Reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar have been placed in Group D of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, alongside Honduras, Panama and Grenada.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) held its first draw for the tournament Monday in Miami, Florida, in the United States of America.
Reigning champions Mexico, the top-seeded team in Group A, were placed with El Salvador, Curacao and another team to be determined via a preliminary tournament. The United States was drawn to play Canada, Martinique and a preliminary-round qualifier in Group B, while Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and a qualifier from the preliminary rounds were drawn to play in Group C.
Qatar is the seventh guest nation to compete in a Gold Cup and the first Arab nation, joining the ranks of Brazil (1996, 1998, 2003), Colombia (2000, 2003, 2005), Peru (2000), Ecuador (2002), South Africa (2005) and South Korea (2000, 2002).
Qatar is also the second nation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to appear in a Gold Cup tournament.
The 2021 Gold Cup will take place July 10 through Aug. 1, with 16 teams participating in total.
