The Rugby Weekend and Concacaf Gold Cup to be Held at Soldier Field

With its partners at Chicago Park District, Soldier Field (and management team SMG), USA Rugby and TLA Worldwide, Chicago Sports Commission announced the next edition of "The Rugby Weekend" will take place in Chicago on November 3, 2018, featuring a triple header line-up.

The Rugby Weekend 2018 Line-Up:

• Game 1 at 12:00PM: USA Rugby Women's Eagles vs. the New Zealand Black Ferns

• Game 2 at 3:00PM: Ireland vs. Italy

• Game 5 at 5:15PM: USA Rugby Men's Eagles vs. New Zealand Maori All Blacks

Padraig Power, Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Director of Commercial & Marketing,expressed IRFU’s excitement on the Irish returning to Soldier Field. “Irish Rugby is delighted to be returning to Chicago. In 2016 the Ireland team experienced tremendous support and made history in a week that also witnessed the Cubs celebrating their own piece of history on the streets of Chicago.  We are looking forward to an exciting match against Italy who are a well-coached and dangerous team.”

Chicago will welcome Ireland, USA Rugby, and the Maori All Blacks back to Chicago, and will host Italy and the New Zealand Black Ferns for the first time. Follow @TheRugbyWeekend for the latest news on the triple header. 

Soldier Field has been selected as a host venue for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup is the official national team championship of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, which crowns the best national team in the region and features some of the hemisphere’s best players. Chicago has previously hosted the Concacaf Gold Cup four times, including the 2007 and 2013 Finals, 2009 Semifinal and 2015 Group Play matches.

Drawing large crowds and millions of television viewers across the region, the Gold Cup is a celebration of soccer, sportsmanship, and culture. The 2019 Gold Cup will feature an expanded format of 16 national teams, with the 10 additional participating nations qualifying through Concacaf Nations League Qualifier competition, to be played in September, October, and November of 2018, and March of 2019. Groups and schedule, including dates and match schedule, will be announced in the next year.

“This is a market where city officials, stadium, local team and community come together to celebrate sports, and in particular global sports, such as soccer,” said Concacaf General Secretary, Philippe Moggio, at Soldier Field. “We are happy today to announce that Soldier Field and the City of Chicago will play host in 2019 to the Concacaf Gold Cup.”

Fans can now visit www.GoldCup.org to sign up for an exclusive pre-sale offering for Gold Cup in 2019, before seats go on sale to the general public. Tickets for the 2019 Gold Cup will go on sale at a later date – follow @goldcup for more news on the 2019 tournament.