OREANDA-NEWS. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and its commercial partnership agency, Traffic Sports, announced today that Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will sponsor this year's edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The agreement designates Delta as the Official Airline of the 2015 Gold Cup, throughout CONCACAF territory including the United States and Canada, as well as Mexico, Central America and the rest of Latin America.

"We are pleased to welcome Delta as the official airline partner of this year's Gold Cup," said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. "Delta's vast presence throughout the CONCACAF region makes this a natural alliance between both institutions. At CONCACAF, we look forward to ensuring a long-term partnership of collaboration."

Delta joins CONCACAF as first-time sponsor of the Gold Cup – the preeminent national team tournament of the North, Central America and Caribbean region.

"We're delighted to sponsor the CONCACAF Gold Cup because it reaches an audience of millions throughout Delta's network in Latin America and the Caribbean," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's Vice President – Latin America and the Caribbean. "Delta wants to be the best U.S. airline in the region, and partnering with CONCACAF allows us to play an even bigger part in the countries we serve by supporting one of their citizens' greatest passions."

Delta has a well-established history of supporting soccer events in North America, including current backing for Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders, as well as support for England Premier League club Chelsea. The sponsorship of this year's Gold Cup was negotiated by CONCACAF commercial partnership agency Traffic Sports.

"Delta's tagline, 'Keep Climbing' is truly representative of where Delta and CONCACAF are headed," said Aaron Davidson, President of Traffic Sports. "And together we will climb faster than ever before."

The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played from July 7-26, involving 12 teams from the region. The 12 national teams that have qualified for this year's tournament are -- in alphabetical order: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States.

The Gold Cup will take place in 13 cities across the United States and Canada. Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Toronto will all host group stage double-headers. Baltimore and New York/New Jersey will host the quarterfinals, while Atlanta will play host to the semifinals on July 22. Philadelphia will be the site of the third-place match on July 25, as well as the Final on Sunday, July 26.

Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region's most popular national team tournament, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the region. The Gold Cup has been played 12 times since the inaugural edition in 1991.