Q2 Stadium in Austin will host a Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal, part of four knockout round matches in the tournament that will be held in Texas, Concacaf announced on Thursday.
The other semifinal will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, with a quarterfinal doubleheader at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Both semifinals will be held on Thursday, July 29. NRG Stadium would host any semifinal match featuring Mexico, meaning that the Q2 match could feature the Unites States if the bracket unfolds according to the seed lines.
“Austin FC is proud to showcase Q2 Stadium and Austin for one of the most important matchups in the CONCACAF Gold Cup lineup,” Austin FC president Andy Loughnane said in a statement. “Having Q2 Stadium named as one of 11 venues in the country to host a 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup is a great honor, and hosting one of two semifinal matches further reinforces the strength of the soccer community in Austin.”
It will be the first time in tournament history that a semifinal is held in a soccer-specific venue. In fact, no Gold Cup match past the group stage except the third-place playoff has ever been held in anything other than an NFL-sized stadium.
Q2 Stadium has a capacity of 20,500, while the rest of the knockout round sites hold at least 63,000 people.
Initial plans for the 2021 Gold Cup, acquired by The Striker Texas, had Q2 Stadium as one of two sites for quarterfinal doubleheaders. Instead, those matches will be hosted by AT&T Stadium and State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The final, previously announced, is set for Sunday, Aug. 1 at the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The four knockout matches in Texas will be the cherry on top of an extremely busy summer for international soccer across the state. Group stage matches will also take place at the Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium and BBVA Stadium, meaning that six of the 11 total venues are located within Texas.
The occasion will be extra special for Austin, a city hosting a major international soccer tournament for the first time. Q2 Stadium is set to open on June 16 with a match between the U.S. women’s national team and Nigeria, and Austin FC will make its home debut on June 19 against the San Jose Earthquakes.
“We are thrilled to welcome the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal to Austin this July,” Drew Hays, director of the Austin Sports Commission, said in a statement. “This prestigious soccer tournament signals the return of major events to our city and credit goes to the Austin FC, Q2 Stadium and our community of soccer fans throughout Austin who made this a reality."
Full 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Schedule
*Listed in ET (local time)
Friday, July 2 - DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round One)
16:30 (16:30) M1: Haiti vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
19:00 (19:00) M6: Bermuda vs Barbados
21:30 (21:30) M3: Trinidad and Tobago vs Montserrat
Saturday, July 3 - DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round One)
16:30 (16:30) M5: Guadeloupe vs Bahamas
19:00 (19:00) M4: Cuba vs French Guiana
21:30 (21:30) M2: Guatemala vs Guyana
Tuesday, July 6 - DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Prelims Round Two)
16:30 (16:30) M9: Winner Prelims 3 vs Winner Prelims 4
19:00 (19:00) M7: Winner Prelims 1 vs Winner Prelims 6
21:30 (21:30) M8: Winner Prelims 2 vs Winner Prelims 5
Saturday, July 10 – Dallas Metropolitan Area (Group A)
17:00 (16:00) El Salvador vs Curaçao (Toyota Stadium)
22:00 (21:00) Mexico vs Winner Prelims 9 (AT&T Stadium)
Sunday, July 11 – Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS (Group B)
18:30 (17:30) Canada vs Martinique
20:30 (19:30) USA vs Winner Prelims 7
Monday, July 12 – Exploria Stadium, Orlando, FL (Group C)
18:30 (18:30) Jamaica vs Suriname
21:00 (21:00) Costa Rica vs Winner Prelims 8
Tuesday, July 13 – BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX (Group D)
19:00 (18:00) Qatar vs Panama
21:00 (20:00) Honduras vs Grenada
Wednesday, July 14 – Dallas Metropolitan Area (Group A)
19:30 (18:30) Winner Prelims 9 vs El Salvador (Toyota Stadium)
21:30 (20:30) Curaçao vs Mexico (Cotton Bowl)
Thursday, July 15 – Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS (Group B)
19:30 (18:30) Winner Prelims 7 vs Canada
21:30 (20:30) Martinique vs USA
Friday, July 16 – Exploria Stadium, Orlando, FL (Group C)
18:30 (18:30) Winner Prelims 8 vs Jamaica
20:30 (20:30) Suriname vs Costa Rica
Saturday, July 17 – BBVA Stadium, Houston, TX (Group D)
19:30 (18:30) Grenada vs Qatar
21:30 (20:30) Panama vs Honduras
Sunday, July 18 – Groups A and B
17:00 (16:00) Martinique vs Winner Prelims 7 (Toyota Stadium)
17:00 (16:00) USA vs Canada (Children’s Mercy Park)
22:00 (21:00) Mexico vs El Salvador (Cotton Bowl)
22:00 (21:00) Curaçao vs Winner Prelims 9 (Toyota Stadium)
Tuesday, July 20 – Groups C and D
19:00 (19:00) Costa Rica vs Jamaica (Exploria Stadium)
19:00 (18:00) Suriname vs Winner Prelims 8 (BBVA Stadium)
21:00 (21:00) Panama vs Grenada (Exploria Stadium)
21:00 (20:00) Honduras vs Qatar (BBVA Stadium)
Saturday, July 24 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ (Quarterfinals)
19:30 (16:30) QF1: 1D vs 2A
22:00 (19:00) QF2: 1A vs 2D
Sunday, July 25 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington TX (Quarterfinals)
19:00 (18:00) QF3: 1C vs 2B
21:30 (20:30) QF4: 1B vs 2C
Thursday, July 29 – Q2 Stadium, Austin, TX and NRG Stadium, Houston, TX (Semifinals)*
19:30 (18:30) SF1: Winner QF1 (1D or 2A) vs Winner QF4 (1B or 2C)
22:00 (21:00) SF2: Winner QF2 (1A or 2D) vs Winner QF3 (1C or 2B)
Sunday, August 1 – Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV (Final)
20:30 (17:30) Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2