Hard to believe, but next year at this same time, we will be witnessing the kickoff of the emphatic 2026 FIFA World Cup. 104 games featuring 48 teams are to be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico jointly across 16 cities. So with the tournament being such a big responsibility, it’s obvious for the host nations and participants to make it their utmost priority. With that spirit, the CONCACAF has stepped in to make things easier with their major announcement.

In a remarkable development, the North, Central America, and Caribbean-based confederation has decided that all the pending red card suspensions given to the host countries in the ongoing Gold Cup will not be served by players in the FIFA World Cup. Instead, they would be required to serve it in the next international window. The confirmation came through a statement released by the federation.

“Following extensive discussions with FIFA, Concacaf is now in a position to confirm that any 2025 Gold Cup pending suspension for Canada, Mexico, and the United States (co-hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026) must be served during their next international friendly match and not during the FIFA World Cup 2026,” the statement read.

This is somewhat a sensible decision by CONCACAF, even though only four red cards have been issued by referees in the Gold Cup, with Canada being the only team affected by an unserved suspension. It happened during their quarterfinal match against Guatemala, when midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg, already on a yellow card in the 40th minute, picked up another just five minutes later.

This forced the referee’s hand to show him a red card right before halftime. As if going down to 10 men wasn’t enough, Canucks’ day just went from bad to worse. After a 1-1 draw, the match went into penalties, where Jesse Marsch and Co. narrowly lost by 5-6 in a tense shootout, thus ending their CONCACAF Gold Cup journey.

Meanwhile, the rest of the red cards don’t concern either of the World Cup host teams, as Haiti, Dominican Republic, and El Salvador picked up a suspension each during the group stages, neither of the teams made it to the knockout stages. Regardless, it’s good news for at least Canada, which shall not invite Jacob Shaffelburg to their next international friendly.

But of course, this decision from CONCACAF also applies to the upcoming Gold Cup final, where — god forbid — either finalist might end up having a player sent off. Regardless, one can only hope for a clean, drama-free match, which brings us to the highly anticipated finale!

The stage is set for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup!

Earlier today, the semifinal clash between four teams also ended up deciding the final game of the tournament. Starting with the US Men’s National Team, who secured a remarkable 2-1 win over Guatemala at Energizer Park. A perfect brace from Diego Luna inside the opening 15 minutes was enough to seal the deal, as Guatemala’s hopes to come back with their late goal proved catastrophic.

Meanwhile, the other semifinal clash saw Mexico secure a narrow win over Honduras. After both sides remained separated for the first half, it was finally in the 50th minute that Raul Jimenez broke the deadlock. As Honduras couldn’t find an equaliser, let alone make a comeback, the final whistle saw Javier Aguirre and Co. secure a win at Levi’s Stadium.

Now, the final sees the USMNT’s 13th Concacaf Gold Cup Final appearance against Mexico on Sunday, July 6, at NRG Stadium in Houston at 7 p.m. ET. Let’s see who lifts the prestigious CONCACAF trophy.