Everything is ready for the Gold Cup 2021, which starts this July 10 with the group stage. The international competition, organized by Concacaf, is considered the main tournament of the region. Last edition, played in 2019, didn’t have VAR, so many people wonder if it will be used this time.
This will be the 16th edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup and, as other international competitions, the tournament has faced some changes such as event format and participants. For example, this also will be the second year with 16 participants.
Of course, technology has always been an important part of soccer, and sports in general. The search for a tool that helps referees make fairer decisions has been long and, for now, the adoption of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has been the one approved by FIFA.
Will the Gold Cup 2021 have VAR?
Concacaf, the government body of North American, Central American and the Caribbean, announced in April that three competitions will have VAR this year: the Concacaf Champions League, the Concacaf Nations Leagueand the Gold Cup 2021. So, yes, the Gold Cup 2021 will have VAR.
This will be the first time that the tool will be used in this competition. For the last edition, Concacaf considered having VAR but at the end decided not to implement it because the referees didn’t have time to make a training to use VAR the right way.
The VAR will be used as early as the preliminary stage, which will take place from July 2 to July 6. From this stage will come the last three teams qualified to the Group Stage, which starts on July 10th. However, we already know that the opening game will be between El Salvador and Curaçao.