Why Is Saudi Arabia in the Gold Cup? Inside All the Details of Their Involvement
Taking place from June 14, 2025, until July 6, the CONCACAF Gold Cup brings together the best teams from around the world.
Published June 11 2025, 2:55 p.m. ET
Held every two years, the CONCACAF Gold Cup is a favorite amongst devoted sports fans, and the 2025 tournament has amped up the anticipation. However, there is a question lingering regarding why Saudi Arabia is included in the event.
Taking place from June 14, 2025, until July 6, the CONCACAF Gold Cup brings together the best teams from around the world as they compete for the top prize. To date, Mexico has been the most successful team, winning the title a record nine times.
Why is Saudi Arabia in the Gold Cup?
Given that they are part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), many are wondering why Saudi Arabia is involved in the tournament, but there is a thorough explanation for why.
According to Goal, back in December 2024, Saudi Arabia was invited to compete as a guest team in the 2025 and 2027 Gold Cup tournaments. CONCACAF stated that they would work in partnership with the AFC and the Saudi Football Association to share both knowledge and expertise.
Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the 2025 Gold Cup puts them in the running to make history to become the first non-CONCACAF team to win the tournament.
Following the announcement of Saudi Arabia’s inclusion, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani shared his excitement at the decision.
"We are very pleased that through our relationship with the Asian Football Confederation, we have been able to collaborate with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and their President Yasser Al-Misehal, both on and off the pitch, and we look forward to welcoming one of Asia’s top men’s national teams to compete with the best in CONCACAF," he said.
Is Saudi Arabia the first non-CONCACAF team to be invited to the Gold Cup?
No, teams have been invited to the tournament for decades, dating back to 1996 when Brazil was extended an invitation, according to Goal.
Since then, a host of other teams have been invited, including Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador — all three teams competed at the tournament held in 2000.
Additionally, South Africa still remains the only African nation to compete in the Gold Cup following their 2005 appearance. To date, no European teams have been invited as guest competitors.
What else should I know about the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup?
According to CONCACAF, this year’s event will take place across 14 stadiums and 11 metropolitan areas in both the United States and Canada and feature 16 national teams — this includes the best 15 teams from the Concacaf region, along with invited guest, Saudi Arabia.
Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium will host the Opening CONCACAF Gold Cup Match, and the NRG Stadium in Houston will be the site to crown the 2025 Gold Cup Champion, per the organization.
Fans can watch this year’s event via television on FOX, FS1 and FS2, according to FOX Sports. The event will also be available to stream on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports app, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV.