Levi’s Stadium selected to host final of 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF announced this week that Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA was selected to host the 2017 Gold Cup Final. The match to crown the champion of the region’s biennial tournament will be contested on Wednesday, July 26.

Home to Super Bowl 50, the opener of the 2016 Copa America Centenario, and the annual Pac-12 football championship, Levi’s Stadium has proven a popular facility for the biggest sporting occasions in the Bay Area. An MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Seattle Sounders in August of 2014 christened the new $1.3 billion stadium, ushering in the start of a what is quickly becoming an impressive slate of games and events.

"Levi's Stadium has quickly earned a place among America's top venues in terms of atmosphere, amenities and fan experience," said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani in a statement. "We're proud to now bring the final of the Gold Cup — the region's top competition for national teams — to the Bay Area, building on the resounding success of our Copa America Centenario opener, which drew record crowds last year."

That match between the United States and Colombia drew a near-capacity audience of nearly 68,000 to the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, and many more to the tailgate parties that spread out from the stadium’s imposing shadow. Two weeks later, in the tournament’s first knockout round, a record 70,547 packed Levi’s Stadium to watch Chile dismantle Mexico 7-0 in one of the most lopsided results El Tri has ever experienced.

The 2017 Gold Cup will be the 14th edition of the tournament to crown the champion of CONCACAF. 12 teams from throughout the region, including defending champions Mexico and hosts USA, begin group play earlier in July. If previous formats are followed, the winner of this year’s final will face the winner of the 2019 Gold Cup in a one-game playoff to determine CONCACAF’s participant in the 2021 Conferderations Cup — the prelude to 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Levi’s Stadium will be hosting it’s first Gold Cup match this summer. The tournament has visited the Bay Area in the past, most recently in 2009 when Mexico played Nicaragua and Panama faced Guadeloupe in a group stage doubleheader at the Oakland Coliseum. The state-of-the-art Santa Clara facility is ready to be the Bay Area’s new stage for the best international soccer has to offer.

“Being chosen to host the 2017 Gold Cup Final at Levi’s Stadium is a great honor for our organization and we look forward to welcoming soccer fans from across the Northern Hemisphere to Santa Clara in July,” said San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido in a statement. “We want to thank CONCACAF for entrusting the championship match of their storied Gold Cup with us and we look forward to working with our local partners to put on an epic grand finale.”

The draw for the 2017 Gold Cup will take place in March, but fans hoping to secure tickets to any 2017 Gold Cup game day, including the Final at Levi’s Stadium, can register for an exclusive presale at www.GoldCup.org. Tickets for the 2017 Gold Cup will go on sale at a later date to the general public.