Gold Cup 2025 – Inside World Football

Former USMNT coach Arena questions Pochettino’s ‘foreign’ leadership

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 01:00:40 +0000

April 24 – In an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) website, current United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) coach Mauricio Pochettino criticised his players’ mentality, prompting former USMNT coach Bruce Arena to respond with what could generously be called “constructive feedback”.

Arena, who guided the US to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002, shared his thoughts on the ‘Unfiltered Soccer’ podcast with all the subtlety of a brick through a jewelers window.

Pochettino set for squad shake-up ahead of CONCACAF Gold Cup

Andy Elliott — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:23:54 +0000

April 24 – United States Men’s National Team coach Mauricio Pochettino has declared he’ll be prioritising mental fortitude in his squad selection for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the Argentine tactician outlined his expectations as the team prepares for their last competitive action before the 2026 World Cup.

“The right mindset must be there, because we need to compete for our flag,

14 stadiums in 29 days: Concacaf unveils Gold Cup match schedule

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 21:00:17 +0000

April 14 – Concacaf’s Gold Cup will open at the SoFi Stadium and bounce between San Jose, San Diego, Vancouver and Carson on the West coast of North America for four days, before heading to Arlington, Houston and Austin in Texas for another six days of group games.

Concacaf has unveiled the match schedule for the 18th edition of its blue riband men’s national team tournament that will be played this summer,

Concacaf draws groups for Gold Cup; Mexico paired with Costa Rica, US to greet Saudi guests

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 05:39:11 +0000

April 11 – Reigning champions Mexico have been drawn with Costa Rica in group A of the Concacaf Gold Cup. Mexico will open the finals on June 14 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The USA will face first-time tournament guests Saudi Arabia in their group, as well as Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. If either Mexico or the USA finish second in their group with the other nation winning their group, they will face each other in the quarter final.

Concacaf and Molten launch 2025 Gold Cup match ball

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 03:04:18 +0000

April 11 – Concacaf has unveiled the official match ball for this summer’s 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The ‘Molten Concacaf Gold Vantaggio 5000’ was revealed during the tournament draw in Miami on Thursday and will be used throughout the Gold Cup as well as in future men’s national team competitions.

The ball, designed in a striking gold finish, is built using Molten’s proprietary ACENTEC thermal bonding technology, aimed at enhancing accuracy, control, and visibility in all weather conditions.

Bayern threaten legal action against Canada Soccer over Davies’ ACL tear

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:20:00 +0000

March 31 – German Bundesliga leaders, Bayern Munich, are considering legal action against the Canadian Soccer Federation following their star player Alphonso Davies’ serious knee injury sustained versus the United States in last week’s, Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff.

“We’re demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada Soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action,” Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told Bild on Friday.

In what seems typical for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries,

Mexico top seeds as prelims qualify final 7 nations for Gold Cup draw

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 05:20:07 +0000

March 27 – All 16 teams for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup have now qualified following the completion of the preliminary round play-offs last night.

Costa Rica put six goals past Belize to win the tie 13-1 on aggregate, Jamaica, held to a draw away in St Vincent, scored three unanswered goals at home to go through, while Honduras added a 2-0 home win to their 5-3 away win against Bermuda to go through.

Mexico to return to SoFi Stadium to kick off Gold Cup 2025 and their title defence

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 05:31:40 +0000

March 25 — On Sunday night Mexico beat Panama 2-1 infront of the 68,000 fans in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to win the Concacaf Nations League. In June they will be back again to open the defence of their defence of their Gold Cup title. That championship was won in 2023, also at the SoFi Stadium and also against Panama in front of a sold out crowd.

The June 14 game will be the opening match of the 18th edition of the Gold Cup,

Concacaf 2025 Gold Cup draw pre-seeds Mexico; guests Saudi Arabia in pot 4

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:56:21 +0000

March 18 – Concacaf has released details of seedings and pot allocation for the 2025 Gold Cup draw that will be held April 10, at 7pm (ET) as a live, made-for-tv event.

Mexico, as current champions, are pre-seeded into Pot A with the other three pot seeds being the next highest ranked Concacaf nations as of March 26 when the final preliminary qualifiers are completed.

Saudi Arabia, guesting at the Gold Cup for the first time,

Mexico and US plan pre-Gold Cup warm-ups as 14 nations battle for final seven slots

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 04:40:26 +0000

March 7 – Turkey and Switzerland will be the pre-Gold Cup warm-ups for Mexico and the USA before the Concacaf tournament kicks off this summer.

Mexico will play on Switzerland at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah on June 7, and Turkey on June 10 at Kenan Stadium at the University of North Carolina.

While not officially announced, the USA look set to face Turkey on June 7 in East Hartford,

Concacaf nations prepare for make-or-break 2025 Gold Cup prelims

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 07:57:08 +0000

February 13 – The March schedule for the 14 teams that will play-off for the final seven berths at the Concacaf Gold Cup 2025 later this summer has been announced.

Games will be played March 21 and March 25, with the highest ranked team having the advantage of playing their second leg at home.

A number of the confederations perennial Gold Cup qualifiers have still to secure their spot at the finals,

Saudi Arabia to guest at 2025 Gold Cup in US; final qualification play-offs set

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 06:54:38 +0000

December 20 – Saudi Arabia will compete at the 16-team Concacaf Gold Cup next summer, to be played predominantly on the West coast of the USA.

To date eight Concacaf teams have already qualified through the Concacaf Nations League, with seven more to be confirmed following the Gold Cup preliminary round play-offs in March 2025.

The eight Concacaf teams already qualified for the Gold Cup Group Stage are Canada, Curacao, Dominican Republic,

Saudi Arabia in talks with Concacaf about guesting at 2025 Gold Cup in US

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 07:12:10 +0000

December 6 – Three-time winner of the Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia are in talks about competing in next summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup to be held in the United States and Canada.

The perennial powerhouse from the Middle East who at the 2022 World cup finals were the only team to beat Argentina, have recently strengthened ties with CONCACAF through a multi-year deal with the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Concacaf president,

Concacaf sets pairings for Gold Cup 2025 Prelims with 14 nations playing off for 7 slots

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 02:49:50 +0000

November 21 – With the Concacaf Nations League having reached the final four, the 14 qualifiers for the Gold Cup Prelims have been matched for the home and away series to be played in March 2025.

The match-ups have been made according to the Concacaf rankings at the end of the November international match window. The seven winners will join the eight already qualified teams for group stage of the 2025 Gold Cup that kicks off in June 2025.

2025 Gold Cup final to be played in Houston at NRG Stadium

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:02:01 +0000

October 31 – Houston’s NRG Stadium, one of the most regular stops on the Concacaf Gold Cup circuit, will host the 2025 Gold Cup final next July 7.

The home of the NFL’s Houston Texans, the NRG Stadium has a 71,995 capacity. It has hosted Gold Cup games in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021 and 2023 when Mexico beat Honduras 4-0 in a group game in front a near-capacity crowd on their way to winning the title.