Miami (AFP) - Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium will host the final of next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, the regional football body said on Thursday.

The 70,000 stadium, which is home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams and opened in 2020, will host the deciding game of the 16-nation competition on July 16.

The Gold Cup brings together national teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean and has traditionally been dominated by the United States and Mexico.

The Los Angeles venue is among the favourites to host the final of the 2026 World Cup which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. New York’s MetLife Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium are also reported to be contenders.

“SoFi Stadium is a world-class venue and Los Angeles has hosted so many iconic Gold Cup moments, making this stadium a fantastic choice to stage our 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Final,” said CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani.

CONCACAF also confirmed that next year’s tournament will be preceded by a knockout preliminary competition with 12 teams competing for three spots in the tournament itself.

“This provides more access to top level competition for our members and is very much in keeping with our football first philosophy,” said Montagliani.

Twelve slots in the competition are earned through CONCACAF’s Nations League competition. Qatar will also feature in the tournament as a guest side.

The Gold Cup draw, which will determine the Prelims Round One and Round Two pairings and the Group Stage groups will take place on April 14th, once all the participating nations have been confirmed.