Mexico vs. Dominican Republic Gold Cup, where to watch, live stream: match prediction, odds, lineups

The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup has finally arrived as Mexico and the Dominican Republic ring in the group stage. The two nations will face off on Friday at SoFi Stadium in California. The build-up to the tournament has already provided plenty of tension across participating national teams ahead of play and heightened safety concerns.

For Mexico, they begin the competition as group favorites and reigning title holders. Their odds have now skyrocketed as tournament favorites after United States men's national team forward Christian Pulisic removed himself from selection, citing rest and recovery. El Tri are no strangers to Gold Cup glory in general, but will have a chance to make a statement during their opening group match after three wins in their last four games.

Dominican Republic is considered an underdog in group A, alongside Suriname, with Costa Rica as rivals for second place in the opening round. Los Quisqueyanos could be a sleeping giant in the group as they step into the Gold Cup in strong form, with just one loss in their previous five matches.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

• Date: Saturday, June 14 | Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
• Location: SoFi Stadium -- Los Angeles, Calif.
• TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo
• Odds: Mexico - 900; Draw +700; Dominican Republic +2100

How they got here

Mexico: El Tri celebrate their 18th appearance in the Gold Cup and punched their ticket to the competition as quarterfinal winners during the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League. They met Honduras during the two-leg Nations League quarterfinal and advanced 4-2 on aggregate. Henry Martín, Raúl Jiménez, and Jorge Sánchez scored throughout the two-match set. Mexico went on to win the Nations League final, 2-1 against Panama.

Dominican Republic: This is their first-ever appearance in the Gold Cup. The squad had a longer road to the tournament through the Nations League qualifying process. The Caribbean side dominated 2024-25 League B Nations League group play with six wins over Group D rivals Bermuda, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda. As the first-place winners of Group D, they secured a place in League A and direct qualification for the 2025 Gold Cup.

Predicted lineups

Mexico: Angel Malagon; Jorge Sanchez, Israel Reyes, Cesae Montes, Jesus Gallardo; Oberlin Pineda, Edson Alvarez, Marcel Ruiz, Alexis Vega; Raul Jimenez, Santiago Gimenez

Dominican Republic: Xavier Valdez; Joao Urbaez, Luiyi De Lucas, Edgar Pujol, Noah Dollenmayer, Junior Firpo; Peter Gonzalez, Jimmy Kaparos, Heinz Morschel, Edarlyn Reyes; Dorny Romero

Players to watch

Edson Alvarez, Mexico: A savvy veteran and two-time Gold Cup winner, Alvarez has been a staple for El Tri in high stakes tournaments for years. The West Ham midfielder will be responsible for shielding the defense and helping in buildup play, and aiding Mexico in shutting down any quick transitions by the Dominican Republic.

Raul Jimenez, Mexico: Another experienced player for Mexico and the 2024-25 Nations League Best Player winner, Jimenez will be a key target in El Tri's offense. Jiménez has 40 international goals, six behind Jared Borgetti for the third-most in team history, and can stretch the attack if needed with his hold-up play and aerial ability.

Dorny Romero, Dominican Republic: With 14 goals in his last 10 international games, Romero is the undisputed face of the rising Dominican Republic program. He has surpassed Jonathan Faña to become the Dominican national team's all-time leading goalscorer with 25 goals in just 36 appearances. He scored in all six Nations League group games and was the tournament Golden Boot winner with 10 goals.

Junior Firpo, Dominican Republic: The defender played a key role higher up the pitch during Nations League matches. He delivered three assists and earned top assists honors for the tournament. The Leeds United player can cover plenty of ground marking opposition, or fly up the flank to support counterattacks.

Storylines to watch

Mexico: El Tri head coach Javier Aguirre is back on the sidelines for a third time with the squad. His time in the Gold Cup has been a bag of mixed results. He had a dominant 5-0 win against USMNT in 2009, and a quarterfinals exit against South Korea in 2002. He and the squad are considered favorites to win the 2025 Gold Cup, as reigning title holders from the 2023 edition and recent Nations League champions.

Dominican Republic: Argentinian manager Marcelo Neveleff named a 26-player roster to compete in the nation's first Gold Cup appearance. They are the only Concacaf debutant at this Gold Cup, with tournament guests Saudi Arabia also making their debut. The honor for Los Quisqueyanos comes after 14 unsuccessful Gold Cup qualifying attempts, but the special group claimed their spot with authority, outscoring Nations League opponents 27-4 and winning all six of their matches.

Prediction

First games of tournaments are always the most difficult, and while that could be a silver lining opportunity for the Dominican Republic, it's their first game in their Gold Cup debut. Mexico's Gold Cup tune-ups against Switzerland and Turkiye will be helpful kickstarters, but perhaps a foreshadowing that the opening group game won't be quite a blowout as some may assume. Pick: Mexico 2, Dominican Republic 0

Latest news

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- Catch up: USMNT loses against Switzerland, the third straight concession in Gold Cup tune-up

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