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| - Six-time winner United States and defending champion Mexico, an eight-time winner, will open the 16th Gold Cup against qualifiers under a schedule announced Thursday by regional football governing body CONCACAF. The biennial North American showdown kicks off July 2 at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with preliminary round qualifying matches ahead of the group stage and knockout rounds that lead to the August 1 final at Las Vegas. "We look forward with great anticipation to watching the best men's national teams in our confederation compete for the Gold Cup title," CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said. Twelve teams will compete in two rounds of preliminary knockout games on July 2-3 and July 6 to decide three berths in group stage matches. The United States, seeking a third title in five tries as it prepares for 2022 World Cup qualifying, will open July 11 at Kansas City, Kansas, in a Group B match against either Bermuda, Barbados, Haiti or St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Americans will also face Martinique on July 15 and Canada on July 18, both in Kansas City. Mexico will open in Group A on July 10 at Dallas against one of four other possible preliminary round qualifiers -- Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana and Montserrat. The Mexicans will also play Curacao on July 14 and El Salvador on July 18, both in Dallas. Costa Rica, the top seed in Group C, will open on July 12 at Orlando against one of the other four qualifiers -- Bahamas, Guatemala, Guyana and Guadeloupe. The Ticos will also face Suriname on July 16 and Jamaica on July 20, both in Orlando. World Cup 2022 host Qatar, a special invitee, will open against Panama in Group D on July 13 at Houston. The guests will also face Grenada at Houston on July 17 and July 20 against Honduras at Houston. In a new wrinkle this year, the last matches in each group will be played simultaneously. The two top teams from each group advance to knockout stages, with the quarter-finals to be staged July 24 at Glendale, Arizona, and July 25 at Arlington, Texas, in NFL stadiums. Teams from Group A will face teams from Group D in Arizona with Group B and C teams meeting in Texas. Semi-final matches will be staged on July 29 in Houston and Austin, Texas, with the winners advancing to the championship match three days later in Las Vegas. js/rcw
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