CONCACAF Gold Cup

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CONCACAF Gold Cup

Founded 1963
Region North America (CONCACAF)
Number of teams 12
Current champions Flag of the United States United States (4th time)
Most successful team Flag of Mexico Mexico (7 times)
Map of winning countries
Map of winning countries

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the CONCACAF.

In the nineteen overall championships, only seven nations have won the title. Mexico is the most successful CONCACAF team, having won the tournament seven times. The current Champion, the United States, follows with four titles, while Costa Rica holds three. The other former champions are Canada with two titles, and Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala with one title each.

Contents

[edit] Historical overview

Prior to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) being formed in 1961, football in the district was divided into smaller, regional divisions. The two main bodies consisted of the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) founded in 1938 (consisting of Central America and most of the Caribbean) and the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) founded in 1946 (consisting of United States, Mexico, Canada, and Cuba). Each confederation held their own competitions, the CCCF Championship and the NAFC Championship. The CCCF held 10 championships from 1941-1961, Costa Rica winning seven (1941, ’46, ’48, ’53, ’55, ’60, ’61), and one each by El Salvador (1943), Panama (1951) and Haiti (1957). The NAFC held two championships, in 1947 and 1949, won each time by Mexico.

CONCACAF was founded in its current form in 1961 after the merging of NAFC and CCCF and thus resulted in a single competition being held for the continent, however the first official national team competition was not held until more than two years had passed, with El Salvador being selected as the first hosting country (1963). The CONCACAF Campeonato de Naciones, as it was called, was then held every two years from 1963-1971. The second edition (1965) held in Guatemala, saw Mexico defeat the host in the final of a six-team tournament. The 1967 competition was held in Honduras and saw a third different champion crowned, Guatemala. Costa Rica won their second title as hosts in 1969, knocking off Guatemala, while two years later, Mexico won their second championship as the tournament moved to the Caribbean for the first time, held in Trinidad & Tobago. In 1973, the tournament kept the same format of six teams in one site playing a single round-robin, but now there were bigger stakes attaches: the Confederation’s berth in the FIFA World Cup finals. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the host country pulled off a shocking upset by winning the tournament and claiming a spot in West Germany 1974.

With the Campeonato de Naciones doubling as the final World Cup qualifying tournament, the next two editions were held in Ciudad de México and Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1977 and 1981, respectively, the host country came away as champion and grabbed the spots on offers each time. In 1985 and 1989, the winner of the World Cup qualifying tournament was again crowned Confederation champion. Canada and Costa Rica were named champions in ’85 and ’89, respectively, but without ever lifting a trophy.

In 1990, CONCACAF again created a tournament as it's showpiece event to crown the regional champion. The event was named the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the USA hosting the first competition in 1991. The host country was the inaugural champion of the eight-team tournament. Mexico dominated the remainder of the decade, winning three consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup titles in 1993, 1996 and 1998. In the 1996 edition, the Gold Cup field included it's first guest team, inviting the defending FIFA World Cup Champions Brazil.

Starting with the 2000 Gold Cup, the tournament field was increased to twelve teams. Canada made history winning their first major international honour in more than 100 years of football.

The most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007 where the hosts successfully defended their title beating Mexico in the final 2-1 in Chicago; Canada and Guadeloupe shared third-place.

Since the formation of the Gold Cup in 1991, the CONCACAF Championship has been won four times by Mexico and the United States, and once by Canada.

