Soca Warriors drawn with US, Haiti, Saudi Arabia for Gold Cup

TRINIDAD and Tobago have been drawn alongside seven-time champions USA, Haiti and guest team Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, which kicks off in the US and Canada, from June 14 to July 6.

At the tournament’s draw in Miami on April 10, the 16 national teams were placed into their respective groups, with TT in Group D.

TT begin their campaign in match two versus USA at PayPal Park in San Jose, California on June 15. They meet Haiti next at Shell Energy Stadium in Texas on June 19 and complete the group phase against Saudi Arabia at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on June 22.

Nine-time winners and defending champions Mexico lead Group A alongside Costa Rica, Suriname and Dominican Republic while Canada, Honduras, El Salvador and Curacao comprise Group B. Group C features 2023 runners-up Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala and Guadeloupe.

The tournament kicks off with group stage matches. After round-robin play, from June 14 to 24, the four group winners and four runners-up will advance to the quarter-finals, from June 28 to 29.

At the last Gold Cup in July 2023, TT were grouped with St Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and the US. TT defeated St Kitts and Nevis 3-0, but fell 4-1 to Jamaica and 6-0 to the Americans to crash out the tournament.

Four months later, TT faced USA in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals and lost the first leg 3-0, but bounced back at home to win the second leg 2-1. They lost 4-2 on aggregate.

And in December 2024, TT lost 3-1 to Saudi Arabia in an international friendly at Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This fixture was Yorke’s first international outing as head coach.

TT were one of seven nations who qualified via the Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims. The Soca Warriors confirmed their spot after defeating Cuba 2-0 (March 21) away in Santiago, followed by a 4-0 (March 25) thrashing at home on the return leg.

Before the Gold Cup gets under way, head coach Dwight Yorke leads his troops into battle against Caribbean rivals Jamaica and African giants Ghana and Nigeria, at the Unity Cup, in London, from May 27-31.

Additionally, TT resume the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against St Kitts and Nevis on June 6, then versus Costa Rica, on June 10.

Both tournaments should provide the national team with ample preparation ahead of the Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup takes place across 14 stadiums and 11 metropolitan areas in the US and Canada. The opening match kicks off at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles while the final will be held at NRG Stadium in Texas.

Saudi Arabia have been invited to compete as a guest team in the 2025 and 2027 Gold Cup tournaments by Concacaf. They are aiming to make history by becoming the first non-Concacaf team to win the tournament.

2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Groups:

Group A: Mexico, Costa Rica, Suriname, Dominican Republic

Group B: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, Curacao

Group C: Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala, Guadeloupe

Group D: United States, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia