CONCACAF Gold Cup Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is a men’s national football competition governed by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

CONCACAF was founded in 1961 through the merging of the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) and the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF). The NAFC consisted of the North American nations of United States, Mexico, Canada, and Cuba, while the NAFC included countries in Central America and most of the Caribbean, 

This merger resulted in a single championship being held for the continent, the first taking place in 1963 in El Salvador with Costa Rica becoming the first champion. In 1990 the CONCACAF Championship was brought to an end and, replaced by the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the United States hosting the first competition in 1991. 

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is held every two years and has always been held in the United States. The exceptions were in 1993 and 2003 when the tournament was co-hosted in Mexico, and 2015 with the tournament co-hosted in Canada. 

Mexico and the United States have dominated the competition, winning 13 of the 14 titles between them with Mexico claiming seven titles, United States six with Canada winning once in 2000.

In 1996 the Gold Cup included its first guest team, defending FIFA World Cup Champions Brazil. Guests were invited to participate in six Gold Cup tournaments from 1996 to 2005. From 2000 the tournament was increased to twelve teams and since 2007 the Gold Cup has been contested exclusively by nations within CONCACAF.

In January 2017, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani announced the expansion of the Gold Cup from 12 to 16 teams which starts with the 2019 tournament.