MIAMI, Florida – It will be a busy summer in the Concacaf region, including for the teams competing in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.
It is the first time ever that a Preliminary round of matches will be used to determine the remaining spots in a Gold Cup Group Stage. The Prelims will use a direct elimination format and will take place in Miami, Florida July 2-6, with 12 nations vying for the three precious spots in the 2021 Gold Cup Group Stage.
Based on their performances in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, the following 12 teams will compete in the Gold Cup Prelims: Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
Bahamas, Barbados, Guadeloupe and Guatemala qualified for the Prelims as group winners from League C; French Guiana, Guyana, Montserrat and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines qualified as the second-place teams from their respective groups in League B, while Bermuda, Cuba, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago qualified as the third-place finishers in League A.
The knockout format from the Preliminary Round will see three teams qualify for the 16-team Gold Cup Group Stage, where they will join the 12 teams that have already qualified for the Gold Cup: Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Suriname and the United States.
September’s 2021 first ever Gold Cup Draw produced some very interesting match-ups in the Prelims, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines squaring off against Haiti, who reached the semifinals of the 2019 Gold Cup.
Another contest that should offer up plenty of intrigue is Guatemala taking on Guyana. Los Chapines have not competed in a Gold Cup since 2015 and know a tough opponent awaits in the Golden Jaguars, who debuted in the 2019 edition.
One of the revelations in Concacaf in recent years has been Montserrat, who nearly qualified for the 2019 Gold Cup and now take aim at Trinidad and Tobago in their Prelims match-up.
Back in the Gold Cup mix for the first time since the 2017 group stage is French Guiana, who will face a Cuba side boasting European club-based players in the Prelims.
Match 5 will see Guadeloupe and Bahamas do battle with Guadeloupe Head Coach Jocelyn Angloma, who led Les Gwada Boys to the 2007 Gold Cup semifinals as a player, guiding his side against a Bahamas team looking for a first ever Gold Cup qualification.
Rounding out the Gold Cup Prelims First Round is an interesting contest between Bermuda and Barbados. Bermuda not only competed in their first Gold Cup in 2019, but also earned their first ever Gold Cup win when they defeated Nicaragua. Meanwhile, Barbados will be seeking a first ever Gold Cup Group Stage qualification.
Gold Cup Prelims First Round Match-ups:
Haiti-Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Guatemala-Guyana
Trinidad and Tobago-Montserrat
Cuba-French Guiana
Guadeloupe-Bahamas
Bermuda-Barbados
Gold Cup Prelims Second Round Match-ups. Winners qualify for 2021 Gold Cup Group Stage.
Haiti-Saint Vincent and the Grenadines winners vs. Bermuda-Barbados winner
Guatemala-Guyana winner vs. Guadeloupe-Bahamas winner
Trinidad and Tobago-Montserrat winner vs. Cuba-French Guiana winner.
