Stay Gold, Kansas City: Children’s Mercy Park set for international soccer this summer
For the fourth time in stadium history, Children’s Mercy Park has been selected as one of 11 host venues for the Gold Cup soccer tournament.
CONCACAF announced game sites for the international tourney’s 2021 edition Thursday afternoon. The 16th iteration of the competition is set to begin July 2.
“When we opened the stadium, our goal was always to have big international competitions and so to get one this summer coming out of COVID is amazing,” Sporting KC president and CEO Jake Reid said. “We don’t know who we’re going to have yet or what stage it will be, but we’re thrilled.”
Kansas City previously hosted Gold Cup games in 2011, 2015 and 2019. With no tournament taking place in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns, 2021 marks the first time Children’s Mercy Park will host back-to-back.
Reid hopes Children’s Mercy Park will be back at 100% capacity this time.
“Honestly, from what we’re hearing and the current trajectory of things, assuming everything stays as is, I would be optimistic there will be a full stadium by then,” Reid said. “Long way to go, but that’s kind of our hope.”
On the three previous occasions that Children’s Mercy Park has been a Gold Cup venue, it has played host to the U.S. Men’s National Team. The U.S. is 2-1-0 in those three matches, tying Panama 1-1 in 2015.
If history repeats, Kansas Citians will get the chance to watch the U.S. face either Canada, Martinique or a third team yet to qualify for the group stage. The U.S. has been drawn into Group B.
Children’s Mercy Park would host a second group-stage game between the two teams in Group B that the U.S. doesn’t face, if the USMNT plays in KC.
“I remember when we were building this place, an important aspect was always to get international games and competitions,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “It’s right down the alley of what we’re always trying to do right: provide other soccer experiences at our stadium.”
Hosting games for the Gold Cup also factors into Kansas City’s quest to host matches during the 2026 World Cup. Twenty-three cities are bidding to play host to the 2026 World Cup across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. That number will be trimmed to 16 before the World Cup games begin.
FIFA and the various host associations are planning to begin in-person visits in July, allowing Kansas City to showcase its ability to host an international tournament at just the right time.
“I think it’s always important for us to show how we can handle international competitions as well, not just if fans come, but what the environment is like in and around the city as well — hotels and all that stuff,” Vermes said.
“All of those are opportunities for us to impress, and we’ve got to keep taking them as they come.”
The nine stadiums that will host group and knockout-stage matches for this year’s Gold Cup are:
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- BBVA Stadium, Houston
- Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kan.
- Cotton Bowl, Dallas
- Exploria Stadium, Orlando
- NRG Stadium, Houston
- Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas
- State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
- Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
The four groups of teams are:
- Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao and winner of prelim 9
- Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique and winner of prelim 7
- Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and winner of prelim 8
- Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Stay Gold, Kansas City: Children’s Mercy Park set for international soccer this summer."