Concacaf does not want the 2027 edition of the Gold Cup to be a decaffeinated event, quite the opposite. After the resounding success and effervescence recorded by the 13 World Cup matches scheduled at the venues in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, the organization is already seriously analyzing the return of its stellar tournament to Aztec lands.
In this way, the jewel in the crown of this organization's tournaments would return to Mexican soil after 23 years of absence. It is worth remembering that the last time the tournament was played in national territory was in 2003, a historic edition where the Tricolor was crowned under the command of Ricardo La Volpe by defeating Brazil with that remembered golden goal by Daniel Osorno at the Azteca Stadium (currently called Banorte Stadium).
The talks that open the possibility
So far, the version is considered a mere possibility. Everything arises after a key talk held by the president commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation, Mikel Arriola, and the new head of Liga MX, Francisco Iturbide.
At this meeting, the option of negotiating with Concacaf to schedule several matches in the triangle composed of Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey was formally raised.
The central idea of the managers is to make the most of the first-class infrastructure that was generated for the World Cup. The distribution plan would maintain the momentum of the FIFA tournament, seeking to host five matches at the Banorte Stadium (Azteca), four at the Akron Stadium of the Chivas and the same number at the BBVA Stadium of the Rayados.
The thing is that nothing is defined yet. However, close sources assure that the only thing that interests Concacaf is that the participating national teams put maximum interest in the tournament.
The objective is to take advantage of the World Cup “boom” and completely rule out that the 2027 Gold Cup seems like a shoehorned event, or an uncomfortable tournament that the teams have to play almost out of obligation and with alternative teams.
The memory of 2003: The last time in Mexico
To measure the drought of this competition in the country, we must go back to that year 2003. On that occasion, Mexico hosted only six of the 20 matches that the event consisted of; the remaining 14 were carried out in the American Union.
The Aztec team played those six games as a home team supported by its people. In that edition, El Tri was seeded in Group A along with Brazil (which participated as a guest) and Honduras. The national team advanced steadily after beating the South Americans 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with the Catrachos.
The party continued in the direct elimination rounds:
Quarterfinals: Mexico mercilessly beat Jamaica 5-0. Semifinals: Costa Rica was dispatched with a solid 2-0. Grand Final: Faced Scratch du Oro again, winning 1-0 in extra time thanks to the genius of Daniel Osorno who blew up the Coloso de Santa Úrsula. 1993: The first time on national soil
Ten years earlier, in 1993, the first edition of the Gold Cup was held in Mexico, organized jointly with the United States. On that occasion, the Tricolor was seeded in Group B and gave an authentic festival of goals under the command of Miguel Mejía Barón.
The road in the group stage was devastating, registering a 9-0 win over Martinique, a resounding 8-0 victory against Canada and a fierce 1-1 draw against Costa Rica.
The overwhelming pace did not stop in the final phases:
Semifinals: Mexico crushed Jamaica 5-1, confirming its role as giant of the area.Final: In a packed Azteca Stadium, El Tri had a memorable performance by beating its bitter rival, the United States, 4-0.
The scoring that afternoon was made by Ignacio Ambriz, Luis Roberto Alves “Zague”, Guillermo Cantú and an own goal by American defender Desmond Armstrong.
If the current negotiations are finalized, the Concacaf Gold Cup will not only seek to replicate the glories of the past, but also consolidate the million-dollar investment in Mexican stadiums for the new soccer cycle.
