2025 Concacaf Gold Cup: Winners and Losers of the Group Stage | OneFootball

The Concacaf Gold Cup is heating up with the knockout rounds set to begin on June 28. The tournament has already delivered plenty of surprises, breakout performances, and major disappointments. We break it all down.

The 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup is in full swing. Despite missing many of the top stars from the United States men’s national team and taking place during the FIFA Club World Cup, the Gold Cup is still set to crown the best national team in the region. And for the first time in a long time, there are genuine threats to the traditional powerhouses of the United States and Mexico.

Here’s our take on the winners and losers of the group stage so far.

Winners

Panama

Panama breezed through the group stage with three straight wins, delivering commanding performances against Jamaica and Guadeloupe, and grinding out a tough victory over Guatemala. Thomas Christiansen’s side has been arguably the most entertaining team in the tournament, leading in goals scored but also vulnerable at the back.

Ismael Díaz is the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, and Panama’s core players continue to shine. With a quarterfinal matchup against Honduras, Panama is emerging as a true dark horse contender.

Malik Tillman

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The PSV midfielder, a clear favorite of Mauricio Pochettino, is finally showing flashes of brilliance after a long run of inconsistency on the national team. On a U.S. team lacking flair and creativity, Malik Tillman has injected some much-needed spark.

With a rumored return to the Bundesliga on the horizon, Tillman’s stock is rising, even if his performances have often been uneven. Should we be excited yet? Maybe not completely, but it’s long overdue that his club form starts translating to the national team.

Jesse Marsch

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Time and hard work can heal all wounds. After a disastrous Premier League stint with Leeds, Jesse Marsch took over Canada and has led the nation to a fourth-place Copa América finish in 2024, third place at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, and a nearly perfect Gold Cup group stage.

Canada has scored nine and conceded just one at the Gold Cup, showing newfound defensive solidity. With a mix of players hitting their prime and experienced veterans, Canada looks like a real threat heading into the knockout rounds.

Guatemala

Guatemala is back in the spotlight after a solid group stage finish (2-0-1) that included wins over Jamaica and Guadeloupe. With veteran Mexican coach Luis Fernando Tena at the helm, this campaign can already be considered a success.

They face a tough quarterfinal clash with Canada, but even a competitive loss would inject momentum into their World Cup qualifying campaign. A run to the 2026 tournament isn’t entirely out of the question.

César Montes

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In an otherwise underwhelming group stage for Mexico, César Montes has been a rare bright spot. The center back scored three of El Tri’s five goals, rescuing a team lacking in creativity and attacking output. With Mexico struggling to find rhythm, Montes has stepped up when it mattered most.

Losers

Mexico

The Vasco Aguirre era continues to reaffirm what many fans already know: Mexico lacks fluidity, struggles outside the region, and hasn’t evolved. They remain a CONCACAF bully, but beyond that, there’s not much to praise.

Yes, there’s some grit in the team, but offensively, they’re still searching for a true leader and game-changer. Their quarterfinal clash with Saudi Arabia could be a wake-up call if things go wrong.

United States

Flat. Uninspired. Going through the motions. That’s been the general feeling from the U.S. in the group stage. While they won all three matches, the opposition — Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Saudi Arabia — was hardly impressive.

There were flashes from Diego Luna, Luca De La Torre, Chris Richards, and Tillman, but Pochettino once again struggled to extract quality from his squad. With many of these players unlikely to be part of the 2026 World Cup roster, the value of this campaign feels minimal.

Mauricio Pochettino

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Pochettino was brought in to coach the best the U.S. has to offer. Instead, he’s mostly worked with MLS and fringe national team players. In reality, U.S. Soccer is paying him $6 million a year to manage what is effectively a second-string squad. Worse yet, the quality of play hasn’t justified the investment.

The Pochettino era in charge of the USMNT feels completely flat and a waste of everyone’s time, right now.

Jamaica

Once again, Jamaica is the region’s biggest disappointment. With a roster full of players from English clubs, many of whom should be top-tier talents in CONCACAF, the Reggae Boyz stumbled to two losses and a lone win over Guadeloupe.

They were thoroughly outplayed by Panama, a performance that left a bitter taste and raised more questions than answers.

CONCACAF

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Holding your marquee tournament in the middle of the FIFA Club World Cup says everything about CONCACAF’s decision-making. With top U.S. players withdrawing for various reasons, the Gold Cup has once again been diminished in stature.

The timing and planning reflect poorly on a competition that already struggles for relevance among global audiences.