From U.S. to Suriname, one thing to know about every team

The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks disconnected this weekend, marking the last large planetary tourney successful which the United States, Mexico, and Canada volition enactment earlier hosting the men's FIFA World Cup successful 2026. Those North American teams are the lone ones who person lifted the Gold Cup before.

However, with different contenders coming disconnected World Cup qualification matches to articulation the North American teams successful the field, and immoderate of the favorites missing stars owed to the simultaneous FIFA Club World Cup, it feels similar this twelvemonth could spot a tourney filled with surprises.

With that successful mind, we supply you with 1 happening you request to cognize astir each squad participating successful the continental championship.

Group A

Mexico (FIFA ranking: 17)

El Tri spell into the Gold Cup arsenic the defending champions, not lone of this tourney but besides fresh disconnected their archetypal Concacaf Nations League title. Yet, it inactive doesn't consciousness similar Mexico is caput and shoulders supra galore of its rivals successful the region, particularly the North Americans.

This tourney gives the squad the accidental to beryllium that not lone is it the apical squad successful Concacaf, but besides that things are going good up of the World Cup returning to the state successful 2026. The nonaccomplishment to get retired of the radical successful 2022 inactive lingers fresh, but the caller triumphs person swung the temper successful a acold much affirmative direction.

The anticipation is that a beardown antiaircraft basal volition clasp and that successful summation to getting bully showings from seasoned guardant Raúl Jiménez, the leader of the Nations League Final Four games but besides of the quarterfinal bid with Honduras. Alexis Vega volition besides replicate the originative relation helium played for Toluca connected the mode to the Liga MX title. Contributions from younger endowment similar AC Milan guardant Santiago Gimenez oregon adjacent 16-year-old rising prima Gilberto Mora, who made the last roster, would besides beryllium welcomed.

Costa Rica (FIFA ranking: 54)

Manager Miguel Herrera is here. So is seasoned goalkeeper Keylor Navas. It's not the 2014 cycle, but some men are a joyousness to ticker and volition feature, Navas aft Herrera convinced him to instrumentality to the nationalist squad pursuing his international status past year. Generational alteration has been the communicative astir Costa Rica for years, but Navas aside, it looks to yet person taken place. Sixteen players connected the Gold Cup squad were calved successful the 2000s.

Suriname (FIFA ranking: 137)

Suriname is led by manager Stanley Menzo, a legendary Ajax goalkeeper who played nether Johan Cruyff. In summation to his on-field trophies, Menzo was a pioneer for Black players successful the Netherlands, lasting up to maltreatment passim his illustrious career. Many of his players were calved successful the Netherlands, but contempt suiting up for the Dutch nationalist team, Menzo himself was calved successful Paramaribo, Suriname's capital.

Dominican Republic (FIFA ranking: 139)

The D.R. is making its debut astatine the tournament, the latest infinitesimal of occurrence for the state aft qualifying for the Paris Olympics past year. Former Real Madrid guardant Mariano Díaz precocious recommitted to the nationalist squad arsenic its emergence continues, scoring successful a March affable against Puerto Rico.

Díaz had debuted -- and scored -- successful a 2013 affable against Haiti earlier deciding to clasp retired for a accidental to play for the state of his birth, Spain. Instead, helium has present scored 2 goals for them, 12 years and a time apart.

Group B

Canada (FIFA ranking: 30)

Canada is the lone squad different than Mexico oregon the U.S. to triumph the tournament, but it's getting harder and harder to retrieve that magical infinitesimal backmost successful 2000. While absences due to the fact that of wounded oregon the Club World Cup (or both successful the lawsuit of mega-star Alphonso Davies) volition dent the team, the Canada squad continues to look much and much dangerous.

Things volition inactive person to spell conscionable close for Jesse Marsch to triumph a archetypal large trophy successful a quarter-century, but forwards Jonathan David and Promise David get successful bully form, and the midfield has tons of prime arsenic well. Without halfway backmost Moïse Bombito, the biggest question is an unwanted throwback to the years earlier Canada locked up 2022 qualification. Can this squad support good capable to instrumentality to the trophy stand?

Honduras (FIFA ranking: 75)

While helium scored his first-ever extremity for the nationalist squad successful the 2013 variation of the Gold Cup, Nashville SC defender Andy Najar is opting not to play successful the Gold Cup, suiting up for Honduras successful World Cup qualification, but returning for MLS play after. The fullback's lack volition beryllium felt some astatine the backmost by a Honduras squad with antiaircraft questions, but besides going guardant arsenic chance-creation has been slim, illustrated by an ain extremity being their lone tally successful a caller qualifier against the Cayman Islands.

El Salvador (FIFA ranking: 81)

After struggling successful 2024, El Salvador turned to Hernan "El Bolillo" Gomez to close the ship. He is champion known successful the portion for getting Panama to the 2018 World Cup, the country's first-ever qualification, but he's besides done it for Ecuador and his autochthonal Colombia. He antecedently worked with Honduras and Guatemala successful the Concacaf region.

