T&T to play Gold Cup Prelims in Miami
This Country’s Senior Men’s National Team will face Montserrat in its 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary Round 1 encounter at the Inter Miami CF Stadium, home of T&T’s Joevin Jones.
This will serve as the official start to the Gold Cup and is a key part of what is sure to be a vibrant summer of football in the region, which will include the Concacaf Nations League Finals in June and the Concacaf Gold Cup in July and August, according to a release on Thursday by Concacaf.
T&T’s best ever finish at the Gold Cup came in 2000 when the side which included the likes of Dwight Yorke, Stern John, Russell Latapy and the late Mickey Trotman, reached the semi-finals and finished in third place. T&T’s best recent performances came in 2013 and 2015 when they reached the quarter finals both years.
For 2021, Concacaf’s flagship competition will for the first time include the Prelims prior to the 16 team Group Stage. The 12 nations participating in the Prelims qualified through their Concacaf Nations League performances and will compete for the final three spots in the Gold Cup Group Stage.
“We look forward with great anticipation to this summer’s Gold Cup, which will undoubtedly be enhanced by this new Preliminary Round,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. “The past year has been very challenging in our region and our thoughts are with all the communities that have suffered. We hope the opportunity to watch the best men’s national teams in Concacaf compete in our flagship tournament can provide fans with some hope and enjoyment.”
“All 12 of the competing nations in the Prelims will get a full Gold Cup experience at the excellent Inter Miami facilities and we look forward to a great set of games,” added Montagliani.
“We look forward to hosting the Gold Cup Prelims tournament in our stadium,” said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner Jorge Mas. “Our facilities in Fort Lauderdale were built with the intent of giving our fans opportunities to enjoy the world’s game knowing that our vibrant culture and sports-centric region would be attractive for global teams and competitions. This is just the beginning of the great things that lie ahead.”
Twelve nations will play from July 2-6, 2021, at Inter Miami CF Stadium, a brand-new football-specific stadium inaugurated just last year. The centralized venue, which includes an 18,000-capacity stadium sitting adjacent to a 50,000-square-foot training center with seven fields spanning across 34-acres, will allow for teams to play matches and train in one location.
For Round One of the Prelims, the teams were drawn into six matchups and will play as follows:
Round One – July 2 and 3
Matchup #1: Haiti vs St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Matchup #2: Guatemala vs Guyana
Matchup #3: Trinidad and Tobago vs Monserrat
Matchup #4: Cuba vs French Guiana
Matchup #5: Guadeloupe vs Bahamas
Matchup #6: Bermuda vs Barbados
The six Round One winners will qualify for the second round and will play as follows:
Round Two – July 6
Matchup #7: Winner Matchup #1 vs Winner Matchup #6
Matchup #8: Winner Matchup #2 vs Winner Matchup #5
Matchup #9: Winner Matchup #3 vs Winner Matchup #4
The winning nation in each of the three Round Two matchups will advance to the Group Stage of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, where they were drawn into Group A, B and C 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.
Additional details regarding the Prelims, including ticket sales information, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Concacaf will in due course provide information regarding the local and federal protocols related to the Covid-19 pandemic which will need to be observed by attending fans. This will include a requirement to adhere to state health guidelines and any Concacaf or venue protocols and regulations.
The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage will kick off on July 10 and run through August 1, 2021 and will feature 16 national teams, of which Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, eight-time and defending champion Mexico, Panama, Suriname, six-time champion United States, are already qualified to the group stage of the tournament.
Additionally, Qatar has been invited to the tournament as the current champion and representative of the Asian Football Confederation. The remaining three countries will qualify through the Gold Cup Prelims, in which 12 Member Associations will compete for the final three spots, to be played July 2-6- at Inter Miami CF Stadium in South Florida.
