Gold Cup
Surprise team added to 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup in USA
According to the country’s leading newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, The Green Falcons will be in the CONCACAF tournament.
In the summer of 2025, the United States is set to host the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup under its new format. Concurrently, the 2025 Gold Cup will take place, featuring top national teams from CONCACAF competing for the title.
Historically, this tournament has occasionally extended invitations to national teams from other confederations. For the upcoming edition, there is speculation that such invitations might be extended to teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
According to Asharq al-Awsat, the leading newspaper in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabian national team will participate in the 18th edition of the most significant tournament in North, Central America, and the Caribbean. This would mark the Green Falcons' debut in the Gold Cup, scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 6.
The Saudi outlet reports that the official announcement will be made in early 2025, as CONCACAF is expected to hold preliminary qualifiers in March, with the tournament draw set for April 10. If confirmed, this would mark the third consecutive Gold Cup featuring a team from the Asian Football Confederation, following Qatar’s participation in 2021 and 2023.
However, if Hervé Renard’s Green Falcons do take part in the 2025 Gold Cup, players from Al Hilal will not be able to join them, as the Riyadh-based club will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup from June 15 to July 13. All teams participating in the revamped FIFA tournament are required to have their players available, meaning they cannot join their national teams if the competitions overlap. Key players impacted would include Salem Al-Dawsari, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Yasir Al-Shahrani, and Mohammed Al Yami.
Other editions with teams invited to the Gold Cup
Over the years, CONCACAF has welcomed various national teams as guests, with Brazil standing out for its appearances in 1996, 1998, and 2003. In addition to Brazil, South Korea participated in two editions (2000 and 2002), South Africa in one (2005), and the most recent guest was Qatar, which competed in 2021 and 2023.
The Saudi Arabian national team would have the chance to surpass one of Qatar’s performances, as the Qatari side reached the semifinals in 2021 before being narrowly eliminated by the United States (0-1). Notably, Saudi Arabia is currently in fourth place in Group C of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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