East Hartford’s Rentschler Field — home to UConn football — will yield its turf in July to some of the dozen futbol teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean that will vie in the qualifying tourney for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, authorities say.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) announced Wednesday that “The Rent” is among 13 venues and host cities chosen for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup games from July 7-28.
To date, 11 of the 12 participating national teams have qualified for this year’s tournament. In alphabetical order: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States.
The final spot will be decided on Friday in the fifth-place match of the 2013 UNCAF Copa Centroamericana between Guatemala and Panama, which is being held in Costa Rica.
East Hartford/Hartford is among eight new venues added to this year’s tourney: Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Miami in Portland, Ore., and Salt Lake City.
Five others are repeat venues: Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas; Soldier Field in Chicago; Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.; Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.; and CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
In 2011, the tournament drew more than 600,000 fans throughout 13 match-days, including nine sell-outs, CONCACAF said.
