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Philadelphia (Thursday, March 12, 2015) The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) revealed today the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and match schedule, while awarding the 2015 Gold Cup Final to the city of Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field, to be played on Sunday, July 26, at 7:30pm EST.

For the first time since the 2003 edition, the Gold Cup will feature a Third-Place Match, to be played on Saturday, July 25 at PPL Park – one day prior to the grand finale – making the Gold Cup finals weekend in Philadelphia a celebration of the sport.

“We are anticipating an exceptional Gold Cup in 2015, with a grand finale weekend to be played right here in Philadelphia, a city with a special affinity for the world’s game,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “The sport has never been more popular throughout the Confederation, and this year’s Gold Cup – the crown jewel of regional soccer – will certainly demonstrate like never before our region’s passion for the game.”

To view and download the complete 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup schedule, visit this link. Tickets to all Gold Cup matches will be available to the general public starting on Thursday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m. (local time in all markets) by visiting www.GoldCup.org.

Thirteen North American cities – Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Toronto – will welcome the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, July 7-26. Group stage dates and hosts were announced in December of last year, followed by Thursday’s announcement of the schedule and Philadelphia as the host of the Third Place Match and Final.

“Philadelphia is a great sports city. From our passionate fans to our tremendous venues, Philadelphia offers a unique and exciting sports experience. This environment, and our ability to host large-scale events well, will combine for a top tier grand finale Gold Cup event,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “We are thrilled to be the host city for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup weekend and are looking forward to showcasing the world’s most popular sport in our world-class city.”

As previously announced, Toyota Stadium, in the greater Dallas Metroplex, will host the opening games of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Tuesday, July 7, featuring reigning Gold Cup champion United States against the winner of the Honduras v French Guiana play-in series later this month, preceded by Panama v Haiti to kick off the evening.

Costa Rica leads Group B, which commences the following day in Los Angeles, where the 2014 World Cup quarterfinalists take on Jamaica, followed by El Salvador versus Canada later in the evening at the StubHub Center. Six-time Gold Cup champion Mexico will play the following night, July 9 at Chicago’s Soldier Field – home to the 2013 Gold Cup final — against Cuba in Group C, in a match day which also will include Trinidad & Tobago versus Guatemala in the first game of the doubleheader.

The 2015 Gold Cup quarterfinals will be played in Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, respectively. The victorious quarterfinalists then move to Atlanta for the semifinals, at the Georgia Dome on Wednesday, July 22, before the tournament’s Grand Finale weekend in Philadelphia.

“Events like these are about venues and partnerships,” said Larry Needle, executive director of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’re incredibly lucky as a city to have world-class partners like the Eagles and Union and their superb venues – Lincoln Financial Field and PPL Park. We can’t wait to help in rolling out the red carpet for CONCACAF this summer.”

In addition to the news of hosting the final, it was announced Thursday that the city of Philadelphia is also set to host the CONCACAF Gold Cup Third Place Match – new to the tournament format in 2015 — at PPL Park, the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, the day before the final.

“We’re extremely proud and honored to host the Third Place Match at PPL Park,” Union CEO and Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz said. “Hosting this game on Saturday and the Final at Lincoln Financial Field the following day will be one of the biggest celebrations of our sport this region has seen since the All Star Game in 2012.”

To date, eleven of the twelve national teams scheduled to participate have qualified for this year’s tournament. Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States, in alphabetical order, will compete for the Confederation Crown in July.

The final spot will be decided in late March through a play-in series between the fifth-place finisher of the 2014 UNCAF Central American Cup (Honduras) and the 2014 Caribbean Football Union Caribbean Cup (French Guiana). French Guiana will be home team for the first leg on March 25, while Honduras will host the return leg on March 29.

Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region’s most popular national team tournament. Featuring the Confederation’s best players from 12 top nations, the competition routinely draws capacity crowds and millions of television viewers across the region and around the world.

Returning for the 2015 edition of the Gold Cup are long-time CONCACAF broadcast partners FOX and Univision, which hold the U.S. television rights in English and Spanish, respectively, along with radio broadcast partner Futbol de Primera.

2015 CONCACAF GOLD CUP

GROUP A: USA, Panama, Haiti, Winner Play-in Series (Honduras or French Guiana)
GROUP B: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Canada, Jamaica
GROUP C: México, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba

SCHEDULE (ET)
To view the complete 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup schedule, visit this link.

July 7, 2015
Toyota Stadium (Dallas, TX)
5:00 PM Panama vs. Haiti (FOX Sports 2/UDN)
7:30 PM USA vs. Honduras/French Guiana (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)

July 8, 2015
StubHub Center (Los Angeles, CA)
8:00 PM Costa Rica vs. Jamaica (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)
10:30 PM El Salvador vs. Canada (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)

July 9, 2015
Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
7:00 PM Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guatemala (FOX Sports 2/UDN)
9:30 PM Mexico vs. Cuba (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)

July 10, 2015
Gillette Stadium (Boston, MA)
6:00 PM Honduras/French Guiana vs. Panama (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)
8:30 PM USA vs. Haiti (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)

July 11, 2015
BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)
6:30 PM Jamaica vs. Canada (FOX Sports 2/Univision)
9:00 PM Costa Rica vs. El Salvador (FOX Sports 2/Univision)

July 12, 2015
University of Phoenix Stadium (Phoenix, AZ)
6:30 PM Trinidad and Tobago vs. Cuba (FOX Sports 2/Univision)
9:00 PM Guatemala vs. Mexico (FOX Sports 2/Univision)

July 13, 2015
Sporting Park (Kansas City, MO)
7:00 PM Haiti vs. Honduras/French Guiana (FOX Sports 1/UDN)
9:30 PM Panama vs. United States (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)

July 14, 2015
BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
6:00 PM Jamaica vs. El Salvador (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)
8:30 PM Canada vs. Costa Rica (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)

July 15, 2015
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
6:00 PM Cuba vs. Guatemala (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)
8:30 PM Mexico vs. Trinidad and Tobago (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)

July 18, 2015
M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)
5:00 PM & 8:00 PM
1A vs. 3B/C* (FOX/Univision)
2A vs. 1B*(FOX Sports 2/Univision)

July 19, 2015
Met Life Stadium (New York, NY)
4:30 PM & 7:30 PM
1C-3A/B*(FOX Sports 1/Univision)
2C-2B*(FOX Sports 1/Univision)

July 22, 2015
Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)
6:00 PM SF 1* (FOX Sports 1/UniMas)
9:00 PM SF 2* (FOX Sports 2/UniMas)

July 25, 2015
PPL Park (Philadelphia, PA)
4:00 PM 3rd Place (FOX Sports 2/Univision)

July 26, 2015
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
7:30 PM Championship Final (FOX Sports 1/Univision)

About CONCACAF
CONCACAF “The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football” is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 41 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana in the south. For more information please visit www.concacaf.com.

About the CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the national team championship for the confederation’s 41 members. Taking place every two years, the event has attained exceptional levels of popularity, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of TV viewers throughout the world. If other than 2013 Gold Cup Champion USA, the champion of the 2015 Gold Cup will earn half a ticket to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, facing the USA in a single-game playoff for the right to represent CONCACAF in that FIFA competition.

www.CONCACAF.com