CONCACAF boss Victor Montagliani says the award of hip SoFi Stadium to host the final of the Gold Cup is indicative of the continued growth and raised profile of the biennial tournament.

Furthermore, the Canadian says the addition of a preliminary round tournament and the expansion of the confederation’s flagship national competition from 12 to 16 teams have created the pathway for an inclusive and development-driven agenda.

“I am particularly pleased that, in addition to announcing such an exciting stadium for our final, we can also confirm that next year’s Gold Cup will continue to feature a preliminary round, allowing even more teams to experience the Gold Cup. This provides more access to top-level competition for our members and is very much in keeping with our ‘Football first’ philosophy,” Montagliani said.

“The 2023 Gold Cup, the 17th edition, will be the centrepiece of a wonderful summer of Concacaf football which will also include our Nations League finals and the final of the Concacaf Champions League. These competitions, and the many others we will deliver in 2023, are hugely important for the ongoing development of the game in Concacaf as we seek to harness the momentum and anticipation that is building in our region as we get closer to 2026,” added the Canadian businessman.

Montagliani described the decision to grant SoFi Stadium the rights to host the final of Gold Cup 2023 as “a fantastic choice”.

“SoFi Stadium is a world-class venue and Los Angeles has hosted so many iconic Gold Cup moments. This competition continues to deliver on and off the pitch, with last year’s expanded edition showcasing outstanding football combined with passionate support from fans from all corners of our wonderful region,” he noted.

Managing director of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park Jason Gannon says the Los Angeles region has a celebrated history of hosting iconic soccer matches, and “we look forward to adding to that legacy when we welcome Concacaf’s Gold Cup final to SoFi Stadium on July 16, 2023,” he said.

SoFi Stadium, a state-of-the-art venue, is home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and reigning Super Bowl Champions Los Angeles Rams. It hosted the NFL’s Super Bowl LVI and was recently announced as a host stadium for the Fifa World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This will be the seventh time the Gold Cup crown will be disputed in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and first in over a decade. The LA Memorial Coliseum hosted four Gold Cup finals (1991, 1996, 1998 and 2000), while Pasadena’s historic Rose Bowl hosted memorable final matches in 2002 and 2011.

The Gold Cup final will be the second football match held at SoFi Stadium as the venue previously hosted the Leagues Cup Showcase in August this year.

Additionally, Concacaf has also confirmed important details regarding next summer’s tournament, including the 2023 Gold Cup format, match dates, the nations which have already secured a berth, and the official draw set to take place on April 14, 2023.

Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of the 2021 Gold Cup — the competition’s most successful edition ever — next year’s tournament will continue to include a 12-team preliminary round (prelims) and a 16-team group stage — all followed by a single-match, direct elimination knockout stage.

The preliminary round tournament will commence June 16-20, 2023 and will include two direct elimination rounds. For round one the 12 participating teams will be divided into six pairings, and after a single-match elimination play the six match winners will advance to round two.

The second round will include the six first-round winners divided into three matchups. After single-match elimination play, the winning team in each of the three round-two fixtures will advance to the group stage.

So far, Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico have secured a berth into the preliminary round competition, with the remaining 10 to be confirmed at the conclusion of the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League group stage in March 2023.

Gold Cup group stage action will take place June 24-July 4 and will feature 16 nations divided into four groups of four. To date, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Panama have secured a berth in the Gold Cup group stage.

The 16 group stage participants will include the 2022/23 CNL League A group winners and second-place finishers (eight teams) and League B Group winners (four teams), preliminary round-two winners (three teams), and guest nation, Asian champions Qatar.

Following group stage action the top two finishers in each of the groups (eight teams) will advance to a knockout phase comprising the quarter-finals (July 8 & 9), semi-finals (July 12), and final at SoFi Stadium (July 16).