Looking ahead to 2026, 🇺🇸 to host Gold Cup and keep MLS matches | OneFootball

The country that will host the most 2026 World Cup games, the United States has been experiencing football intensely since the 14th.

The Gold Cup - a tournament that the Brazilian National Team has already played three times - began on the same day as the FIFA Super Club World Cup.

And the local football leagues were not paralyzed either.

Everything to test the country's infrastructure already projecting the World Cup with 48 participants and thousands of tourists next year.

Last Friday (19) was, for example, a game of the local team that is commanded by Mauricio Pochettino.

Gold Cup concentrated on the West Coast

The size of the United States was a "facilitator" for the tournament to take place at this time.

There are 14 stadiums used in the tournament - only one of them in Canada.

The American West Coast has seven. Four are in Texas. And the central region has two. Which left the East Coast "free" for the FIFA tournament.

The USA is in Group D. They faced Saudi Arabia (guest team) on the aforementioned Friday and won 1-0.

MLS has only one 'interval'

The temporary absences of Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders, and Los Angeles FC did not cause the main American league to be paralyzed.

The last round ended on the 14th. And the next one will have games on Wednesday (25).

This interval will serve to "accommodate" the Gold Cup better.

Fourteen of the 16 group stage games of the tournament will be held until then.

Only Mexico 3 x 2 Dominican Republic was on the same day 14. And there was also the only game outside the US in the entire competition, Canada 6 x 0 Honduras.

The NWSL, the main women's league, didn't even have a longer period without games. They had a match on the 15th and will have two matches this Friday (20).

One of them is Marta's Orlando Pride, who will be a visitor against Racing Louisville.

Selection 🇧🇷 has two Gold Cup runner-ups

Tournament that involves Concacaf teams, the Gold Cup has already had several other guest teams.

Brazil and Colombia are the record "outsiders" with three participations. And the only ones that reached the final.

In 1996, the Brazilian National Team - with its pre-Olympic team - fell to Mexico 2-0.

It had, for example, Dida, Zé Maria, Flávio Conceição, Caio, and Sávio.

In 2003, Gomes, Maicon, Diego, Robinho, and Kaká were the highlights. But Mexico's Cuauhtémoc Blanco also won: 1-0.

The disappointment was due to the 1998 campaign. The tournament was held before the France World Cup. Zagallo didn't take Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, and Rivaldo.

But there were Taffarel, Mauro Silva, Zinho, Denilson, Edmundo, and Romário.

Brazil only beat El Salvador in the group stage and had to settle for third place after falling to the USA in the semis.

Colombia, in turn, was surpassed by Canada in the 2000 final.

South Korea, Qatar, South Africa, Peru, and Ecuador were the other guests in the competition's history.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 Jed Jacobsohn - 2025 Getty Images