CONCACAF Gold Cup

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The Gold Cup is held every two years. Previous to 2015, when the Gold Cup did not fall on the same year as the FIFA Confederations Cup, the winner, or highest placed team that is a member of both CONCACAF and FIFA, qualified for the next staging of that tournament. Beginning in 2015, the winners of two successive Gold Cups (the 2013 and 2015 editions in the first instance) will face each other in a playoff to determine the CONCACAF entrant to the next Confederations Cup. If the same team has won the Gold Cup on both relevant occasions, there will be no playoff and that team will automatically qualify for the Confederations Cup.
==History==
===Championships prior to CONCACAF===
Prior to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) being formed in 1961, association football in the region was divided into smaller, regional divisions. The two main bodies consisted of the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) founded in 1938 (consisting of Central America and most of the Caribbean) and the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) founded in 1946 (consisting of the North American nations of United States, Mexico, Canada, and Cuba). Each confederation held its own competition, the CCCF Championship and the NAFC Championship. The CCCF held 10 championships from 1941–1961, Costa Rica winning seven (1941, ’46, ’48, ’53, ’55, ’60, ’61), and one each by El Salvador (1943), Panama (1951) and Haiti (1957). The NAFC held four championships in 1947 and 1949 and later, after 41 years of absence, in 1990 and 1991 for the North American zone as the North American Nations Cup with Mexico winning three (1947, ’49, ’91) and Canada winning one (1990) before the introduction of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
===CONCACAF Championship===
CONCACAF was founded in its current form in 1961 after the merging of NAFC and CCCF and thus resulted in a single competition being held for the continent. However, the first official national team competition was not held until more than two years had passed, with El Salvador being selected as the first hosting country (1963). The CONCACAF Campeonato de Naciones, as it was called, was then held every two years from 1963-1971. The second edition (1965) held in Guatemala, saw Mexico defeat the host in the final of a six-team tournament. The 1967 competition was held in Honduras and saw a third different champion crowned, Guatemala. Costa Rica won their second title as hosts in 1969, knocking off Guatemala, while two years later, Mexico won their second championship as the tournament moved to the Caribbean for the first time, held in Trinidad & Tobago. In 1973, the tournament kept the same format of six teams in one site playing a single round-robin, but now there were bigger stakes attached: the Confederation’s berth in the FIFA World Cup finals. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the host country pulled off a shocking upset by winning the tournament and claiming a spot in West Germany 1974.
With the Campeonato de Naciones doubling as the final World Cup qualifying tournament, the next two editions were held in Ciudad de México and Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1977 and 1981, respectively, the host country came away as champion and grabbed the spots on offers each time. In 1985 and 1989, the winner of the World Cup qualifying tournament was again crowned Confederation champion. Canada and Costa Rica were named champions in ’85 and ’89, respectively, but without ever lifting a trophy.
===CONCACAF Gold Cup===
In 1990, CONCACAF again created a tournament as its showpiece event to crown the regional champion. The event was named the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the USA hosting the first competition in 1991. The host country was the inaugural champion of the eight-team tournament. Mexico dominated the remainder of the decade, winning three consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup titles in 1993, 1996 and 1998. In the 1996 edition, the Gold Cup field included its first guest team, inviting the defending FIFA World Cup Champions Brazil.
Starting with the 2000 Gold Cup, the tournament field was increased to twelve teams. Canada won the next tournament, their first major international honour in almost 100 years.
The 2007 Gold Cup was contested in the United States from 6 June to 24 June 2007 where the hosts successfully defended their title beating Mexico in the final 2-1 in Chicago; Canada and Guadeloupe shared third-place. The 2009 Gold Cup took place 3 July to 26 July 2009 with Mexico claiming the title after beating the United States by a 5-0 score. In the 2011 Gold Cup, Mexico defeated the United States 4-2 in the final at the Rose Bowl. The United States had struggled throughout the tournament, but reached the final via a dramatic 1-0 win over Panama.
Since the formation of the Gold Cup in 1991, the CONCACAF Championship has been won six times by Mexico, five times by the United States, and once by Canada. Runners-up include Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama.
