The CONCACAF Gold Cup is a soccer competition held every two years with teams across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The name “CONCACAF” stands for Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football. There are 41 countries who participate in the Gold Cup, which the United States and Mexico have largely dominated.

While there are 41 countries eligible, only 12 actually make it to the Concacaf Gold Cup competition. The North American nations, including the United States, Mexico, and Canada receive automatic entries. However, the Central American nations must compete in the Copa Centroamericana to qualify. Similarly, the Caribbean nations must qualify through their annual Caribbean Cup.

CONCACAF Gold Cup: A Brief History

While the CONCACAF was formed in 1961, it wasn’t until 1963 that the first tournament was held. Prior to the forming of the CONCACAF, the two main confederations were the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) founded in 1938 and the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) founded in 1946.

The two confederations merged to form the CONCACAF and the original tournament was called the “CONCACAF Championship.” It wasn’t until 1991 that the Gold Cup was created, with the United States hosting the first competition.

CONCACAF Gold Cup’s Most Noteworthy Events

Since 1991, the Gold Cup has gained quite a following and is a sporting event that many look forward to across the globe. In 2000, during the fifth edition of the event, fans were surprised to see that neither Mexico nor the United States had made it to the finals. In fact, in a surprising turn, it was the country of Canada that went on to win that year’s Gold Cup title. It was Canada’s first win.

While the teams of North America have been the most frequent winners, there have certainly been exciting times for other competitors. In 2007, Guadeloupe made it to the Gold Cup semifinals and came out quite strong, despite not winning. Jamaica has also given the North American teams a run for their money, coming in as runners-up more than once. Other runners-up over the years have included Brazil, Costa Rica, and Panama.