In the first-ever Concacaf Gold Cup draw held on September 28, the USA and Canada were drawn in the same group when the 2021 edition of the tournament kicks off on July 10.
The complete results of the draw follow below:
Gold Cup Group Stage
The Gold Cup Group Stage, kicking off on July 10, 2021, will consist of a total of 16 nations:
- 8 teams: Winners and runners-up from each of the four groups in Concacaf Nations League A
- 4 teams: Winners from each of the four groups in Concacaf Nations League B
- 3 teams: Preliminary stage qualifiers (see Prelims matchups below)
- 1 team: Asian Cup champions Qatar as guest from Asian Football Confederation
The draw determined the composition of each of the four groups consisting of four nations each:
- Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao, Winner Prelims #9
- Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique, Winner Prelims #7
- Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname, Winner Prelims #8
- Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada, Qatar
The Gold Cup Final will be played on August 1, 2021. Venues, kickoff times and a schedule for the full tournament will be announced in the coming months.
Gold Cup Preliminaries
Before the Gold Cup Group Stage kicks off on July 10, a Preliminary round held between July 2-July 6 will determine the final three nations that will qualify.
A total of 12 nations will compete for the final three berths based on their performance in the Concacaf Nations League group stage (Sept.-Nov. 2019):
- 4 teams: Third-placed finishers from four groups in Concacaf Nations League A
- 4 teams: Runners-up from four groups in Concacaf Nations League B
- 4 teams: Winners from four groups in Concacaf Nations League C
Here's how these 12 nations will match up:
Preliminaries (Round 1)
- Prelim #1: Haiti vs. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Prelim #2: Guatemala vs. Guyana
- Prelim #3: Trinidad & Tobago* vs. Montserrat
- Prelim #4: Cuba vs. French Guiana
- Prelim #5: Guadeloupe vs. Bahamas
- Prelim #6: Bermuda vs. Barbados
Preliminaries (Round 2)
- Prelim #7: Winner Prelim #1 vs. Winner Prelim #6
- Prelim #8: Winner Prelim #2 vs. Winner Prelim #5
- Prelim #9: Winner Prelim #3 vs. Winner Prelim #4
* NOTE: The participation of Trinidad and Tobago is contingent on a FIFA suspension being lifted by 5 pm ET on December 18, 2020. If the suspension is not lifted by that deadline, Trinidad and Tobago will be replaced in the Prelims by Antigua and Barbuda as the next highest-ranked team based on their 2019 Concacaf Nations League performance.
