CONCACAF Gold Cup facts for kids
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| Organizing body | CONCACAF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| Region | North America Central America Caribbean |
| Number of teams | 16 41 (qualifiers) |
| Related competitions | CONCACAF Championship |
| Current champion(s) |  Mexico (10th title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Mexico (10 titles) |
The CONCACAF Gold Cup (also known as Copa Oro CONCACAF in Spanish) is a big soccer tournament. It's for men's national teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. CONCACAF organizes this exciting competition every two years. The first Gold Cup was held in 1991. It took over from an older tournament called the CONCACAF Championship.
Only three teams have won the Gold Cup so far. Mexico has won it 10 times. The United States has won 7 times. Canada has won it once. These three countries are all part of the North American Football Union.
Contents
The Story of the Gold Cup
How it All Started: Early Tournaments
Before the Gold Cup, there were other soccer tournaments in the region. The continent had two main soccer groups. One was for Central America and the Caribbean, called CCCF. The other was for North America, called NAFC. Each group had its own championship.
The CCCF Championship happened 10 times between 1941 and 1961. Costa Rica won most of those titles. The NAFC Championship was held twice, in 1947 and 1949. Mexico won both of those tournaments.
The CONCACAF Championship Era (1963–1989)
In 1961, the two groups (NAFC and CCCF) joined together. They formed CONCACAF. This new group started a single big tournament for the whole continent. The first CONCACAF tournament was in 1963 in El Salvador. Costa Rica became the first champion.
This tournament was called the CONCACAF Campeonato de Naciones. It happened every two years. Sometimes, winning this tournament also meant a team qualified for the FIFA World Cup. For example, in 1973, Haiti won and went to the World Cup. Later, Canada and Costa Rica also won titles in this era.
The Modern Gold Cup (1991–Present)
In 1990, CONCACAF changed the tournament. It became the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The United States hosted the very first Gold Cup in 1991. The USA also won that first tournament. Since then, the United States has hosted or co-hosted almost every Gold Cup.
Mexico was very strong in the 1990s. They won three Gold Cup titles in a row. In 1996, something new happened. A guest team, Brazil, was invited to play. Other guest teams from different parts of the world also played until 2005.
The tournament grew bigger over time. In 2000, it expanded to twelve teams. By 2019, it had 16 teams competing. The CONCACAF Nations League was also created in 2018. This league helps teams qualify for the Gold Cup.
Mexico has won the Gold Cup ten times since 1991. The United States has won it seven times. Canada has won it once. Teams like Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, and Jamaica have been runners-up.
How the Competition Works
The number of teams playing in the Gold Cup has grown over the years. Each tournament starts with a group stage. Teams play against others in their group. After that, the best teams move on to a knockout stage. In the knockout stage, if a team loses, they are out of the tournament.
In the 2025 Gold Cup, a new rule was used. Extra time was not played in most knockout matches. If a game was a draw, it went straight to a penalty shootout. The only exception was the final match.
Many people have suggested holding the tournament every four years. This could make it even more special. It might also help players avoid getting too tired.
| Year | Teams | Matches | Group stage | Final stages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1993 | 8 | 16 | 2 groups of 4 teams | 4-team knockout (group winners and runners-up) |
| 1996 | 9 | 13 | 3 groups of 3 teams | 4-team knockout (group winners plus best runner-up) |
| 1998 | 10 | 16 | 3 groups of 3 or 4 teams | |
| 2000 | 12 | 19 | 4 groups of 3 teams | 8-team knockout (group winners and runners-up) |
| 2002–2003 | 20 | |||
| 2005–2013 | 25 | 3 groups of 4 teams | 8-team knockout (group winners and runners-up, plus 2 best 3rd-placed teams) |
|
| 2015 | 26 | |||
| 2017 | 25 | |||
| 2019–present | 16 | 31 | 4 groups of 4 teams | 8-team knockout (group winners and runners-up) |
Tournament Results
- Keys
- a.e.t. — extra time
- g.g. — golden goal
- p — penalty shoot-out
- Notes
Team Achievements
This table shows how well different teams have done in the Gold Cup. It lists how many times they have been champions, runners-up, or reached the semi-finals.
| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Semi-finalist | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico |
10 (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2025) |
2 (2007, 2021) |
1 (1991) |
N/A | 2 (2013, 2017) |
15 |
 United States |
7 (1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2021) |
6 (1993, 1998, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2025) |
2 (1996, 2003) |
1 (2015) |
1 (2023) |
17 |
 Canada |
1 (2000) |
N/A | 1 (2002) |
N/A | 2 (2007, 2021) |
4 |
 Panama |
N/A | 3 (2005, 2013, 2023) |
1 (2015) |
N/A | 1 (2011) |
5 |
 Jamaica |
N/A | 2 (2015, 2017) |
1 (1993) |
1 (1998) |
2 (2019, 2023) |
6 |
 Brazil |
N/A | 2 (1996, 2003) |
1 (1998) |
N/A | N/A | 3 |
 Costa Rica |
N/A | 1 (2002) |
1 (1993) |
2 (1991, 2003) |
2 (2009, 2017) |
6 |
 Honduras |
N/A | 1 (1991) |
N/A | N/A | 5 (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2025) |
6 |
 Colombia |
N/A | 1 (2000) |
N/A | N/A | 1 (2005) |
2 |
 Guatemala |
N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (1996) |
1 (2025) |
2 |
 South Korea |
N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2002) |
N/A | 1 |
 Guadeloupe |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2007) |
1 |
 Haiti |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2019) |
1 |
 Peru |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2000) |
1 |
 Qatar |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2021) |
1 |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (2000) |
1 |
New Teams Joining the Gold Cup
A total of 33 teams have played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup up to 2025. Some teams, shown in italics below, are not members of CONCACAF. They were invited to play in the tournament.
