The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Federation (CONCACAF) has announced the official schedule for their 2021 Gold Cup tournament.
With that came the dates of the preliminary games in which Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Football team will participate in hopes of making it to their second consecutive Gold Cup tournament.
This year’s edition will include a new Preliminary Round (July 2-6) prior to the Group Stage (July 10-20) and a
The local arm of the national team is currently in training
revamped Knockout Stage (July 24–Aug 1).
This summer’s Gold Cup, the 16th edition of the competition and a key part of Concacaf’s 60th anniversary celebration, will be played in 11 stadiums across eight US metropolitan areas. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host the competition’s final match on Sunday, August 1.
“We are extremely pleased to confirm the schedule and venues for this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup, which promises to be a celebration of football in our great region,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. “2021 is Concacaf’s 60th anniversary year, and we look forward with great anticipation to watching the best men’s national teams in our confederation compete for the Gold Cup title. With an exciting new format and the prospect of welcoming passionate fans to the stadiums for these compelling matchups, I can’t wait for the football to begin on July 2nd, and to crown a champion in Las Vegas on August 1st,” added Montagliani.
The Golden Jaguars
Prior to the start of the 2021 Gold Cup Group Stage, 12 national teams which qualified through their Concacaf Nations League (CNL) performances will compete in the Preliminary Round (Prelims) from July 2-6, 2021 as they vie for a spot in the second knockout stage.
There, the Golden Jaguars will take on Guatemala on Saturday, July 3 at the PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That game will kick off at 9.30pm. Should Guyana emerge victorious from the second knockout, they will advance to battle the winner of a Guadeloupe vs Bahamas matchup for a spot in Group C of the Gold Cup. That game will be played on July 6 from 9.30 pm at the same venue.
The Group Stage of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup will kick off on July 10, and will run through July 20. The 12 qualified nations, the AFC Asian Cup Champions Qatar (guest participant), and the three Prelims winners were drawn in September 2020 into four groups.
Group C currently comprises Jamaica, Suriname and Costa Rica.
If the Golden Jags are lucky enough to make it into the 2021 Gold Cup, they will take on Costa Rica on July 12 from 9pm, Jamaica on July 16 from 6.30pm, and Suriname on July 20 from 6pm.
In an exciting football first development to this year’s edition of Gold Cup, each group’s final group stage matches will be played simultaneously. This is to ensure an even more compelling spectacle as the teams compete to reach the Knockout Stage.
At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group would advance to the Quarterfinals.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will play host to the Quarterfinal doubleheaders on July 24 and 25 respectively.
The Semifinals will be played on July 29 in NRG Stadium in Houston and the brand-new Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The venue for each specific semifinal matchup will be confirmed at the conclusion of the Group Stage (Q2 Stadium, Austin and NRG Stadium, Houston will each host one Semifinal).
The winners of the two semifinal matches will travel to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to face off in the Final on August 1.
The Golden Jaguars also have separate upcoming international engagements on July 4 and 8, in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Gold Cup Preliminary Round Schedule
Friday, July 2 – DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round One)
16:30 (16:30) M1: Haiti vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
19:00 (19:00) M6: Bermuda vs Barbados
21:30 (21:30) M3: Trinidad and Tobago vs Montserrat
Saturday, July 3 – DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round One)
16:30 (16:30) M5: Guadeloupe vs Bahamas
19:00 (19:00) M4: Cuba vs French Guiana
21:30 (21:30) M2: Guatemala vs Guyana
Tuesday, July 6 – DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round Two)
16:30 (16:30) M9: Winner Prelims 3 vs Winner Prelims 4
19:00 (19:00) M7: Winner Prelims 1 vs Winner Prelims 6
21:30 (21:30) M8: Winner Prelims 2 vs Winner Prelims 5