[edit] Qualification results

CONCACAF Championship
Year Host Final Group Rank
Winner Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place
1963
Details
Flag of El Salvador El Salvador Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of El Salvador
El Salvador
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
1965
Details
Flag of Guatemala Guatemala Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Guatemala
Guatemala
Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of El Salvador
El Salvador
1967
Details
Flag of Honduras Honduras Flag of Guatemala
Guatemala
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
1969
Details
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of Guatemala
Guatemala
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
1971
Details
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Haiti
Haiti
Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of Cuba
Cuba
1973
Details (1)
Flag of Haiti Haiti Flag of Haiti
Haiti
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
1977
Details (1)
Flag of Mexico Mexico Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Haiti
Haiti
Flag of El Salvador
El Salvador
Flag of Canada
Canada
1981
Details (1)
Flag of Honduras Honduras Flag of Honduras
Honduras
Flag of El Salvador
El Salvador
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Canada
Canada
1985
Details (1)
No Fixed Venue Flag of Canada
Canada
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of El Salvador
El Salvador
1989
Details (1)
No Fixed Venue Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of the United States
USA
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Flag of Guatemala
Guatemala
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Year Host Final Third Place Match
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd Place Score 4th Place
1991
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of the United States
USA
0–0 (4-3)
AET&PS
Flag of Honduras
Honduras
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
2–0 Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
1993
Details
Flag of the United States United States
& Flag of Mexico Mexico
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
4–0 Flag of the United States
USA
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica
Flag of Jamaica Jamaica
1-1
AET(2)
1996
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of Mexico
Mexico
2–0 Flag of Brazil
Brazil
Flag of the United States
USA
3–0 Flag of Guatemala
Guatemala
1998
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of Mexico
Mexico
1-0 Flag of the United States
USA
Flag of Brazil
Brazil
1-0 Flag of Jamaica
Jamaica
2000
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of Canada
Canada
2–0 Flag of Colombia
Colombia
Flag of Peru Peru
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago
n/a (3)
2002
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of the United States
USA
2–0 Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Flag of Canada
Canada
2–1 Flag of South Korea
Korea Republic
2003
Details
Flag of the United States United States
& Flag of Mexico Mexico
Flag of Mexico
Mexico
1-0
ASDET
Flag of Brazil
Brazil
Flag of the United States
USA
3–2 Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
2005
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of the United States
USA
0–0 (3-1)
AET&PS
Flag of Panama
Panama
Flag of Colombia Colombia
Flag of Honduras Honduras
n/a (3)
2007
Details
Flag of the United States United States Flag of the United States
USA
2–1 Flag of Mexico
Mexico
Flag of Canada Canada
Flag of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
n/a (3)

(invited teams in italics)

1 No formal tournament was held. In qualification for the World Cup, the top team in qualifying was considered champion.
2 Costa Rica and Jamaica tied 1-1 after extra time and shared third place.
3 No third place match was played; third place was shared.

[edit] Cumulative results

The following is a compiled national level championship table for CONCACAF region. Years in Italics indicate years prior to the Gold Cup.

Team Titles Runners-up Third-place Fourth-place
Flag of Mexico Mexico 7 (1965, 1971, 1977a[›], 1993a[›], 1996, 1998, 2003a[›]) 2 (1967, 2007) 3 (1973, 1981, 1991) 1 (1969)
Flag of the United States USA 4 (1991a[›], 2002a[›], 2005a[›], 2007a[›]) 3 (1989, 1993a[›], 1998a[›]) 2 (1996a[›], 2003a[›]) -
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 3 (1963, 1969a[›], 1989) 1 (2002) 4 (1965, 1971, 1985, 1993) 2 (1991, 2003)
Flag of Canada Canada 2 (1985, 2000) - 2 (2002, 2007) 2 (1977, 1981)
Flag of Honduras Honduras 1 (1981a[›]) 2 (1985, 1991) 2 (1967a[›], 2005) 2 (1963, 1973)
Flag of Guatemala Guatemala 1 (1967) 2 (1965a[›], 1969) - 2 (1989, 1996)
Flag of Haiti Haiti 1 (1973a[›]) 2 (1971, 1977) - -
Flag of El Salvador El Salvador - 2 (1963a[›], 1981) 1 (1977) 2 (1965, 1985)
Flag of Brazil Brazilb[›] - 2 (1996, 2003) 1 (1998) -
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago - 1 (1973) 2 (1989, 2000) 1 (1967)
Flag of Colombia Colombiab[›] - 1 (2000) 1 (2005) -
Flag of Panama Panama - 1 (2005) - -
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles - - 2 (1963, 1969) -
Flag of Jamaica Jamaica - - 1 (1993) 1 (1998)
Flag of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe - - 1 (2007) -
Flag of Peru Perub[›] - - 1 (2000) -
Flag of South Korea Korea Republicb[›] - - - 1 (2002)
Flag of Cuba Cuba - - - 1 (1971)

