The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the continental event for North, Central American and Caribbean national teams and takes place every other year. We take a look at a few business aspects of the 2019 Gold Cup, from location to prize money and from attendance figures to sponsors.

US, Jamaica and Costa Rica host the 2019 Gold Cup

The 15th edition of the Gold Cup takes place from June 15th to July 7th. 16 nations, expanded from the previous 12, will compete for the title. A total of 31 matches will take place in 17 stadiums across 15 cities. The majority of the matches (27) will take place in the USA, including the final in Chicago. Costa Rica and Jamaica will each host two matches. 

The USA is not new to hosting the Gold Cup, having been the sole organiser or co-host in every edition. Mexico and Canada were the only other countries to ever have co-hosted the tournament. By having Costa Rica and Jamaica as first time hosts, CONCACAF (the governing body of North, Central American and Caribbean football) wants to ‘increase access to the game and develop football,’ while at the same time give fans ‘the highest quality of football in the region.’

[cookie height=”100%” width=”100%”]

[/cookie]

Prize money at the 2019 Gold Cup

The prize purse for this year’s Gold Cup has not officially been revealed. CONCACAF has specified the different trophies, distinctions and medals that will be awarded, but no monetary rewards.

However, past editions could be a good indication of the amounts that will be awarded. In 2015 champions Mexico received $1 million. Second, third and fourth place earned respectively $500,000, $200,000, and $150,000. Quarterfinalists got $125,000 and place 9 to 12 $100,000.

In 2016 several CONCACAF teams played in the Copa América Centenario, which had a total prize purse of $21.5 million. However, 2017 Gold Cup prizes seem to have been similar to 2015. 2017 runners-up Jamaica was supposed to receive $500,000. 

With the expansion to 16 teams in 2019, it will depend on a possible total prize purse increase whether similar amounts will be awarded.

Attendance figures at the Gold Cup

The highest attendance figure at a Gold Cup final was during the 1993 final in Mexico. At the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico beat the USA in front of 130,800 people. Due to modern venues capacity, this record will likely never be broken.

The second highest final attendance was set in California, USA in 2011. At the Rose Bowl 93,420 people saw Mexico beat the USA once again. The 1998 final between the same nations also had over 90,000 spectators. 

[cookie height=”100%” width=”100%”]

[/cookie]

What is interesting is the importance of Mexico playing a final. Every time they had a shot at the title, the final attendance figures were extremely high. When they played the US in the States this is not a surprise, but numbers were also high when Mexico played (football crazy country) Brazil. When Mexico played Jamaica in the 2015 final attendance was slightly lower. Yet it was still higher in general than when they did not play the final.

The American national team also attracted a good amount of spectators during their finals, especially in the finals of 2013 (against Panama) and 2017 (against Jamaica). This might indicate the rise of football (soccer) in the US in recent years.

The only final without Mexico or the USA was in 2000 and it showed in the attendance figure – just 7,000.

The 2019 final will take place at Soldier Field in Chicago, which has a capacity of 61,500.

Sponsors of the 2019 Gold Cup

CONCACAF lists eight official sponsors on their tournament website (as of May 25th):

• Allstate: an American insurance provider
• Toyota: Japanese multinational active in the automotive industry
• Sprint: a telecommunications company in the USA
• Camarena Tequila: a Mexican tequila brand
• Nike: an American multinational selling sports equipment and apparel
• Modelo: a Mexican beer
• Scotiabank: a Canadian financial services company
• Valvoline: worldwide supplier of branded lubricants and automotive services

Four of the above brands – Allstate, Modelo, Scotiabank and Nike – are sponsors of CONCACAF. The other four are event specific. Having event specific sponsors is a strategy FIFA also employs (e.g. during the Women’s World Cup). The Gold Cup lists more sponsors than the 2019 Copa América, but both list national and international partners. Contrary to the Copa, the Gold Cup has partners who are active in the same industry (e.g. automotive and alcoholic beverages).

Sponsors of the national teams

Not all kits have been revealed yet (note: we will update our list when possible). So far for only 12 out of 16 teams it is clear what they will be wearing during the Gold Cup. Joma leads the way by supplying three teams, followed by Nike, Umbro and New Balance with each two. Adidas and Saeta each supply one nation. Debutants Guyana will play with unbranded kits.

[cookie height=”100%” width=”100%”]

[/cookie]

Fan engagement around the Gold Cup

There is no shortage of fan engagement around a tournament like the Gold Cup. So here are a few examples:

• Bringing matches to the fans by staging two matches in both Jamaica and Costa Rica
• Fútbol Fiesta, the tournament’s official pregame celebration with loads of sponsor activities
• Gold Cup trophy tour

You can find the Gold Cup latest news and match schedule on the official website. For other sports events to attend you can have a look at our overview of sports events.