CONCACAF announced on Thursday morning that Lincoln Financial Field will be the site of the 2015 Gold Cup final, which will take place Sunday, July 26, at 7:30 pm.
CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb described Philadelphia in a press release on the announcement as “a city with a special affinity for the world’s game,” adding, “We are anticipating an exceptional Gold Cup in 2015, with a grand finale weekend to be played right here in Philadelphia.”
Saying he was “thrilled” that Philadelphia would be “showcasing the world’s most popular sport,”Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter added, “Philadelphia is a great sports city. From our passionate fans to our tremendous venues, Philadelphia offers a unique and exciting sports experience. This environment, and our ability to host large-scale events well, will combine for a top tier grand finale Gold Cup event.”
The confederation also announced that PPL Park will host the third place match on Saturday, July 25. This is the first time the tournament has included a third place match since 2003.
“We’re extremely proud and honored to host the Third Place Match at PPL Park,” Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz said. “Hosting this game on Saturday and the final at Lincoln Financial Field the following day will be one of the biggest celebrations of our sport this region has seen since the All Star Game in 2012.”
Larry Needle, executive director of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, said “Events like these are about venues and partnerships. We’re incredibly lucky as a city to have world-class partners like the Eagles and Union and their superb venues – Lincoln Financial Field and PPL Park. We can’t wait to help in rolling out the red carpet for CONCACAF this summer.”
Tickets for the tournament go on sale on March 19. For a full tournament schedule, click here.
Philly.com’s Jonathan Tannenwald first reported in January that the Linc would host the July 26 final, with PPL Park the site of the third place game on July 25.
7:30 on a Sunday night seems like a bad time to have this game. Couldn’t of made it a afternoon game or a 4:00pm start? Think they’d get better attendance then
Maybe the Phillies have an afternoon home game that day too? I thought there was a rule that there had to be at least two hours in between games in South Philly to help with the traffic issues.
Maybe some consideration given to a cooler time of day? That would make too much sense, so it was probably TV driven.
Both make sense but the Phillies are on the road.
Would of been nice to have the 3rd place and finals combined as well so you’d be more likely to see a USMNT game