^ a: Hosts
^ b: Teams invited to the tournament
Italic = Tournaments held before present Gold Cup.

[edit] Top scorers

Year Player Goals
1963 ?
1965 ?
1967 ?
1969 Flag of Guatemala Cesar Amando Melgar
Flag of Guatemala Marco Fión
Flag of Costa Rica Victor Manuel Ruiz
3
1971 ?
1973 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Steve David 7
1977 Flag of Mexico Víctor Rangel 6
1981 Flag of Mexico Hugo Sánchez 3
1985 Flag of Honduras Roberto Figueroa 5
1989 Flag of Guatemala Raúl Chacón
Flag of Guatemala Julio Rodas
Flag of Costa Rica Evaristo Coronado
Flag of Costa Rica Juan Arnoldo Cayasso
Flag of Costa Rica Leonidas Flores
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Leonson Lewis
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Kerry Jamerson
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Philibert Jones
2
1991 Flag of Mexico Benjamin Galindo 4
1993 Flag of Mexico Zaguinho 12
1996 Eric Wynalda 4
1998 Paulo Wanchope
Luis Hernández
4
2000 Flag of Canada Carlo Corazzin 4
2002 Flag of the United States Brian McBride 4
2003 Flag of Costa Rica Walter Centeno
Flag of the United States Landon Donovan
4
2005 Flag of the United States DaMarcus Beasley
Flag of the United States Landon Donovan
Flag of Guatemala Carlos Ruiz
Flag of Honduras Wilmer Velasquez
Flag of Panama Luis Tejada
3
2007 Flag of Honduras Carlos Pavón 5

In italics tournaments prior to Gold Cup

[edit] Total hosts

Time(s) Nation Year(s) Gold Cup Championship
9 Flag of the United States USA 1991, 1993^, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003^, 2005, 2007 9 0
3 Flag of Mexico Mexico 1977, 1993^, 2003^ 2 1
2 Flag of Honduras Honduras 1967, 1981 0 2
1 Flag of El Salvador El Salvador 1963 0 1
1 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 1969 0 1
1 Flag of Guatemala Guatemala 1965 0 1
1 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 1971 0 1
1 Flag of Haiti Haiti 1973 0 1
2 No Host 1985, 1989 0 2

In italics tournaments prior to Gold Cup.

^ Co-hosted by Mexico and USA.

[edit] Tournament appearances

Appearances Nation Gold Cup Championship
17 Flag of Mexico Mexico 9 8
15 Flag of Guatemala Guatemala 7 8
14 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica
Flag of Honduras Honduras
8
8
6
6
13 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 7 6
11 Flag of El Salvador El Salvador
Flag of Canada Canada
Flag of the United States USA
5
8
9
6
3
2
10 Flag of Haiti Haiti 3 7
8 Flag of Jamaica Jamaica 6 2
7 Flag of Cuba Cuba 5 2
4 Flag of Panama Panama
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles Netherlands Antilles
3
0
1
4
3 Flag of Martinique Martinique
Flag of Brazil Brazil^
Flag of Colombia Colombia^
3
3
3
0
0
0
2 Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua
Flag of Suriname Suriname
Flag of South Korea Korea Republic^
0
0
2
2
2
0
1 Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Flag of Peru Peru^
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador^
Flag of South Africa South Africa^
Flag of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

^ Teams invited to the tournament.

[edit] External links