Monserrat is currently sitting at the bottom of its League B group with two rounds to go in this season’s Nations League Tournament. It looked like it needed to pick up points in difficult fixtures against Haiti and Guyana to avoid relegation to League C, but instead, and to facilitate a revamp of the tournament, CONCACAF has suspended all relegation at the end of this season. The plan is to increase League A in size by four teams by not relegating anyone. The teams promoted from League B will be replaced with teams promoted from League C. No one will go down. It’s a bit of a reprieve for the Emerald Boys, who had to forfeit one of their previous group games and found themselves in a relegation struggle in a tough group. Only 9 teams will play in League C in the future, and 6 teams from League A will now qualify for South America’s Copa America. Lionel Messi awaits.
The CONCACAF statement reads:
| Regarding this important announcement, Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said: “These revamped formats and competitions will provide a tremendous platform for our men’s national teams as they prepare to compete on the regional and global stage. With multiple editions of the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup on the horizon, as well as an exciting opportunity to compete with South American teams in an official competition, Concacaf Member Associations have a fantastic opportunity to prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which takes place in our region and will be the biggest World Cup in history. Alongside the significant enhancements we have made to our club, women’s national team, and youth competitions, this is truly football first and I want to thank and congratulate our 41 Member Associations for their support as we continue to transform the game in Concacaf.” |
| CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE The Concacaf Nations League (CNL) was introduced by the Confederation in 2018 and provides all member associations with the opportunity to compete consistently in a regular schedule of official matches during the four-year cycle between FIFA World Cups. It drives development and delivers a compelling tournament for fans across the entire region. The first edition of the CNL was won by the United States after a fantastic Final against Mexico, which was played in Denver, Colorado in June 2021. The second edition of CNL is currently in progress, with the last Group Stage matches taking place in the upcoming March 2023 FIFA window. These matches will determine the four League A winners that will advance to the 2022/23 CNL Finals (to be played in June 2023) and the 24 teams that will qualify for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims and Group Stage (to be played between June 16 – July 16, 2023). Beginning with the 2023/24 edition, which commences in September 2023, the competition’s format has been revamped to include more direct elimination matches that will qualify teams to continental summer competitions. The 2023/24 edition will provide the qualification route for Concacaf’s six competing teams in the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America. The 2024/25 CNL will qualify teams to the 2025 Gold Cup. The format for the next two editions of CNL will be as follows: The competition will continue to be played in a three-League format (A, B, and C). The region’s 41 men’s senior national teams will be distributed into the Leagues according to the results of the preceding CNL edition. |
| CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE The Concacaf Nations League (CNL) was introduced by the Confederation in 2018 and provides all member associations with the opportunity to compete consistently in a regular schedule of official matches during the four-year cycle between FIFA World Cups. It drives development and delivers a compelling tournament for fans across the entire region. The first edition of the CNL was won by the United States after a fantastic Final against Mexico, which was played in Denver, Colorado in June 2021. The second edition of CNL is currently in progress, with the last Group Stage matches taking place in the upcoming March 2023 FIFA window. These matches will determine the four League A winners that will advance to the 2022/23 CNL Finals (to be played in June 2023) and the 24 teams that will qualify for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims and Group Stage (to be played between June 16 – July 16, 2023). Beginning with the 2023/24 edition, which commences in September 2023, the competition’s format has been revamped to include more direct elimination matches that will qualify teams to continental summer competitions. The 2023/24 edition will provide the qualification route for Concacaf’s six competing teams in the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America. The 2024/25 CNL will qualify teams to the 2025 Gold Cup. The format for the next two editions of CNL will be as follows: The competition will continue to be played in a three-League format (A, B, and C). The region’s 41 men’s senior national teams will be distributed into the Leagues according to the results of the preceding CNL edition. League A: 16 national teams (Group Stage and Quarterfinals) League A has been expanded to include 16 teams (up from 12), and a new quarterfinal round has been created. For Group Stage play, the 12 lowest ranked League A national teams (based on the Concacaf Rankings as of March 2023) will be split into two groups of six teams each and will play in a “Swiss style” league system, with each team playing a total of four games (two at home and two away). After Group Stage play, each group’s first and second-place finishers (four teams in total) will advance to the CNL quarterfinals, where they will join the four top-ranked League A national teams (based on the Concacaf Rankings as of March 2023). League A’s new Quarterfinal round will be played in a home-and-away format, with the aggregate score winners in each Quarterfinal matchup advancing to the CNL Finals. Specifically for the 2023/24 CNL, the Quarterfinal winners will qualify for the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America. Further details are available below. League B: 16 national teams (Group Stage) The League B format remains unchanged and will continue to feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four teams. Each team will play every other team in their group, home-and-away, for a total of six matches per team (three at home and three away). League C: 9 national teams (Group Stage) League C will include nine teams divided into three groups of three teams. Each team will play every team in their group, home-and-away, for a total of four matches per team (two at home and two away). Promotion and relegation between Leagues Due to the expansion of League A, heading into the 2023/24 edition, there will be promotion between leagues, but no relegation. As such, for the current 2022/23 CNL edition (which conludes with Group Stage games in March 2023 and a CNLF in June 2023), the League B group winners will be promoted to League A for the 2023/2024 edition. Similarly, the League C group winners will be promoted to League B. Promotion and relegation between CNL Leagues will fully resume at the conclusion of the third edition, as follows:League A: Fifth and sixth-place finishers (four teams) will be relegated to League B.League B: Group winners (four teams) will be promoted to League A, and fourth-place finishers will be relegated to League C.League C: Group winners (three teams) and the best second-place finisher will be promoted to League B.2023/24 and 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Schedules The 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Group Stage will be played during the official FIFA Match Windows in September, October, and November 2023, followed by the CNL Finals in March 2024 to determine the winner for the third edition of CNL. For League A, the new CNL Quarterfinals will be played in November 2023. The official draw for the competition’s third edition is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The 2024/25 edition will be played during the official FIFA match windows in September, October, and November 2024, followed by the CNL Finals in March 2025. |
| 2024 CONMEBOL COPA AMERICA QUALIFICATION In January 2023, CONMEBOL and Concacaf announced the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement to strengthen and develop football in both regions. This includes co-organizing the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America in the United States and the participation of six Concacaf teams, as guests. The six Concacaf national teams that will participate in this important competition will be determined through the 2023/24 CNL, as follows:Four League A Quarterfinal winners: These home-and-away matchups will be played in November 2023 between the four top-ranked League A teams (based on Concacaf Rankings) and group winners and runners-up (four teams total) in the new, expanded League A Groups.Two winners of a Concacaf Copa America Play-In: These single elimination matches will be played in March 2024, in a centralized venue, between the four League A losing Quarterfinalists. |
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