Snapdragon Stadium to host first-ever CONCACAF W Gold Cup Final in 2024
This Tuesday, November 7, 2023, it was officially announced that Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego will host the CONCACAF W Gold Cup final on March 10, 2024.
This will be the first-ever edition of the competition, which is now the flagship international women’s competition in CONCACAF.
There will be 12 participating teams in this tournament, including eight from CONCACAF and four invitees from South America. The invitees are Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia, who have already played a friendly at Snapdragon Stadium against the USWNT.
The qualification round for this W Gold Cup will be extremely competitive, with 33 teams in contention for six spots in the tournament. The two teams that qualify to the Summer Olympics out of the CONCACAF region will also qualify directly to the W Gold Cup.
Snapdragon Stadium has already hosted a men’s CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal between the USMNT and Panama. The Mission Valley Fortress has also become a mainstay for women’s soccer in the United States, home to the San Diego Wave, who have the best attendance in the NWSL. Snapdragon Stadium just hosted its first-ever USWNT game and will host the NWSL final between OL Reign and Gotham FC this Saturday, November 11.
The stage is set for the first ever W Gold Cup final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xBJny71EjD
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) November 7, 2023
Some USWNT fan-favorites like Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma, and Jaedyn Shaw play regularly at the “Snap” with the San Diego Wave. The fan base is present in San Diego to host teams like the USWNT or Mexico, as Snapdragon Stadium hosted a sell-out crowd for the men’s Mexico national team earlier in the year.
There has been an influx of high-profile soccer events at Snapdragon Stadium within the last year, and this is a historic event that will take place next year. The favorites to feature in the final include the United States, Canada, and possibly Colombia. However, Jamaica had a surprising World Cup, and teams like Mexico and even Haiti have shown they can be competitive.
The qualification to this tournament will be intriguing to see, as more details about the W Gold Cup surface as we head into 2024.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.