MEXICO CITY– Concacaf presented for the first time on Tuesday the new Concacaf Gold Cup trophy at a press conference in Mexico City organised by Banco Santander, official sponsor of the event.
This new Gold Cup will be awarded to the winner of the tournament at the Championship game on July 28 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The 12-team tournament, which runs from July 7 to 28, will feature title-holders Mexico, Canada, Martinique and Panama in Group A; El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and T&T in Group B, and host USA, Belize, Costa Rica and Cuba in Pool C.
The new Gold Cup uses the original design of the trophy, which debuted in 1991, transforming its basic elements to lend a rejuvenated, modern imagery through a more brilliant finish that evokes the values of transparency and renewal of the new Concacaf.
The new Gold Cup has been sculpted in metal with golden plating, and features larger handles than the previous version, formed at a more extreme angle to represent the accelerated growth and dynamism of competition which today characterises football in Concacaf.
The new trophy continues the process of positioning the Gold Cup on the spectrum of international football, where it is becoming one of the more recognisable icons of the sport. As Gold Cup continues to prosper and increase in popularity, the trophy will continue to exemplify the excellence, history and future of the Confederation.
The new Gold Cup is 26-inches high and weighs 20 pounds. The name of the tournament is written in English and Spanish on the upper rim, and repeated all the way around the circumference.
Inscribed in the interior of the trophy is the phrase "Forty Countries. One Confederation. One Goal." This mantra represents the unity among member associations of the Confederation, and serves as a formal greeting to each country within the borders of Concacaf, united by the same values, goals and passion for the game.
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