Leeds United teammates become rivals in unlikely circumstances as tournament fixture revealed

Leeds United pair Junior Firpo and Joel Piroe could realistically face each other at this summer's Gold Cup tournament in the United States after the Dominican Republic and Suriname were drawn in the same group.

This summer represents the first major international tournament Dominican Republic have qualified for with Firpo expected to play a starring role for Los Quisqueyanos.

The Leeds full-back, who was born on the island but previously represented Spain's Under-21s, declared for the Caribbean nation last year and has since gone on to win 11 caps, scoring four and assisting four, including a Panenka-style penalty against Antigua and Barbuda.

Piroe, on the other hand, is uncapped at senior international level but the Dutch-born striker recently turned down a first senior call-up to the Surinamese national team, for whom he is eligible through his parentage, in order to prioritise securing promotion with Leeds.

“It is of course always an honour that they [Suriname] invited me, but I also told them that given the toughness of the competition at the moment, I want to take my rest during international periods," Piroe said in an interview during last month's international break.

"For now, it is difficult to travel all the way to Suriname and play my matches there. I want to focus fully on club football now. At the moment, I am only thinking about the title.”

The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup - North and Central America's equivalent to the European Championships - had its groups drawn on Thursday evening, pitting Suriname and the Dominican Republic against each other in Group A, alongside Mexico and Costa Rica.

When does the tournament begin?

Taking place between 14 June and 6 July, Firpo and Piroe could both make themselves available for the tournament following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season, which is scheduled to end on May 3, if Leeds secure automatic promotion.

Failure to go up automatically, however, would see Leeds' campaign finish potentially as late as May 24, leaving the players little time to rest and recuperate, before preparing for the Gold Cup, if they chose to accept call-ups.