CONCACAF Gold Cup ticket sales soar to 300,000http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/CONCACAF-Gold-Cup-ticket-sales-soar-to-300-000_19151803MIAMI, Floria — CONCACAF on Thursday announced that with just under three weeks to the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015, approximately 300,000 tickets are already sold for the 14-venue event, an increase of nearly 100 per cent compared to the same timeframe as the 2013 tournament.
Two venues — Dallas and Kansas City — are virtually sold out.
With the original supply sold, a limited number of previously reserved tickets will now be made available for the kick-off double-header in Dallas on July 7, as well as the games in Kansas City on July 13. Both match dates feature Group A, which includes the United States, Panama, Haiti and Honduras.
Tickets for the crucial second date of Group A on July 10 at Gillette Stadium in the Boston area are still available but fans are encouraged to purchase in advance as supplies are limited.
Ticket sales for the Gold Cup 2015 are the highest ever in the tournament's 24-year history when compared to the same time frame as previous editions. More than two weeks before the start of this year's Gold Cup, the total number of tickets sold to date is already on par with the total Gold Cup attendance for the entire tournament just a decade ago in 2005, when the competition culminated with a riveting penalty kick victory for the United States over Panama at the Meadowlands.
As CONCACAF nations such as the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica leave their mark on the world stage and at the FIFA World Cup, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region's top international competition.
Launched in 1991, the tournament's reach doubled in 2009, when the event expanded to 12 venues across the United States, the host country for this edition along with Canada.
The region's marquee national team tournament will again call on world-class venues for this year's edition, including a mix of National Football League stadiums across the country along with soccer-specific stadiums used by Major League Soccer teams.
The venues are the Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA), Gillette Stadium (Boston, MA), M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD), Soldier Field (Chicago, IL), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC), Toyota Stadium (Dallas, TX), BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX), Sporting Park (Kansas City, KS), Stubhub Center (Los Angeles, CA), Met Life Stadium (New York/New Jersey), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA), PPL Park (Philadelphia, PA), University of Phoenix Stadium (Phoenix, AZ) and BMO Field (Toronto, ON).
The 12 participating national teams qualified for this year's tournament are: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States.