Gold Cup debuts in the competition | OneFootball

MIAMI –The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup will feature some of the best teams in the world as the 18th edition of the Confederation’s flagship men’s national team tournament takes place from June 14 to July 6.

Ahead of the 18th edition of the Gold Cup, we look back at some memorable debuts in the tournament’s history.

Debutants that went the furthest: United States and Honduras (1991)

The United States claimed the first trophy after outlasting Honduras, 4-3 on penalties, following a scoreless stalemate through extra time in the Final.

The U.S. went undefeated in the five matches it played in that tournament (4-0-1), recording the longest win streak and unbeaten run among debuting teams. The USA faced Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala and Costa Rica in the Group Stage before ousting rivals Mexico 2-nil in the Semifinals.

Runners-up Honduras also had a stellar campaign, finishing 3-2-0 and racking up a tournament-high 12 goals while only conceding three. La H defeated Canada and Jamaica before drawing with Mexico in group play. Honduras blanked Costa Rica 2-nil in the quarterfinals in what remains Los Catrachos’ best Gold Cup appearance so far.

Guest teams that played the most matches in their debut: Colombia (2000) and Qatar (2021)

Colombia has appeared in the Gold Cup three times as an invitee, but 2000 was their best performance. Los Cafeteros made a run to the championship game where they fell to Canada, 2-nil, in Los Angeles, California. Colombia split results in the group stage, defeating Jamaica but falling to Honduras. The knockout stage is where they hit a stride, ousting the United States on penalties and advancing to defeat Peru 2-1 in the Semifinals.

In 2021, Qatar was invited to participate in the Gold Cup one year before the nation would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The nation played five matches en route to the Semifinals, where they fell 1-nil to the United States. Qatar scored nine goals in Group D play against Panama, Grenada and Honduras before defeating El Salvador 3-2 in the Quarterfinals.

Debutant with the most goals scored: Honduras (1991) and Qatar (2021)

Honduras and Qatar top the list with 12 goals each.

Eduardo Bennett led the Honduras attack with three goals in the inaugural tournament. Marco Antono Anariba and Eugenio Dolmo Flores scored two each, while Los Catrachos had three different players with one apiece.

Qatar’s Almoez Ali took home the Golden Boot of the 2021 edition as he scored four goals in five games. Abdulaziz Hatem was right behind him on the list with three himself, two in group play and one in the quarterfinals. Akram Afif was the other multi-goal scorer for Qatar, finishing with a pair, including their debut strike in the tournament.

Best performance by an invited debutant: Brazil (1996)

The third edition of the Gold Cup marked the first time a non-Concacaf team was invited, and Brazil made the most of it by finishing as the runner-up.

The Seleçāo won Group B with wins over Canada and Honduras. Brazil got past the United States in the Semifinals off an own goal before being shut out by Mexico 2-nil in the final. Brazil’s ten goals are third on the list for most by a debuting team in Gold Cup history.