==Tournament results==
CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup 	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup	CONCACAF Gold Cup
Year 	Host 	 	Final 	Final 	Final 	 	Third Place Match	Third Place Match	Third Place Match
Year 	Host 	 	Winner 	Score 	Runner-up 	 	3rd Place 	Score 	4th Place
1991 Details 	 	 	 	0–0 a.e.t.(4–3 pen)	 	 	 	2–0 	
1993 Details 	& 	 	 	4–0 	 	 	 	1–1 a.e.t.(1) 	
1996 Details 	 	 	 	2–0 	 	 	 	3–0 	
1998 Details 	 	 	 	1–0 	 	 	 	1–0 	
2000 Details 	 	 	 	2–0 	 	 	(2) 	(2) 	(2)
2002 Details 	 	 	 	2–0 	 	 	 	2–1 	
2003 Details 	& 	 	 	1–0a.s.d.e.t. 	 	 	 	3–2 	
2005 Details 	 	 	 	0–0 a.e.t.(3–1 pen)	 	 	Not held(2) 	Not held(2) 	Not held(2)
2005 Details 	 	 	 	0–0 a.e.t.(3–1 pen)	 	 	 	 	
2007 Details 	 	 	 	2–1 	 	 	Guadeloupe 	Guadeloupe 	Guadeloupe
2009 Details 	 	 	 	5–0 	 	 	 	 	
2011 Details 	 	 	 	4–2 	 	 	 	 	
2013 Details 	 	 	 	1–0 	 	 	 	 	
(invited teams in italics)
1 Costa Rica and Jamaica tied 1–1 after extra time and shared third place.
2 No third place match was played; third place was shared.
*Key:
**a.e.t. - after extra time
**a.s.d.e.t. - after sudden death extra time
**pen - after penalty shootout
==Cumulative results==
The following is a compiled national level championship table for the Gold Cup. 
Team	Appearances	Winners 	Runners-up 	Third-place 	Fourth-place
 	12 	6 (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011)	1 (2007) 	2 (1991, 2013) 	–
 	12 	5 (1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013) 	4 (1993, 1998, 2009, 2011)	2 (1996, 2003) 	–
 	11 	1 (2000) 	– 	2 (2002, 2007) 	–
 	11 	– 	1 (1991) 	4 (2005, 2009, 2011, 2013)	–
 	11 	– 	1 (2002) 	2 (1993, 2009) 	2 (1991, 2003)
 	9 	– 	– 	– 	1 (1996)
 	8 	– 	– 	1 (1993) 	1 (1998)
 	8 	– 	– 	1 (2000) 	–
 	8 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	7 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	6 	– 	2 (2005, 2013) 	1 (2011) 	–
 	5 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	4 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	3 	– 	2 (1996, 2003) 	1 (1998) 	–
 	3 	– 	1 (2000) 	1 (2005) 	–
 	3 	– 	– 	1 (2007) 	–
 	2 	– 	– 	– 	1 (2002)
 	2 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	1 (2000) 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	1 	– 	– 	– 	–
==Participating nations==
Team 	1991 	1993 	1996 	1998 	2000 	2002 	2003 	2005 	2007 	2009 	2011 	2013 	Years
North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members 	North American Football Union Members
 	GS 	GS 	GS 	 	1st 	3rd 	GS 	GS 	SF 	QF 	GS 	GS 	11
 	3rd 	1st 	1st 	1st 	QF 	QF 	1st 	QF 	2nd 	1st 	1st 	SF 	12
 	1st 	2nd 	3rd 	2nd 	QF 	1st 	3rd 	1st 	1st 	2nd 	2nd 	1st 	12
Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members 	Caribbean Football Union Members
 	 	 	 	GS 	 	GS 	QF 	GS 	GS 	 	GS 	QF 	7
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	GS 	GS 	 	2
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	SF 	QF 	GS 	 	3
 	 	 	 	 	GS 	QF 	 	 	GS 	QF 	 	GS 	5
 	GS 	3rd 	 	4th 	GS 	 	QF 	QF 	 	GS 	QF 	 	8
 	 	GS 	 	 	 	QF 	GS 	 	 	 	 	GS 	4
 	 	 	GS 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1
 	GS 	 	GS 	GS 	SF 	GS 	 	GS 	GS 	 	 	QF 	8
Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members	Central American Football Union Members
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	GS 	1
 	4th 	3rd 	 	GS 	QF 	2nd 	SF 	QF 	QF 	SF 	QF 	QF 	11
 	 	 	GS 	GS 	 	QF 	QF 	 	GS 	GS 	QF 	QF 	8
 	GS 	 	4th 	GS 	GS 	GS 	GS 	GS 	QF 	 	QF 	 	9
 	2nd 	GS 	GS 	GS 	QF 	 	GS 	SF 	QF 	SF 	SF 	SF 	11
