Denver a “front-runner” to host Concacaf Nations League finals in June
Mar 3, 2021, 6:05 PM
Empower Field at Mile High is the latest front-runner to host the rescheduled Concacaf Nations League finals in June, according to a report from Washington Post soccer reporter Steven Goff.
In a tweet earlier this week, Goff reported the home of the Denver Broncos could play host to the final rounds of the international soccer competition, though Austin and Chicago could also be in play.
Concacaf announced in September the CNL finals, originally rescheduled for March of this year, will take place in June at a “centralized location in the United States.”
“Playing this competition in June 2021 will enable the First Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, which involve 30 Concacaf Member Associations, to take center stage in March 2021,” the confederation said in a release.
The four winners of the CNL group stage — the men’s national teams from the United States, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico — were originally set to face off in June 2020, though the games were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The semifinals — determined by 102 official matches among 41 Concacaf member associations in the fall of 2019 — will feature the USMNT vs. Honduras and Mexico vs. Costa Rica and will be followed by a third-place game and a final to crown the first ever CNL champion.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, the final rounds of the CNL tournament were set to take place in Houston and Dallas.