On Tuesday afternoon CONCACAF released the venues for the 2015 Gold Cup. There are some of “the usual suspects” in terms of stadiums in cities that most people would generally expect to host games at big tournaments. There are one or two surprising inclusions and one or two surprising exclusions, as there are with every tournament. This time is no different.

Group Stage

July 7 (Group A) – Dallas – Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX)
July 8 (Group B) – Los Angeles – Stub Hub Center (Carson, CA)
July 9 (Group C) – Chicago – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
July 10 (Group A) – Boston – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
July 11 (Group B) – Houston – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)
July 12 (Group C) – Phoenix – University of Phoenix Stadium (Phoenix, AZ)
July 13 (Group A) – Kansas City – Sporting Park (Kansas City, KS)
July 14 (Group B) – Toronto – BMO Field (Toronto, ON)
July 15 (Group C) – Charlotte – Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)

Knockout Round Venues (alphabetical order by city)

Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)
M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)

The most surprising host venue on this list is without question BMO Field in Toronto, if only because the tournament is almost always hosted exclusively in the US. In fact the last time Gold Cup games were played outside the US was in 2003 when the US co-hosted with Mexico. This is also the first time that Canada will be hosting any games in the Gold Cup.

Based on social media reaction via Twitter, Facebook, and the comment section of the MLS website, the most surprising exclusion is that of the Pacific Northwest whether it be Portland or Seattle. This could be potentially due to the fact that both cities hosted games at the last Gold Cup in 2013, and attendance at both locations was somewhat disappointing. The USA failed to sell out a soccer-specific stadium while Mexico failed to draw 30,000 to an NFL stadium.

Regardless of where the games are played, CONCACAF can count on large crowds at all the venues. With the combination of the popularity of soccer growing constantly and a number of CONCACAF teams coming off a good 2014, this could possibly be the most attended Gold Cup ever.

Notes:

  1. Philadelphia hosts Gold Cup games for the first time since 2009.
  2. This is the second straight Gold Cup where Baltimore and Atlanta have hosted knockout games.
  3. This Gold Cup will have a third place game, the first Gold Cup to do so since 2003.