CHARLOTTE – Last year, Bank of America Stadium welcomed more than 63,000 fans for a soccer exhibition between Mexico and Iceland.
This year, area soccer fans should really get their kicks.
The Mexican national team is returning June 9, but this time it will be part of a doubleheader in group play for the Gold Cup, a marquee event hosted every two years by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
In the second of three stops in Group A play, Costa Rica and El Salvador will meet at 7 p.m. EDT at Bank of America Stadium, then reigning Gold Cup champion Mexico and Cuba will square off at 9 p.m.
Eight of 12 teams will survive pool play and advance to the knockout round, which will conclude with the championship match June 25 at the Rose Bowl.
"Charlotte is one of those markets as we looked around the country that appeared very clearly to have not only potential but also had demonstrated recently a great capacity to be a good venue for hosting major games," CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer said. "We're very happy to open that as a new market for us."
Individual tickets range from $30-100, and a family four-pack is available for $25 per ticket. Fans purchasing tickets through Ticketmaster.com can receive a $5 discount per ticket by utilizing the Special Offer Code GC11. Tickets also are available via Ticketmaster phone, Ticketmaster outlets and at the Bank of America Stadium ticket office.
Every two years, the Gold Cup welcomes the three North American countries along with the top five teams from Central America and the top four from the Caribbean. This year's champion will earn an automatic berth into the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, a prestigious event leading up to the 2014 World Cup.
The United States and Canada – the other countries in addition to Mexico to claim Gold Cup crowns in the past – are in Group C. Mexico has won five Gold Cups, the U.S. has four and Canada has one.
