Saudi Arabia Joins 2025 and 2027 Gold Cup as Guest Participant of CONCACAF
Saudi Arabia is set to compete in the 2025 and 2027 editions of the Gold Cup, joining 15 other teams in these tournaments organized by CONCACAF.
eScored reported earlier this month that the Gulf nation was negotiating an invitation for the 2025 tournament taking place in the United States and Canada, and it was confirmed on Thursday by the governing body of North and Central American football that Saudi Arabia will also participate in the 2027 edition.
Saudi Arabia — which recently had its unopposed bid awarded the 2034 World Cup — will make its debut in the Gold Cup following a year marked by considerable investment from the state into CONCACAF.
In August, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) finalized a multi-year partnership with the confederation. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani described this as a “strategic partnership which will support the confederation in developing all levels of football across our region.”
This investment coincided with Aramco — a major oil company, largely owned by the Saudi government — becoming CONCACAF’s “official energy partner” for all its teams and competitions.
On Thursday, the confederation announced that it has a “memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), of which the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) is a member.”
The statement elaborated: “Through that MoU, CONCACAF has had the opportunity to engage positively with the SAFF, and both organizations will embark on an important partnership in 2025.
“This will include Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Gold Cup as a guest, collaborative efforts on football development and CSR initiatives, along with substantial knowledge-sharing between the region hosting the 2026 World Cup and the nation awarded the rights to host the 2034 global event.”
From 1996 to 2005, CONCACAF invited an additional nation to compete in the tournament, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, South Korea, Ecuador, and South Africa among those invited.
After a 16-year hiatus regarding invited nations, Qatar — the Middle Eastern country adjacent to Saudi Arabia that hosted the 2022 World Cup — was invited to participate in the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups.
Most Gold Cup matches will take place on the west coast, while the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled between June 15 and July 13, will host the majority of its matches on the east coast.
The U.S. and Canada have already secured qualification as hosts, while Mexico is guaranteed a spot as the defending champion. Additionally, Haiti, El Salvador, Curacao, Panama, and the Dominican Republic have also qualified.
The 2025 Gold Cup will kick off on June 14 and conclude with the final match on July 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Thirteen venues are located in the U.S., with BC Place in Vancouver as the only Canadian venue.
(Top image: Xia Minghan/VCG via Getty Images)
