June 13 –Tickets for the Concacaf Gold Cup final in Las Vegas on August 2 sold out in just 90 minutes after going on sale on Friday, a record for the tournament.
The final will be played at the newly opened, 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, the first time the Gold Cup has visited the city in its 16thedition. It is the fastest sell out in Gold Cup history and the first sell-out of the Allegiant Stadium.
“We know that we are in a fortunate position to have fans back in stadiums, and we are thrilled with such a fast sell-out as we can now look forward to a great crowd enjoying the competition’s championship match,” said Concacaf General Secretary, Philippe Moggio. “The huge demand is a testament to Las Vegas being a first-class destination, Allegiant Stadium being a spectacular venue.”
Concacaf took the decision to push back their Gold Cup back a month last Autumn, giving them a crucial few extra weeks for planning and to complete their Nations League finals and the first two rounds of Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying.
“At the time (the decision was made) Covid was trending upwards and we couldn’t be sure what we would be faced with. We didn’t know that buying a month out would also buy us full capacity at stadiums but that is effectively what has happened,” said Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.
The Gold Cup is being played at 10 stadiums with six of them grouped in Texas in the Dallas, Houston, and Austin metropolitan areas. All venues will be at full capacity with Arizona expected to be the last to announce that there will be no restrictions on crowds.
The Gold Cup for the first time will officially kick off with a new Preliminary Round at DRV PNK Stadium, home of MLS’s Inter Miami CF, between July 2-6, 2021 to qualify the final three teams for the Group Stages. 12 teams will play two single knock-out rounds. The four groups open play on July 10.
In the Prelims, 12 nations who qualified through their Concacaf Nations League performances will compete for the final three spots in the 16 team Gold Cup Group Stage.
Just a week ago Concacaf hosted their inaugural Nations League finals in Denver with more than 70,000 fans over the two match days – the full ticket allocation allowed – watching in the Mile High stadium.
“After a week that saw a compelling Concacaf Nations League Final attended by a capacity crowd and viewed on TV by millions of fans, we look forward to what will surely be an unforgettable 2021 Gold Cup this summer,” said Moggio.
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