CONCACAF announced Wednesday the 13 venues and host cities that will welcome the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 7-28, 2013.
"We would like to thank all cities and venues in the United States for their interest in our Confederation's Gold Cup and congratulate the ones that have been selected to host its 2013 edition." said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. "CONCACAF is looking forward to a successful tournament, working in close partnership with both stadium and local authorities, while expanding the reach of our competition to a larger number of fans in more locations throughout the United States."
The region's premier National Team tournament will again expand its footprint by visiting eight new world-class venues in this year's edition: Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA; M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD; Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, CO; Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT; BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX; Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL; JELD-WEN Field in Portland, OR and Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. Six new Gold Cup cities are featured in this group of newcomers, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Hartford, Portland and Salt Lake City. Houston and Miami return to host the tournament, for the 5th and 9th time consecutive time, respectively.
The event will also return to five venues from its previous editions including Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX (2009, 2011); Soldier Field in Chicago, IL (2007, 2009, 2011); Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA (1991, 2002, 2011); Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ (2011) and CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA (2005, 2009). Years in parenthesis denote Gold Cups at each venue.
With a mix of historic venues and brand new state of the art soccer facilities that average 57,000 spectators, the 2013 edition of the Gold Cup promises to provide fans both in stadium and at home with unforgettable atmospheres in world class venues. In 2011, the tournament drew more than 600,000 fans throughout 13 match-days, including nine sell-outs.
To date, eleven of the twelve participating national teams have qualified for this year's tournament. In alphabetical order: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States. The final spot will be decided on Friday in the fifth-place match of the 2013 UNCAF Copa Centroamericana between Guatemala and Panama, which is being held in Costa Rica.
Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region's most popular national team tournament, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the region. Featuring the best players from the confederation, the tournament includes the top 12-nations in the region.
2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Host City & Venue list
(In alphabetical order by host city)
HOST CITY - VENUE (Venue Location)
• Atlanta - Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)
• Baltimore - M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)
• Chicago - Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
• Dallas - Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
• Denver - Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, CO)
• Hartford - Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT)
• Houston - BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)
• Los Angeles - Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
• Miami - Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
• New York- Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)
• Portland - JELD-WEN Field (Portland, OR)
• Salt Lake City - Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, UT)
• Seattle - CenturyLink Field (Seattle, WA)
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The 2013 Gold Cup will be disputed in 13 stadiums, here we take a look at each one.
Photo: Especial
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BBVA Compass Stadium, the home of the Houston Dynamo, will host the games in Houston.
Photo: AP
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Century Field, the home of the Seattle Sounders and Seahawks, will host games despite having turf in the stadium.
Photo: AP
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Coywboy Stadium in Dallas will again be one of the key venues for the tournament.
Photo: Mexsport
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Mile High Stadium in Denver, the home of the Broncos, will be one of the new venues for this rendition of the tournament.
Photo: Mexsport
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The Georgia Dome in Atlanta will also host Gold Cup games for the first time in 2013.
Photo: Getty Images
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Another gift to Northwestern fans will be games at Jeld-Wen Field, the home of the Portland Timbers.
Photo: AP
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In Baltimore, the games will be played in the home of the Ravens at M &T Bank Stadium.
Photo: Getty Images
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One of the most popular venues returning for the 2013 edition is Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.
Photo: AP
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Rentschler Field in Connecticut has a great capacity as a college stadium.
Photo: Tomada de Internet
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Salt Lake City will be another debutante at the ball, with games at Rio Tinto Stadium, the home of the Real Salt Lake.
Photo: AP
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Sun Life Stadium continues its commitment to expanding soccer in the city by hosting Gold Cup games.
Photo: AP
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Soldier Field in Chicago is one of the favorites to host the final of the 2013 Cup.
Photo: Mexsport
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The Rose Bowl in Pasadena already hosted a Gold Cup final in 2011.
Photo: AP
