The 2025 Gold Cup has been a great showcase of the parity that is now a part of Concacaf. The top four in the region, Mexico, USA, Canada, and Panama, are not the four nations that made it to the semifinals. Cinderella teams like Guatemala and Honduras have shown they can get results in a knockout-style tournament. The quarterfinals showed this. Three of the four games needed PKs to settle who made the semifinals. Let’s look back at the crazy quarterfinals at this Gold Cup.
Gold Cup 2025 Quarterfinals
Panama (4) 1 – 1 (5) Honduras
Panama is an emerging giant in the region; it took on a giant of the past, Honduras. Panama was undefeated coming into this match, and took on a Honduras side that was on a two-game winning streak after they got whooped in their first match against Canada. The two met in the quarterfinals and played a great game!
The two showed differing play styles. Panama looked to control the ball and the game, while Honduras sat in and looked for counterattacks. Both came to fruition in this one. Panama dominated the first half and scored their goal just before halftime. Honduras looked to hit Panama on the counter in the second half and took one of their few chances in the 82nd minute. The game needed to be decided on PKs.
In PKs, both nations converted their first two. Panama missed their third, giving the advantage to Honduras. On Honduras’s fifth kick that could’ve sent them to the semifinals, Anthony Lozano missed. That was followed by Panama missing their sudden-death kick, and Honduras converting. The PKs ended 5-4 in favor of Honduras, a big upset for the current state of Concacaf!
Mexico 2 – 0 Saudi Arabia
Mexico is the defending Gold Cup champions, and they breezed through the group stage while not looking all that good. They beat the Dominican Republic in a shocking 3-2 match, dominated Suriname 2-0, and then played Costa Rica to a 0-0 draw before the quarterfinals. Their opposition was just as uninspiring.
Saudi Arabia entered the Gold Cup as the lone guest nation and beat Haiti, a Concacaf nation on the rise, 1-0. They then lost by the same score to the USA in matchday two. They needed at least a point in the final game of the group stage and got a 1-1 tie against Trinidad & Tobago. They then got the pleasure of playing Mexico in the quarterfinals.
This match was all Mexico from the opening whistle. Mexico had 14 shots, five on target, and scored two goals. Saudi Arabia could create just one shot, which wasn’t on target. This saw El Tri get an easy win on the way to the semifinals, where they knew they’d face a surprising Honduras team.
Canada (5) 1 – 1 (6) Guatemala
Canada saw big wins and a draw in the group stage of the Gold Cup. They were considered favorites in this tournament and were matched up with Guatemala, hoping to keep a Cinderella run going. Guatemala’s two wins were enough to get them out of their group. Agaisnt Canada they did what most teams do against the Canucks, sit in and look to make the most of limmited chances.
The Canadians did come out swinging in this game, using their high pressing style to make Guatemala uncomfortable. This culminated in the 29th minute as Jonathan David slotted home a PK. It looked like Canada was in the driver’s seat until Jacob Shaffelburg got two yellow cards inside the last five minutes of the first half. Guatemala took the man advantage to score a goal in the 69th minute, forcing yet another PK shootout.
This PK shootout is for the ages. Both nations scored their first four shots, but Canada missed its fifth shot, leaving the door open for Guatemala to end its run at this tournament. Guatemala then missed, sending things to sudden death. Both teams converted shot six, but Canada’s seventh shot caromed off the crossbar. Guatemala would not let another chance go to waste, and José Morales scored to send Los Chapines to the semifinals of the Gold Cup for the first time. It’s a massive disappointment for Canada, but a considerable achievement for Guatemala!
USA (4) 2 – 2 (3) Costa Rica
The final match of the Gold Cup quarterfinal saw the USA, which was undefeated in the group stage, winning three of three games, taking on Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans’ 0-0 draw against Mexico was the reason they drew the USA in this game and not Saudi Arabia, a result that will likely haunt this side.
This match was a rollercoaster ride. There were three lead changes and two goals for each nation before a crazy PK shootout in which the USA defeated Costa Rica. For more on this match, check out our in-depth recap below:
The Semifinals are set!
The Semifinal matches will be played tonight, and we will know who will be playing for the Gold Cup trophy on Sunday night. It will be the Davids vs the Goliaths of Concacaf as Guatemala and Honduras look to take down the USMNT and Mexico. Could we see something other than a Mexico-USA final? Here’s when the matchups will be played.
- USA vs Guatemala | Wednesday, July 2nd | 7 pm EST
- Mexico vs Honduras | Wednesday, July 2nd | 10 pm EST
Can Guatemala or Honduras keep their shocking runs going? They make games difficult for their opposition, but the USA and Mexico have more talent and pedigree to make the tournament’s finals over time. The two giants of Concacaf have played each other seven times in the 17 Gold Cup finals, and the USA and Mexico have won 16 of the 17 tournaments. Let’s see if the 2025 iteration is like the ones of the past or if we get a different final and winner this time around!
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