| Year | Debuting teams | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | No. | CT | ||
| 1991 | Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala,  Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, United States |
8 | 8 | |
| 1993 |  Martinique, Panama |
2 | 10 | |
| 1996 | Brazil,  El Salvador,  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
3 | 13 | |
| 1998 |  Cuba |
1 | 14 | |
| 2000 | Colombia, Haiti, Peru, South Korea |
4 | 18 | |
| 2002 |  Ecuador |
1 | 19 | |
| 2003 | None | 0 | 19 | |
| 2005 |  South Africa |
1 | 20 | |
| 2007 | Guadeloupe |
1 | 21 | |
| 2009 |  Grenada,  Nicaragua |
2 | 23 | |
| 2011 | None | 0 | 23 | |
| 2013 |  Belize |
1 | 24 | |
| 2015 | None | 0 | 24 | |
| 2017 |  Curaçao,  French Guiana |
2 | 26 | |
| 2019 |  Bermuda,  Guyana |
2 | 28 | |
| 2021 |  Suriname, Qatar |
2 | 30 | |
| 2023 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
1 | 31 | |
| 2025 |  Dominican Republic,  Saudi Arabia |
2 | 33 | |
Gold Cup Winners in the Confederations Cup
The Gold Cup winners sometimes got to play in the FIFA Confederations Cup. This was a tournament for champions from different continents. Here's how Gold Cup winners performed there:
| Qualified via | Year | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 Gold Cup | 1992 | United States |
Third place |
| 1993 Gold Cup | 1995 | Mexico |
Third place |
| 1996 Gold Cup | 1997 | Mexico |
Group stage (3rd) |
| 1998 Gold Cup (1st) | 1999 | Mexico |
Champions |
| 1998 Gold Cup (2nd) | United States |
Third place | |
| 2000 Gold Cup | 2001 | Canada |
Group stage (4th) |
| 2002 Gold Cup | 2003 | United States |
Group stage (4th) |
| 2003 Gold Cup | 2005 | Mexico |
Fourth place |
| 2007 Gold Cup | 2009 | United States |
Runners up |
| 2011 Gold Cup | 2013 | Mexico |
Group stage (3rd) |
| 2013 Gold Cup | 2017 | United States |
DNQ |
| 2015 Gold Cup | Mexico |
Fourth place |
Awards for Top Players and Teams
At the end of each tournament, special awards are given out. These awards celebrate the best players and teams:
- Best Player – for the top player in the whole tournament.
- Top Scorer – for the player who scores the most goals.
- Best Goalkeeper – for the most amazing goalkeeper.
- Fair Play Award – for the team that shows the best sportsmanship.
- Young Player Award – for the best young player in the competition.
Guest Teams in the Gold Cup
The 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the first time a team from outside CONCACAF was invited. Brazil, from South America, played in it. Even with their younger team, Brazil finished second to Mexico.
For about ten years, from 1996 to 2005, other guest teams also played. They came from different parts of the world. Many of these guest teams did very well. However, after 2007, CONCACAF stopped inviting guests. They wanted to give more chances to teams from their own region.
After a long break, Qatar was invited to play in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They reached the semi-finals. Qatar also played in the 2023 Gold Cup.
Guest Nations' Performance Record
| Team | Confederation | 1996 | 1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2021 | 2023 | 2025 | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
CONMEBOL | 2nd | 3rd | – | – | 2nd | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Colombia |
CONMEBOL | – | – | 2nd | – | QF | SF | – | – | – | 3 |
| Peru |
CONMEBOL | – | – | SF | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| South Korea |
AFC | – | – | GS | 4th | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Ecuador |
CONMEBOL | – | – | – | GS | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| South Africa |
CAF | – | – | – | – | – | QF | – | – | – | 1 |
| Qatar |
AFC | – | – | – | – | – | – | SF | QF | – | 2 |
| Saudi Arabia |
AFC | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | QF | 1 |
Watching the Games and the Trophy
You can watch Gold Cup matches on TV channels like OneSoccer and TSN in Canada. In Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca show the games. In the United States, you can watch on Fox Sports and TUDN. Sometimes, CONCACAF also streams games on YouTube.
The Gold Cup trophy is given to the winning team. The trophy is tall and gold-plated. It has angular handles. Over the years, its design has changed a bit. For example, it became a bit smaller. The base of the trophy has the names of the champion nations and the years they won.
See also
In Spanish: Copa Oro de la Concacaf para niños
- Continental football championships
- CCCF Championship (1941–1961)
- North American Nations Cup (1947, 1949, 1990, 1991)
- CONCACAF Nations League
