The CONCACAF Nations League (Spanish: Liga de Naciones CONCACAF, French: Ligue des Nations de la CONCACAF) is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America. It determines the continental champions of North America (Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean). The tournament takes place on dates allocated for international friendlies on the FIFA International Match Calendar. A one-time qualifying tournament took place from September 2018 to March 2019 and the inaugural tournament began in September 2019.[1][2]
History and format
The tournament was announced in November 2017.[3] It is divided into three tiered leagues, A, B, and C, of four groups each, with promotion and relegation between the leagues based on finishing position within groups. The group winners of League A enter a four-team knockout competition to be crowned champion, while the group winners of Leagues B and C are promoted to the next tier. In Leagues A and B, the four teams at the bottom of the groups are relegated to the next lower tier.[4] The tournament also determines which national teams qualify for the next edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.[3]
The format proposals were first formally investigated at the XXXII CONCACAF Ordinary Congress in Oranjestad, Aruba on 8 April 2017[5][6] and confirmed by CONCACAF on 16 November 2017.[3] CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani stated that the purpose of the competition is to have a regular schedule of international fixtures for CONCACAF's national teams, noting that some teams play fewer than 10 games in a four-year period and needed more competitive games to assist the sport's development in those nations.[7][8]
Adjustment from 2023–24
On 28 February 2023, CONCACAF announced a format change for the 2023–24 season of the CONCACAF Nations League. As a result, no teams were relegated from the 2022–23 season.[9]
The size of League A was increased from 12 to 16 teams and featured a quarter-final round. The 12 lowest-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings of March 2023 entered the group stage, which used a Swiss-system tournament format. The teams were divided into two groups of six, with each team playing four matches against group opponents (two at home and two away). The top four teams advanced to the quarter-finals and were joined by the four top-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings. The teams advancing from the group stage were drawn into ties against the top-ranked teams, which were played on a two-legged home-and-away basis.
League B remained unchanged, featuring sixteen teams divided into four groups of four. Each team played six matches in a double round-robin home-and-away format (three at home and three away). Following the format change, League C was reduced from 13 to 9 teams and from four to three groups. Teams were divided into three groups of three teams, with each team playing four matches in a double round-robin home-and-away format (two at home and two away).[9]
Promotion and relegation resumed for the 2023–24 season, with the fifth- and sixth-placed teams in League A and the fourth-placed teams in League B being relegated for the next season. The group winners of Leagues B and C were promoted, as was the best second-placed team of League C.[9]
Trophy
The CONCACAF Nations League trophy was unveiled eight days before the inaugural Nations League Finals. The trophy represents all 41 CONCACAF national associations and is made of silver-plated brass and stone. The trophy weighs 8 kg (18 lb) and is 52 cm (20 in) tall.[10]
Seasons
Each season of the CONCACAF Nations League is typically played from September to November (league phase), and March or June of the following year (Nations League Finals of League A). An exception was made in the 2022–23 season when the league phase was played from June 2022 to March 2023, due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup played in Qatar at the end of the year.
^ abcdNicaragua originally qualified for promotion to League A as winners of League B Group C, but were disqualified due to fielding an ineligible player. As a result, they were replaced on 12 June 2023, by Trinidad and Tobago. Nicaragua replaced Trinidad and Tobago in League B [11]
^ abc"CONCACAF League of Nations Confirmed". CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
^"Agenda – XXXII CONCACAF Ordinary Congress"(PDF). CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original(PDF) on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
^"CONCACAF Nations League Officially Launched". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
