The upcoming 2024 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be missing a familiar element – East Coast venues. This shift in location could be a strong indication of FIFA’s plans for the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. CONCACAF announced on Wednesday the 14 venues across 11 areas chosen for the tournament, which will run from June 14th to July 6th. Among these, three new stadiums are making their debut: BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, PayPal Park in San Jose, California, and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
While FIFA has not yet revealed the official locations for the Club World Cup, set to take place from June 15th to July 13th, the absence of East Coast sites in the Gold Cup suggests a strategic move towards positioning the Eastern Seaboard as a potential hub for the expanded tournament. This decision might be linked to the U.S. sending second-string rosters to the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups, allowing their European-based players to rest following their club seasons.
With Mexico having triumphed nine times, including in 2023, and the U.S. securing seven titles (including 2021) and Canada claiming victory in 2000, the Gold Cup continues to showcase the region’s best. The tournament will see two venues in Houston (NRG Stadium and Shell Energy Stadium), as well as two in the Los Angeles area (SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson). Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and PayPal Park represent the San Francisco Bay Area, while other locations include Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium); Austin, Texas (Q2 Stadium); Glendale, Arizona (State Farm Stadium); Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium); San Diego (Snapdragon Stadium); and St. Louis (Citypark).
The absence of East Coast locations in the Gold Cup, coupled with the FIFA Club World Cup’s potential use of the Eastern Seaboard, highlights a strategic shift in focus for regional and global soccer events. As both tournaments approach, the anticipation grows to see how these venues will shape the future of these prestigious competitions.
