The CONCACAF Gold Cup is to North, Central America, and Caribbean countries what the Copa America is to South America. It became an international tournament in 1991, with the United States hosting the first edition of the newly-minted tournament.
At the time, it was only an eight-team tournament, and the inaugural trophy was won by Mexico, who have since won eight of the last 17 editions since 1991. The United States has also won the competition seven times, making them the second-most successful nation in the Gold Cup history.
The tournament has gone from accommodating eight teams with only 16 matches to now having 16 teams competing with 31 matches to play. The evolution of the Gold Cup has been gradual, and the USMNT may match Mexico’s record if they manage to beat Panama in the semi-finals tomorrow.
How much money does the Gold Cup winner make, compared to other continental championships?
There are no base fees for continental competitions, as they’re usually determined by several factors for each tournament. While the prizes for this year’s edition of the Gold Cup have not yet been announced, we’ll review what the winner and runners-up for the 2021 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup made.
The USMNT emerged winner of the 2021 Gold Cup after defeating Mexico in the extra time of the final. According to GOAL, the USMNT earned $1,000,000 for this win, while runners-up Mexico got half of that ($500,000). The remaining 16 teams that participated in the competition each got $200,000. We expect this year’s tournament to have a similar prize pool.
These prizes are considerably lower than Copa America and EURO. Argentina got a whopping $10 million for lifting the Copa America in 2021, while the rest of the teams in the tournament each got $4 million.
Italy became European Champions in 2021 after defeating England in the final, which fetched them a whopping $11.5 million. Runners-up England bagged $7.8 million, while the second runners-up pocketed $5.5 million.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is way off other continental competitions regarding exposure, prize money, and other factors. With the MLS growing by the day, the Gold Cup could also reach the level of continental competitions like EURO and Copa America.
USMNT advances to CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final after beating Canada
Matt Turner proved the difference again for the USMNT as he saved two spot-kicks against Canada to send his team to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Panama on Wednesday. The Arsenal goalkeeper has drawn praise from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes for his performance in the quarterfinal win against Canada.
This means the USMNT have the chance to defend the title they won two years ago when they beat Mexico in the extra time of the 2021 Gold Cup final. If they manage to lift the trophy this year, this will make them tied with Mexico as the most successful team in the tournament’s history since it first began in 1991.
THE @USMNT ADVANCES TO THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP SEMIFINALS! 🔴⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/RLajWUlXoX
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2023
How far will the USMNT go in this year’s Gold Cup?
