Inter Miami CF Stadium To Host Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) – Inter Miami CF Stadium has been tapped to host the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Preliminary Round.

"We look forward with great anticipation to this summer's Gold Cup, which will undoubtedly be enhanced by this new Preliminary Round," said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. "The past year has been very challenging in our region and our thoughts are with all the communities that have suffered. We hope the opportunity to watch the best men's national teams in Concacaf compete in our flagship tournament can provide fans with some hope and enjoyment."

Matchups on July 2 and 3 have Haiti-St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guatemala-Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago-Monserrat, Cuba-French Guiana, Guadeloupe-Bahamas and Bermuda-Barbados, the Confederation of North and Central American and Caribbean Football said Thursday.

Winners meet on July 6 for berths in the tournament.

The Haiti-St. Vincent Bermuda-Barbados winner joins the United States, Canada and Martinique in Group B.

The Trinidad-Montserrat, Cuba-French Guiana winner joins Mexico, El Salvador and Curaçao in Group A.

The Guatemala-Guyana, Guadeloupe-Bahamas winner joins Costa Rica, Jamaica and Suriname in Group C.

Honduras, Panama, Grenada and invited guest Qatar, next year's World Cup host, are in Group D.

"We look forward to hosting the Gold Cup Prelims tournament in our stadium," said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner Jorge Mas. "Our facilities in Fort Lauderdale were built with the intent of giving our fans opportunities to enjoy the world's game knowing that our vibrant culture and sports-centric region would be attractive for global teams and competitions. This is just the beginning of the great things that lie ahead."

Most top players are not likely to play in the Gold Cup, which runs from July 10 to Aug. 1. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has said he plans to give Europe-based players time off ahead of the 2021-22 club seasons and recall them for the start of World Cup qualifying in September.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)