The CONCACAF Gold Cup is North America's major tournament in senior men's football and determines the continental champion. Until 1989, the tournament was known as CONCACAF Championship. It is currently held every two years. From 1996 to 2005, nations from other confederations have regularly joined the tournament as invitees. In earlier editions, the continental championship was held in different countries, but since the inception of the Gold Cup in 1991, the United States are constant hosts or co-hosts.

From 1973 to 1989, the tournament doubled as the confederation's World Cup qualification. CONCACAF's representative team at the FIFA Confederations Cup was decided by a play-off between the winners of the last two tournament editions in 2015 via the CONCACAF Cup, but was then discontinued along with the Confederations Cup.

Since the inaugural tournament in 1963, the Gold Cup was held 28 times and has been won by seven different nations, most often by Mexico (13 titles).

Cuba have participated in the continental championship twelve times, but only won five out of their 40 matches, never more than one at a single tournament. Their best position was a fourth place in 1971. They rank 14th in the tournament's all-time table, but have the worst goal difference out of all 31 teams (−91).

Record at the CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup

CONCACAF ChampionshipYearResultPosition 1963Did not enter 1965Withdrew 1967Did not qualify 1969Did not enter 1971Fourth place4th512257 1973Did not enter 1977Did not qualify 1981Final Round5th5122481985Did not enter1989Did not qualifyCONCACAF Gold Cup 1991Withdrew 1993Did not enter 1996Did not qualify 1998Group stage10th2002210 2000Did not qualify 2002Group stage11th201101 2003Quarter-finals8th310228 2005Group stage12th300339 2007Group stage12th301239 2009Withdrew 2011Group stage12th3003116 2013Quarter-finals8th4103613 2015Quarter-finals8th4103114 2017Did not qualify 2019Group stage16th3003017 2021Withdrew 2023Group stage15th300339 2025Did not qualifyTotal12/2814/3340562930121

Match overview TournamentRoundOpponentScoreVenue 1971Final round0–3Port of Spain3–10–12–20–0 1981Final round0–4Tegucigalpa0–20–02–02–2 1998Group stage0–3Oakland2–7 2002Group stage0–1Pasadena0–0 2003Group stage2–0Foxboro0–3Quarter-finals0–5 2005Group stage1–4Seattle1–31–2Foxboro 2007Group stage1–2East Rutherford2–20–5Houston 2011Group stage0–5Arlington0–5Charlotte1–6Chicago 2013Group stage0–3Portland1–4Sandy4–0East HartfordQuarter-finals1–6Atlanta 2015Group stage0–6Chicago0–2Glendale1–0CharlotteQuarter-finals0–6Baltimore 2019Group stage0–7Pasadena0–3Denver0–7Charlotte 2023Group stage0–1Fort Lauderdale1–4Houston2–4

Record by opponent CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup matches (by team)Opponent1001401135715006632401121600111410121111022010233800110300661250112380101000112240066223

Defections to the United States

The Gold Cups on US-American soil allowed the Cuban players to get visas for the duration of the tournament. The wet feet, dry feet policy established in 1995 essentially allowed Cuban refugees in the United States to qualify for permanent resident status. The policy and the dream of making a career as a professional footballer, at a much higher level than the Cuban top division made a defection to the United States an attractive option, which some of them took. Until the policy's cessation in 2017, the following Cuban internationals defected during the tournament:

Rey Ángel Martínez and Alberto Delgado in 2002. Maykel Galindo in 2005. Osvaldo Alonso and Lester Moré in 2007. Yosniel Mesa in 2011. Keyler García, Arael Argüellez, Darío Suárez and Ariel Martínez in 2015.

See also Cuba at the FIFA World Cup

References