The Guatemala men’s national team will participate in its 12th Concacaf Gold Cup and will be targeting its first knockout stage since the 2011 edition.

Guatemala are one of the original eight nations to have competed in the first Gold Cup in 1991 and will be appearing in their second straight tournament this year.

A fourth-place finish in 1996 remains Guatemala’s best finish in a Gold Cup, while overall Los Chapines boast a record of 5W-10D-20L, with 30 goals scored and 55 conceded in Gold Cup play.

Guatemala will participate in Group D with Canada, Cuba, and the winner of the Prelims 7 match. Los Chapines are dreaming to get back to the semifinals, its best-ever finish, as it did in the 1996 tournament.

This year’s journey begins on Tuesday, June 27, against Cuba at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Their second match is on Saturday, July 1, against Canada at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, TX, and they end the group stage against the Prelims 7 winner at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ, on Tuesday, July 4.

If they finish among the top two, a quarterfinals participation will start on Sunday, July 9, at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH, against either the first or second-placed team from Group A. It would mark only the fourth occasion that the nation reaches the knockout stage.

Guatemala qualified for the group stage directly by finishing top of their group in League B during the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League. The team will make its third consecutive appearance in the group stage after having to fight through the Prelims in the previous edition.

Luis Fernando Tena will coach Guatemala for the first time at the Gold Cup. A three-time Concacaf Champions Cup winner as a manager, he looks to add to his international legacy on the sidelines after leading Mexico to Olympic gold at London 2012.

Rubio Rubin will be one of the targets for goals after leading the way with three in CNL play. Oscar Castellanos, Carlos Mejía, Nicolas Samayoa, and Marlon Sequen also hope to bring some of their Nations League form into the Gold Cup.

Carlos Ruiz remains the country’s top scorer in the competition and will be the man to chase in the history books with eight to his name. Ruiz also holds the record for most appearances with 18 matches.

Other notable all-time leaders for the Central American nation include Juan Carlos Plata with four goals in 11 games, and the trio of Edgar Valencia, Gustavo Cabrera and Edgar Solis with 12 appearances each.