Exploria Stadium to Host 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup

Concacaf announced today that Exploria Stadium will be one of 11 venues to host matches for the 2021 Gold Cup. Exploria joins the previously announced Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which will host the final, and DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, which will host the prelims. This will be the first time Exploria Stadium has served as a host venue for the event.

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

Landing the Gold Cup continues Exploria Stadium’s trend of hosting marquee soccer events. The venue recently played host to the entire SheBelieves Cup in February, and hosted both USMNT and USWNT friendlies in January, just weeks after hosting the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, semifinals, and final in December of last year.

“We are, yet again, honored to be able to host another one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments at Exploria Stadium and to again feature some of the best in the game in Downtown Orlando,” Orlando City SC Chief Executive Officer Alex Leitão said in a club press release. “After a successful Concacaf Champions League in December, we are excited the confederation has selected our incredible venue for the Gold Cup and that we will be able to showcase more top national teams here in Orlando. This is yet another testament to our community’s love and passion for the beautiful game.”

“On behalf of our stakeholders within the Greater Orlando sports eco-system, we want to welcome Concacaf back to Orange County and downtown Orlando’s Exploria Stadium for this summer’s Gold Cup competition,” said Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission in the Orlando City release. “We couldn’t be more pleased to add the Gold Cup to our soccer-crazed community’s portfolio of events in what is quickly becoming the ‘Summer of Soccer’ here in Orlando. Events like the Gold Cup provide the residents of our community and those traveling to our destination a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the beautiful game, and we look forward to welcoming international teams to our region as we continue our pursuit of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The group stage, featuring 16 national teams, will begin July 10 in a hub-city format, in order to reduce team travel to prioritize the safety of all involved. The groups for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup were also 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.

Other venues hosting group and knockout stage matches include:

• AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX
• Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS
• Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
• NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
• Q2 Stadium, Austin, TX
• State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
• Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX

Q2 Stadium in Austin joins Exploria Stadium as a first-time host of the event.

Notable Soccer Events at Exploria Stadium

• Oct. 6, 2017 — USMNT World Cup qualifier vs Panama (U.S. won, 4-0)
• Oct. 14, 2017 — NWSL Championship (Portland Thorns beat North Carolina Courage, 1-0)
• Dec. 3, 2017 — NCAA Women’s College Cup (Stanford beat UCLA, 3-2)
• Jan. 10-11, 2018 — Florida Cup (Corinthian (BRA) 1-1 PSV Eindhoven (NED); Rangers (SCO) 1-0 Atletico Mineiro (BRA))
• March 7, 2018 — SheBelieves Cup (USWNT 1-0 England; France 3-0 Germany)
• Jan 10-12, 2019 — Florida Cup (Ajax (NED) 2-2 Flamengo (BRA); Ajax (NED) 4-2 São Paulo (BRA); Flamengo (BRA) 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt (GER))
• March 21, 2019 —USMNT friendly vs. Ecuador (U.S. won, 1-0)
• June 28, 2019 — International Friendly: Pachuca (MEX) vs. Independiente Medellin (COL) (Medellin won, 2-1)
• July 31, 2019 — MLS All-Star Game (Atletico Madrid beat MLS All-Stars, 3-0)
• Nov. 15, 2019 — USMNT Concacaf Nations League vs. Canada (U.S. won, 4-1)
• Jan. 15 & 18, 2020 — Florida Cup (Corinthians (BRA) 2-1 New York City FC (USA); Palmeiras (BRA) 0-0 Atletico Nacional (COL); Palmeiras (BRA) 2-1 New York City FC (USA); Atletico Nacional (COL) 2-1 Corinthians (BRA))
• March 5, 2020 — SheBelieves Cup (USWNT 2-0 England; Spain 3-1 Japan)
• Dec. 15-22, 2020 — Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, semifinals, and final
• Jan. 18, 2021 — USWNT friendly vs. Colombia (U.S. won, 4-0)
• Jan. 22, 2021 — USWNT friendly vs. Colombia (U.S. won, 6-0)
• Jan. 31, 2021 — USMNT friendly vs. Trinidad & Tobago (U.S. won, 7-0)
• Feb. 18, 21, & 24, 2021 — 2021 SheBelieves Cup (all six matches, event won by USWNT)
• *July, 2021 — Concacaf Gold Cup (dates, stage, and teams TBA)

*- indicates future event