JA Masters Events announces the international friendly between the national teams of Guatemala and El Salvador will be held Saturday, May 31, at 8 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
Tickets will go on sale at Ticketon.com and local establishments.
Guatemala kicked off the 2025 season with a 2-1 victory against Honduras in March. The team, led by Luis Fernando Tena, currently sits at 106th in the FIFA rankings.
Tena, 66, is a three-time Concacaf Champions' Cup champion at the club level and a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games with the Mexican national team.
El Salvador renewed its World Cup aspirations with the arrival of experienced coach Hernán Darío Gómez, who led the Panama national team to its first World Cup appearance in Russia 2018.
Gómez, 69, has extensive experience in Central American football, having coached Guatemala and Honduras, and is looking to cement his career by returning La Selecta to a World Cup for the first time since 1982.
The match is vitally important ahead of the restart of the second round of World Cup qualifying on FIFA's June date and the Concacaf Gold Cup, which will be played in the traditional format in the United States.
“Chattanooga is gaining international recognition as one of America’s great soccer cities, and this is another exciting chapter in that story,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “Hosting the Guatemalan and Salvadoran national teams gives us a special chance to bring our community together and enjoy time outdoors at Finley. As the 2026 World Cup approaches and we have the opportunity to host a National team, this game will show the world that we can handle major events.”
Mayor Kelly is a supporter and co-owner of Chattanooga’s own professional soccer team, Chattanooga FC. The team competes in the MLS NEXT Pro and has a history of community involvement, growing from an amateur team to a professional club with an equally strong fan base. Mayor Kelly noted the importance of the upcoming match.
Finley Stadium, opened in 1997, is the premier sports venue in Chattanooga with a capacity of 20,985 fans. This match adds to a long list of international competitions that have been supported by Chattanooga's soccer culture. Previous friendlies have featured Atlanta United FC, the US Men's and Women's national teams to capacity crowds, Club America, and CF Pachuca. Finley is the home field of the Chattanooga Football Club of MLS NextPro, a club in the third tier of American soccer.