CONCACAF Gold Cup returns to Charlotte in 2023, further cementing it as a ‘soccer city’
The Gold Cup is returning to Charlotte.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Associated Football (Concacaf) announced Monday that Charlotte will be a host city for the 2023 event. That means Bank of America Stadium in uptown will be in the spotlight of Concacaf’s largest soccer spectacle for its national teams.
Charlotte is one of 14 host cities across the U.S.
While ticketing information and a complete schedule for the event will be announced later this week, the confederation announced Monday that Charlotte will host a doubleheader in the stadium. Matches will also be played on natural grass, as opposed to the turf that the city’s Major League Soccer team, Charlotte FC, plays on each week.
“We’re excited to welcome back Concacaf and the Gold Cup to Bank of America Stadium later this summer,” Charlotte FC president Joe LaBue said in a release. “Charlotte has proven that it is a soccer city, and hosting the region’s leading men’s national team competition three years before the 2026 World Cup is an incredible opportunity to showcase our city on a global stage.”
This isn’t the first time Charlotte has hosted Concacaf Gold Cup matches. The city also saw matches played in BofA in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The attendance in each of those years: 46,012 in 2011; 55,823 in 2015; and 59,283 in 2019.
Concacaf will conduct the competition’s official draw Friday at SoFi Stadium in California. Specific match assignments and match dates will be established shortly thereafter.
The Gold Cup is Concacaf’s premier tournament among its national teams. The region’s equivalent of the Euro Championship or the Copa América, the Gold Cup is held every two years with a 12-nation field — all three North American national teams (U.S., Canada, Mexico), five teams from Central America and four teams from the Caribbean.
The tournament’s return to North Carolina’s largest city in 2023 marks another milestone in Charlotte’s ascension as “a soccer city.” The Gold Cup, in fact, was integral in the establishment of Charlotte FC: Tepper Sports and Entertainment executives gauged the city’s desire for a soccer team during events like this.
Those same TSE execs also made inroads with fans from Latin American backgrounds at previous Gold Cups, specifically — and that turned out to be an integral reason why Charlotte FC boasts one of the best fan bases in MLS.
“The presence of a major, international soccer tournament is another example of Tepper Sports and Entertainment being a leader in hosting live events throughout the region,” LaBue said. “The Carolinas are home to a growing and vibrant community, and we’re thrilled to host four national teams that will undoubtedly represent the diverse cultural backgrounds of our community.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 2:00 PM.
