Qatar will open their 2023 Gold Cup campaign against Haiti at the NRG Stadium in Houston on June 24, the CONCACAF announced on Tuesday night. The Asian Champions then take on Honduras on June 29 in Glendale, Arizona before wrapping up their Group B matches against heavyweights Mexico on July 2 in Santa Clara, California.
The 17th edition of North America’s flagship football competition will be played from June 16 to July 16. In total, 15 stadiums in 14 United States and Canadian metropolitan areas will host matches. The tournament’s official draw, which determined the Preliminary matchups and Group Stage groups, took place at SoFi Stadium on April 14.
Qatar is featuring at the Gold Cup as a guest side for the second time.
The Maroons had taken part in the tournament in 2021, where they had lost to eventual champions the United States in the semi-finals. After the draw last week, Qatar’s newly-appointed coach Carlos Queiroz had expressed his hope of improving the levels of the side. Qatar had a disastrous World Cup at home last year under previous coach Felix Sanchez losing all three games.
The arrival of Queiroz, one of the most experienced coaches in the game and well-respected in the region after his time with Iran, could spell the start of a new era for Qatar. “I am very proud of this new journey in my coaching career with the Qatar national team. I hope to employ my many years of experience in football to take Qatar to the ranks of the major teams in all international competitions,” the Portuguese had said.
Meanwhile, the United States will kick off the tournament proper when they take on Jamaica at Chicago’s Soldier Field on June 24. Title contenders Mexico will begin its campaign against Honduras at Houston’s NRG Stadium on June 25 and play further group matches against Haiti in Glendale, Arizona, on June 29 and against Qatar on July 2.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals which will be played at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas) and at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (Ohio). Semi-finals will be played at the Allegiant in Las Vegas and the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, before the final is played at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (California).
Qatar is featuring at the Gold Cup as a guest side for the second time. (Reuters)
