Schedule Announced for Central American Cup 2014 to Be Played in the U.S. this September
Tickets for Official UNCAF Tournament on sale to the general public this Tuesday, July 22
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (Thursday, July 17, 2014) – The Central American Football Union (UNCAF) today announced the groups, schedule and ticket information for the Central American Cup 2014 USA, to be played September 3-13 in the United States.
The Central American Cup, which will be played on U.S. soil for the first time in its 13 editions, will provide berths to the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2016 Centennial Cup America.
Tickets to all matches will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, July 22, at 10:00 a.m. local on http://www.concacaf.com/tickets and at all stadium box offices.
The two-group, seven-team tournament will kick off Sept. 3 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. with a tripleheader involving both groups, featuring 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalist Costa Rica taking on Nicaragua, Honduras facing Belize, and closing out with El Salvador – Guatemala.
The Central American Cup 2014 USA then moves on to Dallas’ Cotton Bowl on September 7 and Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium on September 10. The full schedule is below. The championship game, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches, will be played on Saturday, September 13, at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Central American Cup will decide the four automatic UNCAF berths for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The fifth-place finisher will earn the right to participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth-place team from the 2014 Caribbean Football Union Caribbean Cup for an additional Gold Cup berth.
In addition, the champion of the Central American Cup 2014 USA will earn a direct ticket to the recently-announced Centennial Cup America 2016, also to be played in the United States.
Costa Rica is the current Central American Cup champion, and has lifted the trophy a record seven times. Honduras is next with three titles, while Guatemala and Panama have won one apiece. Belize, El Salvador and Nicaragua complete the field of seven Central American nations.
The Central American Cup has been contested 12 previous times, starting in 1991. Costa Rica and Honduras have hosted it three times each, while it has been played in El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama twice.
2014 Central American Cup Groups
*teams listed in alphabetical order
Group A
Costa Rica Belize
Nicaragua El Salvador
Panamá
2014 Central American Cup Schedule
– All times are Eastern –
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 – RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.
5:00pm Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua
7:00pm Honduras vs. Belize
9:00pm El Salvador vs. Guatemala
Sunday, September 7, 2014 – Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
5:00pm Costa Rica vs. Panama
7:00pm Guatemala vs. Belize
9:00pm Honduras vs. El Salvador
Wednesday, September 10, 2014 – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
6:00pm Panama vs. Nicaragua
8:00pm El Salvador vs. Belize
10:00pm Honduras vs. Guatemala
Saturday, September 13, 2014 – Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
4:00pm Third Place Group A vs. Third Place Group B
7:00pm Second Place Group A vs. Second Place Group B
10:00pm First Place Group A vs. First Place Group B