Concacaf and Qatar Airways have agreed to a Confederation-wide partnership which begins with the internationally renowned airline becoming the Official Airline of the upcoming 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup is the region’s flagship men’s international competition and will begin with the Preliminary Round at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium on July 2 and end with the Final to crown a regional champion at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on August 1.

As part of the partnership, Qatar Airways will get extensive visibility at 11 Gold Cup stadiums in eight US metropolitan cities this summer. With hundreds of thousands of fans expected to attend Gold Cup matches, and millions of TV viewers watching at home, this partnership provides Qatar Airways with a fantastic opportunity to promote their airline across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, including to fans eagerly anticipating next year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Qatar Airways has an excellent track record in football and sports sponsorship with Concacaf joining FIFA, several other Confederations, and professional clubs including FC Bayern, Paris Saint Germain, and AS Roma as partners of the globally renowned airline.

In addition to becoming the Official Airline of the Gold Cup, Qatar Airways will be the presenting partner of the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League. It will be played in 2022/23 and will be branded the Concacaf Nations League presented by Qatar Airways.

The Concacaf Nations League began in the Fall of 2019 with an inaugural edition that included 102 group stage matches involving all 41 Concacaf member associations. It was a celebration of Concacaf football and provided a platform for all the men’s national teams in the region to play more official matches in the FIFA international windows.

The four League A group winners (Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, USA) competed in a thrilling Concacaf Nations League Finals in Denver, Colorado, in June 2021 where the US Men’s National Team was crowned the first ever Concacaf Nations League champion after winning a compelling final against Mexico.

This partnership will also see the Qatar Airways brand get significant visibility at a range of important Concacaf competitions, including the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, the Scotiabank Concacaf League, the Flow Caribbean Club Championship and all the confederation’s age-group World Cup qualification tournaments.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Qatar Airways as a confederation-wide partner of Concacaf,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani. “Their extensive experience across global football and sport sponsorship will undoubtedly benefit our confederation. We look forward to working together to elevate this summer’s Gold Cup, the next edition of the Concacaf Nations League and football across the entire region,” added Montagliani.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Our partnership with Concacaf is a demonstration of our commitment towards utilising sport as a means of bringing people together. We look forward to seeing fans from around the world engage with one another and share their passion for the global game. This alliance with Concacaf will help us strengthen our presence in the North, Central American and Caribbean regions, where football is deeply embedded in the culture and lifestyle.”

“This is a great partnership for Concacaf that will see our flagship competitions benefit from the extensive global reach of Qatar Airways,” added Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “We also know that our Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League will provide them with great visibility in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, making this an agreement that will truly benefit both organizations.”

The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup will include the AFC Asian Cup Champions, the Qatar Men’s National Team, as a guest participant. They were drawn in a group with Honduras, Grenada and Panama and their opening match will be on July 13 against Panama.

2021 is Concacaf’s 60th anniversary year and the Gold Cup is its flagship men’s competition. The first edition was played in 1991 and the 2021 edition will be the 16th Concacaf Gold Cup. Mexico is the most successful team in Gold Cup history with eight Gold Cup titles, followed by the USA with six and Canada with one. The current Gold Cup champion is Mexico who lifted the Cup in 2019 after defeating the US Men’s National Team 1-0 in a hard-fought final at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

(Concacaf)