home of Austin FC, will be one of eleven 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup venues when the 2021 tournament takes place in July and August 2021. The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup will feature 16 national teams, 12 of which have qualified via the 2019–20 Concacaf Nations League, including the six-time champion U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) and eight-time champion Mexican Men’s National Team. They will be joined by the 2019 AFC Asian Cup champions and 2022 FIFA World Cup host, Qatar, and three additional teams qualifying via the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims, a qualification round taking place July 2-6, 2021.

“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,” commented 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.”

“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 2021 Gold Cup will officially kick off with a new Preliminary Round (Prelims) at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Twelve (12) nations who qualified through their Concacaf Nations League performances will compete for the final three (3) spots in the 16 team Gold Cup Group Stage. The Round One and Two Prelims matchups were drawn on September 10, 2020 and are available here.

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

In a significant development to the format, for the first time all the Gold Cup’s final group stage matches will be played concurrently. This is to ensure an even more compelling spectacle as the teams each compete to reach the knockout stage.

At the end of Group Stage play, the top two (2) 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

Semifinal #1: Winner Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner Quarterfinal #4

Semifinal #2: Winner Quarterfinal #2 vs Winner Quarterfinal #3

Final: Winner Semifinal #1 vs Winner Semifinal #2

Concacaf will announce the schedule, ticketing information, and other details in the coming weeks.

Graphics and Photos courtesy Austin FC and Concacaf

Charlie Parker

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