Canada will meet El Salvador, Jamaica, and World Cup quarter-finalists Costa Rica in the group stage of this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, it was announced on Thursday.
The team will start on the West Coast at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, where they’ll take on Central American side El Salvador on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. PT.
They’ll then head south to Texas where they’ll take on Jamaica on Saturday, July 11 at 3:30 p.m. PT at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.
But it’s the final game of the group that is the most exciting, as it will be the first time that Canada will host a game in a Gold Cup competition and it will feature the home side taking on Costa Rica at BMO Field in Toronto.
Costa Rica is the top team in the group and is a side that came just short of a berth in the semifinals as last summer’s 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The final game of the group takes place on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:30 p.m. PT.
There could be some Whitecaps FC contingent in Canada's group, with the likes of Russell Teibert (Canada), Darren Mattocks (Jamaica), and Kendall Waston (Costa Rica) in contention for their respective countries.
The top two teams, and best two third-place teams from the three groups, will qualify for the tournament’s quarter-finals.
CONCACAF also announced on Thursday that the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area will host the final and the third-place game. It will be the first time since 2003 that there is a third-place game.
The third place game will take place at PPL Park, the home of the Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pennsylvania, with the final taking place at Lincoln Financial Field.
The champion of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup will qualify for a play-off match against the United States, the champion of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, to decide which team will represent CONCACAF in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
