ATLANTA (Tuesday, December 16, 2014) – The City of Atlanta will once again welcome the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup back to the Georgia Dome as a part of the 2015 tournament. Atlanta will host a knockout round of the tournament. The round, date and teams will be announced in early 2015.
Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup is the official national team championship of the region, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the region. Featuring the best players from the confederation, the tournament includes the region’s current top 12 national teams.
“Over the years Atlanta has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to deliver on all facets of hosting an event, from media to hospitality to the fan and athlete experience, which is a clear point of differentiation for our region,” said Dan Corso, Executive Director of the Atlanta Sports Council. “Atlanta is passionate about soccer so to be selected as a site for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup is very exciting for metro Atlanta.”
The complete groups and schedule, including selection of dates and matches for the knockout round and the awarding of the Final, will be announced in early 2015. The Georgia Dome will either host a quarterfinal round, semifinal round or the Gold Cup Final next year.
In recent years soccer has drawn record numbers in Atlanta. In 2013, the Georgia Dome hosted the Gold Cup Quarterfinal double-header, which at the time broke the Dome’s attendance record for a soccer match with 54,229 fans in attendance. In March of 2014, Atlanta hosted the Mexican National Team for a pre-World Cup friendly vs. Nigeria. The international match sold out the Dome, set a new attendance record for soccer with 68,212 fans and drew the largest soccer crowd in Georgia since the 1996 Olympics.
On April 16, 2014, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced that Atlanta was awarded the 22nd MLS franchise. MLS Atlanta will begin play in 2017 at the new Atlanta stadium, currently under construction downtown. The club has already set records in fan participation with over 16,000 seats reserved in the new stadium for the 2017 season.
“We’re thrilled that the Gold Cup is coming to Atlanta in 2015,” said Darren Eales, President of MLS Atlanta. “To be chosen as a host city for the knockout stage of such a prestigious tournament speaks to the popularity of the sport of soccer in Atlanta. The Gold Cup will provide a fantastic opportunity to showcase Atlanta as a true soccer city and will give fans the opportunity to experience top level play ahead of MLS Atlanta’s debut in 2017. We look forward to welcoming CONCACAF next year.”
2015 CONCACAF GOLD CUP, JULY 7-26
Group A – United States heads to Dallas, Boston and Kansas City
Tuesday, July 7th, Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Friday, July 10th, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Monday, July 13th, Sporting Park, Kansas City, KS
Group B – Costa Rica heads to Los Angeles, Houston and Toronto
Wednesday, July 8th, StubHub Center, Carson, CA
Saturday, July 11th, BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
Tuesday, July 14th, BMO Field, Toronto, ON
Group C – Mexico heads to Chicago, Phoenix and Charlotte
Thursday, July 9th, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Sunday, July 12th, University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
Wednesday, July 15th, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Knockout Round Stage Markets
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
The complete groups and schedule will be announced next year.
Fans interested in being part of an exclusive presale offering for the Gold Cup knockout round in Atlanta, and for more ticket information, please visit www.CONCACAF.com/Tickets
