MIAMI, Florida – Concacaf announced on Monday a format change for League “B” and League “C” matches in the 2024-25 Nations League tournament, starting later this year.
Concacaf, the confederation for North, Central American and Caribbean football, released the dates and full details of the tournament after the official draw for the group stage of the tournament took place on Monday in the American city of Miami.
Unlike previous tournaments, matches in League “B” and League “C” that feature several Caribbean Football Union (CFU) teams will not be played on a home-and-away basis.
“Matches in each group will be played at a centralised venue,” Concacaf indicated in a news release. “This format change will alleviate some of the travel challenges that member associations face due to our region’s unique geography and allow them to focus on delivering the best possible football.”
In League “B”, the third-ranked teams in each group will host the matches to be played in September, the second-ranked teams will host the matches in October, and the top-ranked teams will host the decisive matches in November.
Similarly in League “C”, the second-ranked teams in each group will host the matches to be played in September, and the highest-ranked teams will host the matches to be played in October.
“If a team is unable to host matches, Concacaf will reserve the right to select a venue,” the news release added.
This will be fourth edition of the tournament, which will feature the confederation’s 41 senior men’s national teams and will be played during the international match windows of September, October, and November this year, and the final four being played next March.
League “B” will feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four, and each team will play every other team in their group twice for a total of six matches a team.
Group “A” features El Salvador, Montserrat, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Bonaire, while CFU No. 3 Curacao heads Group “B” that also comprises St Lucia, Grenada, and St Martin.
CFU No. 2 Haiti headlines Group “C” that also contains Puerto Rico, Aruba, and St Maarten, and the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, CFU No. 5 Antigua & Barbuda, and Dominica form Group “D”.
League “C” will feature nine teams divided into three groups of three, and each team will play every other team in their group twice for a total of four matches a team.
Group “A” features Barbados, The Bahamas, and United States Virgin Islands; while Group “B” comprises Belize, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Anguilla; and Group “C” contains St Kitts & Nevis, Cayman Islands, and British Virgin Islands.
The Concacaf news release also outlined the promotion and relegation format between the three leagues that will take place at the end of the tournament.
The four League “B” group winners will be promoted to League “A” to replace the relegated last two from each group in League “A”; in addition, the fourth-place finishers in League “B” will be relegated to League “C”.
The three League “C” group winners and the best second-place finisher will be promoted to League “B” to replace the relegated last team from each group in League “B”.
Concacaf previously announced the 2024-25 tournament will be the qualifier for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, but full details of how the teams will qualify will be released later.
