SANDY, Utah/MIAMI, Fla. – Rio Tinto Stadium and CONCACAF announced on Wednesday that Rio Tinto Stadium will serve as a host site for this summer’s 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The home of Real Salt Lake, Sandy’s Rio Tinto Stadium is one of 13 venues that have been selected to host the 2013 tournament, which will run from July 7-28. Rio Tinto Stadium has never before hosted a Gold Cup match and will be one of eight venues to host CONCACAF’s top tournament for the first time this summer.
The date(s) and Gold Cup game(s) that Rio Tinto Stadium will host will be released in March.
“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 seven other venues set to host its first Gold Cup matches this summer are: Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.; M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.; Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo.; Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.; BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas; Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. and JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore.
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)
- Dallas – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
- Atlanta – Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)
- Baltimore - M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)
- Chicago – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
- 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)
