Belize defender Norman Anderson faces off against and Costa Rica defender Joseph Mora during the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification match in March in San Jose. Costa Rica will be in Arlington on June 18. Photo: Ezequiel Becerra/AFP via Getty Images
The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament begins this weekend to crown the best men's national team in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Why it matters: The three-week tournament will give several U.S. and Canadian cities a preview of what it'll be like to host next year's World Cup.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host four matches across two nights starting next week.
The big picture: World Cup matches will be held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
The Gold Cup matches will be in some of the same cities, including here, Houston, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and Vancouver, Canada.
Driving the news: The first match, between Mexico and the Dominican Republic, is Saturday at SoFi Stadium in California.
Arlington hosts matches June 18 between Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, then Mexico and Suriname.
AT&T Stadium also hosts matches June 22. The United States will play Haiti. Suriname will play the Dominican Republic.
Zoom out: Austin and Houston also host matches, beginning June 19.
The Gold Cup final will be July 6 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The intrigue: The FIFA Club World Cup also starts this weekend. Matches will be played in other 2026 host cities, including Atlanta, New Jersey and Seattle.
How to watch: The Gold Cup tournament will air on FS1 in English and TUDN and ViX in Spanish.