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	GS 	 	 	1
 	 	GS 	 	 	 	 	 	2nd 	QF 	QF 	SF 	2nd 	6
Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations 	Guest Nations
 	 	 	2nd 	3rd 	 	 	2nd 	 	 	 	 	 	3
 	 	 	 	 	2nd 	 	QF 	SF 	 	 	 	 	3
 	 	 	 	 	 	GS 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1
 	 	 	 	 	SF 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	1
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	QF 	 	 	 	 	1
 	 	 	 	 	GS 	4th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	2
Total 	8 	8 	9 	10 	12 	12 	12 	12 	12 	12 	12 	12 	
==Gold Cup results, 1991–2013==
Team	P 	W 	D 	L 	F 	A 	+/- 	Points
 	61	48	6 	7 	122	44	+78 	150
 	56	41	7 	8 	133	33	+100	130
 	46	16	12	18	73 	59	+14 	60
 	41	18	6 	17	65 	54	+11 	60
 	38	15	9 	14	43 	52	-9 	54
 	28	10	9 	9 	41 	36	+5 	39
 	29	9 	4 	16	32 	49	-17 	31
 	14	8 	2 	4 	22 	9 	+13 	26
 	25	7 	4 	14	23 	47	-24 	25
 	23	5 	5 	13	28 	40	-12 	20
 	27	4 	7 	16	23 	44	-21 	19
 	13	5 	2 	6 	14 	17	-3 	17
 	12	4 	1 	7 	12 	18	-6 	13
 	15	3 	4 	8 	12 	22	-10 	13
 	11	2 	2 	7 	7 	24	-17 	8
 	20	2 	2 	16	17 	66	-49 	8
 	4 	1 	3 	0 	7 	6 	+1 	6
 	4 	1 	1 	2 	7 	7 	0 	4
 	7 	0 	4 	3 	5 	9 	-4 	4
 	2 	1 	0 	1 	2 	2 	0 	3
 	2 	0 	0 	2 	0 	8 	-8 	0
 	3 	0 	0 	3 	0 	8 	-8 	0
 	3 	0 	0 	3 	1 	11	-10 	0
 	6 	0 	0 	6 	1 	25	-24 	0
==Qualification==
North American zone
*Qualifies automatically, 3 teams.
Central American zone
*qualifies from Copa Centroamericana, top 5 teams.
Caribbean zone
*qualifies from Caribbean Cup, top 4 teams.
==Venues==
==Total hosts==
Time(s)	Nation	Year(s)
12 	 	1991, 1993^, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003^, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013
2 	 	1993^, 2003^
^ Co-hosted by Mexico and the United States.
==Player records==
===All-time scorers===
Rank	Player 	Goals
1 	Landon Donovan 	18
2 	Luis Roberto Alves	12
3 	Blas Perez 	10
3 	Eric Wynalda 	9
3 	Carlos Pavón 	9
3 	Walter Centeno 	9
6 	Brian McBride 	8
6 	Rodolfo Zelaya 	8
6 	Carlo Costly 	8
In Bold indicates that the player is still active.
==Player awards==
Year	Top Goalscorer 	Most Valuable Player	Best Goalkeeper	Source
1991	Benjamín Galindo (4 goals) 	Tony Meola 	 	
1993	Luis Roberto Alves (11 goals) 	Ramón Ramírez 	 	
1996	Eric Wynalda (4 goals) 	Raúl Lara 	 	
1998	Luis Hernández (4 goals) 	Kasey Keller 	 	
2000	Carlo Corazzin (4 goals) 	Craig Forrest 	Craig Forrest 	
2002	Brian McBride (4 goals) 	Brian McBride 	 	
2003	Walter Centeno (4 goals) 
 Landon Donovan (4 goals) 	Jesús Arellano 	 	
2005	DaMarcus Beasley (3 goals)
 Landon Donovan (3 goals)
 Carlos Ruiz (3 goals)
 Wilmer Velasquez (3 goals)
 Luis Tejada (3 goals)	Luis Tejada 	Jaime Penedo 	
2007	Carlos Pavón (5 goals) 	Julian de Guzman 	Franck Grandel 	
2009	Miguel Sabah (4 goals) 	Giovani dos Santos 	Keylor Navas 	
2011	Javier Hernández (7 goals) 	Javier Hernández 	Noel Valladares	
2013	Landon Donovan (5 goals) Chris Wondolowski (5 goals) Gabriel Torres (5 goals)	Landon Donovan 	Jaime Penedo 	
==Gold Cup winning head coaches==
Year	Head coach 	Champions
1991	Bora Milutinović 	
1993	Miguel Mejía Barón 	
1996	Bora Milutinović 	
1998	Manuel Lapuente 	
2000	Holger Osieck 	
2002	Bruce Arena 	
2003	Ricardo La Volpe 	
2005	Bruce Arena 	
2007	Bob Bradley 	
2009	Javier Aguirre 	
2011	José Manuel de la Torre	
2013	Jürgen Klinsmann 	
==See also==
*American Championships
==External links==
*Official Gold Cup Site
*CONCACAF Info about Championship
*Copa Oro coverage on Univision.com
*Gold Cup at RSSSF
*Gold Cup & Championship on RSSSF Archive
 CONCACAF Championship
Gold