Saudi Arabia will play in the 2025 and 2027 editions of the Gold Cup as one of 16 teams participating in the tournaments organised by CONCACAF.
The Athletic reported this month the Gulf nation was in talks over an invitation to the 2025 tournament in the United States and Canada, and on Thursday it was confirmed by the governing body of North and Central American football that Saudi would also play in the 2027 edition.
Saudi — who this month was awarded the 2034 World Cup with an unopposed bid — involvement in the Gold Cup follows on from a year of significant investment from the state into CONCACAF.
In August, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) signed a multi-year deal with the confederation. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said this was a “strategic partnership which will support the confederation in developing all levels of football across our region.”
That investment followed Aramco — one of the world’s largest oil companies which is majority-owned by the Saudi government — becoming CONCACAF’s “official energy partner” for all its teams and competitions.
On Thursday, the confederation said it has a “memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), of which the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) is a member”.
The statement continued: “Through that MoU, CONCACAF has had the opportunity to engage positively with the SAFF, and the two organizations will begin an important partnership in 2025.
“This will include Saudi Arabia’s participating in the Gold Cup as a guest, collaboration on football development and CSR initiatives, and significant knowledge sharing between the region that will host the 2026 World Cup and the nation which has recently been awarded hosting rights for the 2034 global showpiece.”
From 1996 to 2005, CONCACAF invited an extra nation to compete in the tournament with Brazil, Colombia, Peru, South Korea, Ecuador and South Africa among the nations participating.
Following a 16-year absence for any invitee nations, Qatar — the Middle Eastern nation which borders Saudi Arabia and hosted the 2022 World Cup — was invited to play in the 2021 and 2023 versions of the Gold Cup.
Most of the Gold Cup stadiums are located on the west coast, while the FIFA Club World Cup, which is taking place from June 15 to July 13, will host the majority of its matches on the east coast.
The U.S. and Canada have already qualified as hosts, and Mexico is assured of a place as the holders of the competition. Haiti, El Salvador, Curacao, Panama and the Dominican Republic have also qualified.
The 2025 Gold Cup begins on June 14 and the final is on July 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Thirteen of the venues are in the U.S., with BC Place in Vancouver the sole Canadian venue.
(Top image: Xia Minghan/VCG via Getty Images)