La Selecta person ne'er gotten to the semifinal signifier of the Gold Cup. If that changes with a magical tally this year, Gomez volition rightly burnish his estimation arsenic a miracle-worker.

Curacao (FIFA ranking: 90)

While subordinate recruitment ever has been a large portion of the strategy for Curacao, manager Dick Advocaat is blessed to thin connected experience. Led by halfway backmost Cuco Martina with 68, 8 players successful his Gold Cup squad person 25 oregon much caps, with 5 of those players having 40 oregon more. Those are singular numbers for a squad that doesn't play arsenic galore affable matches arsenic North American rivals similar Mexico oregon the United States.

Group C

Panama (FIFA ranking: 33)

Having knocked disconnected the United States to get to the Nations League last successful March, bushed the U.S. successful the Copa América radical signifier past summertime and gain a shootout triumph to marque the erstwhile Gold Cup final, Panama manager Thomas Christiansen's radical has began to gain a estimation arsenic a elephantine slayer, oregon astatine slightest the slayer of a precise circumstantial giant. Still, the question remains whether the squad volition beryllium bully capable to get implicit the hump and really assistance a trophy alternatively than simply making finals.

Jamaica (FIFA ranking: 63)

Even arsenic manager Steve McClaren leverages his connections successful England to person much eligible players to motion up for the Reggae Boyz, a erstwhile Manchester United subordinate already successful the fold keeps earning a place. Ravel Morrison spent the past play successful Dubai with a lower-league nine called Precision FC, but is connected the Gold Cup squad and looking to gain a starting relation successful the midfield.

Guatemala (FIFA ranking: 106)

While Los Chapines stay mostly based successful the Guatemalan league (historic Guatemala City clubs Municipal and Comunicaciones well-represented, arsenic is reigning champion Antigua), manager Luis Fernando Tena is besides blessed to adhd U.S.-based players to his squad, galore of whom were calved extracurricular Central America.

The latest is Damian Rivera, a Rhode Island-born attacker who moved to Phoenix Rising of the USL Championship this play aft coming up successful the New England Revolution system. Rivera played for the U.S. and Costa Rica astatine the younker level, but YouTuber-slash-scout Juan Rodas learned helium was eligible for Guatemala and added him to the database of players he's helped person to enactment connected the bluish and achromatic shirt.

Guadeloupe (FIFA ranking: N/A)

Not being a subordinate of FIFA, the Gold Cup is the apical contention to which Guadeloupe tin qualify, and Les Gwada Boys did truthful by winning some legs of their Gold Cup qualification bid with Nicaragua successful March, getting 1-0 victories successful each match. At property 39, defender Méddy Lina is the oldest tract subordinate connected a Gold Cup roster.

Group D

United States (FIFA ranking: 16)

At immoderate point, the analysts looking astatine the USMNT's Gold Cup chances volition request to look astatine the players who are going to contention the tourney alternatively than those who aren't. Already, determination were worries astir a summertime without Club World Cup participants Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna. Then, Christian Pulisic opted out, portion Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson besides had to bow retired due to the fact that of injury. So excessively did guardant Folarin Balogun and goalkeeper Zack Steffen, among others.

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It each means tons of opportunities for players to stump for inclusion successful the 2026 World Cup roster, whether it beryllium a breakout from Paxten Aaronson, continued bully play from Vancouver Whitecaps standouts Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White, oregon large halfway backmost play from regulars Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie. Manager Mauricio Pochettino seems flustered that he's spending this overmuch clip speaking astir getting a effect from his squad and encouraging players to travel in. Winning the Gold Cup with this radical wouldn't cure the carnal ailments, but it would person the U.S. feeling a batch amended astir adjacent summer.

Haiti (FIFA ranking: 83)

Haiti's last Gold Cup roster boasts players who play their nine shot successful 15 antithetic nations, successful locations arsenic divers arsenic Ecuador, wherever halfway backmost Ricardo Adé has go a fixture for LDU Quito, to Lithuania, wherever PSG academy merchandise Garissone Innocent played goalkeeper for Riteriai this past season. It fits that manager Sebastien Migne is well-traveled, having worked successful the Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Cameroon, crossing paths successful Africa with chap Frenchman and radical rival Hervé Renard.

Trinidad and Tobago (FIFA ranking: 100)

New manager Dwight Yorke was successful the Trinidad and Tobago squad for its best-ever decorativeness astatine the Gold Cup successful 2000. Yorke scored erstwhile connected the mode to the semifinals, wherever the Caribbean squad fell to eventual champion Canada. While they've doubly made the quarterfinals since, the past clip retired of the radical was backmost successful 2015, 10 years and 4 afloat editions ago.

Saudi Arabia (FIFA ranking: 58)

After impermanent appearances from Qatar earlier and aft the 2022 World Cup, Concacaf is getting up connected the 2034 World Cup by inviting Saudi Arabia arsenic the impermanent team. While confederation officials accidental they invited French manager Renard's squad successful portion due to the fact that of Concacaf's Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian Football Confederation, its concern with the nation's sovereign wealthiness money besides has to person been a beardown motivator.