Why is Qatar in the Gold Cup? Explaining Qatar's Invite

With the UEFA Euro Cup and the Copa America now behind us, the CONCACAF Gold Cup has begun.

CONCACAF stands for The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. That leaves some wondering why Qatar is participating in the 2021 Gold Cup.

Why is Qatar in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021?

Qatar is not a member of CONCACAF, but they have received a special invitation to participate in their first-ever Gold Cup in 2021. The CONCACAF and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are working together to grow soccer internationally.

Gold Cup Invite

Qatar is the second team from the Asian Football Confederation to participate in the Gold Cup. South Korea received a special invite in 2000 and 2002 before they hosted the World Cup as well.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.