USMNT Draw Canada, Martinique, Preliminary Qualifier in Group B of 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup

by Bart Keeler

For the second Concacaf competition in a row, the United States drew Canada in group play. The U.S. and Canada will be joined by Martinique and a preliminary round winner in Group B of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The group stage of the tournament will start on July 10, 2021, and the final will be played on August 1.

The U.S. was seeded by virtue of winning its 2019 Concacaf Nations League group in League A (the top group) which included Canada. Both Canada and Martinique qualified directly to the group stage of the 2021 Gold

Cup just by being in League A of the inaugural Nations League competition.

Martinique is not a FIFA-accredited federation, as the national team is controlled by the French Football Federation.

Four teams could make the final member of Group B: Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda or Barbados. These teams will play two knockout matches through the preliminary stage. Haiti and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will play meet the winner of Bermuda vs. Barbados. Les Grenadiers are the favorites as the highest-ranked team in that pod. Preliminary matches will be played July 2-6, 2021.

Locations have yet to be announced but Concacaf will host their 30th-anniversary tournament in the U.S., where it has hosted the previous 15 editions.

Concacaf also announced a re-brand for the Gold Cup. It revealed a new logo and typeface for the tournament’s visual identity.