Mexico and the USA have their eyes on the semifinals this week as they embark on their 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout campaigns.
We’ve reached the last eight of the biennial competition, and the usual suspects are heading into the final phases, as nine-time winners Mexico and seven-time champions USA prepare for their quarterfinal matches against Saudi Arabia and the Costa Rica. The other two quarters will be contested between one-time champion Canada and the outsiders from Guatemala, while the final clash of the round sees Panama meet Honduras.
The pre-tournament CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 betting odds picked out El Tri and the Stars and Stripes as the joint favourites to win the competition. And while the USA have left some of their big names behind, we have seen little to change our minds over the group stages. So let’s take a closer look at those two quarterfinal clashes.
Mexico vs Saudi Arabia
Reigning champions Mexico will face Saudi Arabia at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale on June 28th with the winners meeting whichever nation emerges from Panama vs Honduras, at Santa Clara on July 2nd.
Mexico, managed by Javier Aguirre, topped Group A with seven points, drawing with Costa Rica before beating the Dominican Republic and Suriname. El Tri’s surprising top scorer is Lokomotiv Moscow defender Cesar Montes, who has three goals from the three group games, after netting just once in his previous 54 internationals. Meanwhile, Fulham striker Raul Jimenez and West Ham United’s midfield ace Edson Alvarez have a goal each.
Herve Renard’s Saudi Arabia squeezed through from Group D thanks to 1-1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago after they had lost 1-0 to USA, and they started with a 1-0 win over Haiti. This is an inexperienced squad with only four players earning over 20 caps. Strikers Saleh Al-Shehri from Al-Ittihad and Firas Al-Buraikan from Al-Ahli have a goal each. On the other hand Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid brings European experience and sits alongside Al-Ittihad’s Abdullah Al-Amri.
In the only previous meeting between these two nations, Mexico won 2-1 at the World Cup in 2022, though they narrowly failed to get out of group. And El Tri are red-hot favourites to come out on top this time around, at a SBOTOP price of 1.38 to win this clash, with the Saudis out at 6.37 and the draw is 3.74. It would be the biggest CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 news of the tournament so far should Saudi Arabia pull this off, but I just can’t see it against a Mexico side determined to retain its crown and make it ten Gold Cup wins this year.
A 1-0 Mexico win is the shortest price for a correct score line at 4.84, while 2-0 is priced at 5.41.
United States vs Costa Rica
Sitting 16th in the FIFA World Rankings, the Stars and Stripes are a single place ahead of Mexico. They play next at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on the 29th, and the winners of their quarterfinal match with Costa Rica will face the nation which emerges from Canada vs Guatemala, the semi-final to be played on July 2nd at St Louis.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has his eyes on the 2026 World Cup which will be held in North America in 12 months, but he has picked a young squad for this tournament, leaving out star players including Fulham wing-back Antonee Robinson, PSV Eindhoven defender Serginho Dest, Borussia Dortmund’s forward Gio Reyna, and AC Milan creative midfielder Christian Pulisic.
Nevertheless, the USA won Group D with maximum points, starting with a 5-0 trashing of Trinidad and Tobago before edging out Saudi Arabia and Haiti as young forwards Malik Tilman and Patrick Agyemang helped themselves to three goals each. Meanwhile, Miguel Herreira’s Costa Rica won two games and drew one in Group A to come second to Mexico on goal difference. Los Ticos beat Suriname 4-3 and Dominican Republic 2-1 before playing out a goalless draw with Mexico.
Costa Rica striking duo, Manfred Ugalde with three goals and Josimar Alcocer with two, are a real and present danger, and Los Ticos have had plenty of success in previous meetings with the Stars and Stripes, winning eight to USA’s 11, and they are also three-time winners of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
But Pochettino’s men are the clear favourites to win this clash at 1.50, while Costa Rica are available at 4.84 to win, and the draw is priced at 3.64. Both teams have been strong in attack but vulnerable at the back, and I should think an alternative bet of Over 2.50 , priced at 1.72, will be popular.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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