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CONCACAF Nations League

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CONCACAF Nations League
Organising bodyCONCACAF
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
RegionNorth America
Number of teams41
Qualifier forGold Cup & Copa América
Related competitionsW Gold Cup
Current champions United States (3rd title)
Most successful team(s) United States (3 titles)
WebsiteNations League
2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Results

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Finals

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Ed. Season Host Final Third place play-off
Winners Score Runners-up Third place Score Fourth place
1 2019–20
Finals 		 United States
United States 		3–2 (a.e.t.)
Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Mexico
Honduras 		2–2 (5–4 p)
Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Costa Rica
2 2022–23
Finals
United States 		2–0
Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
Canada
Mexico 		1–0
Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
Panama
3 2023–24
Finals
United States 		2–0
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Mexico
Jamaica 		1–0
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Panama
4 2024–25
Finals 		TBD –
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California 		TBD TBD –
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California 		TBD
5 2026–27
Finals 		TBD –
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California 		TBD TBD –
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California 		TBD

Performances by team

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Team Winners Runners-up Third place Fourth place Total
 United States 3 (2021, 2023, 2024) 3
 Mexico 2 (2021, 2024) 1 (2023) 3
 Canada 1 (2023) 1
 Honduras 1 (2021) 1
 Jamaica 1 (2024) 1
 Panama 2 (2023, 2024) 2
 Costa Rica 1 (2021) 1
  • Italic: hosts

Team performances by season

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  •  1  – Champions
  •  2  – Runners-up
  •  3  – Third place
  •  4  – Fourth place
  •  5  – Quarter-finalists
  • Rise – Promoted
  • Same position – No movement
  • Fall – Relegated
  • Q – Qualified for upcoming CONCACAF Nations League Finals
  •    – Hosts of CONCACAF Nations League Finals
National Team Seasons in league Season
2019–20 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2026–27
A B C LG M LG M LG M LG M LG M
 Anguilla – – 5 C Same position C Same position C Same position C Same position C
 Antigua and Barbuda – 4 1 B Same position B Same position B Same position B Fall C
 Aruba – 2 3 B Fall C Same position C Rise B Fall C
 Bahamas – 2 3 C Rise B Same position B Fall C Same position C
 Barbados – 3 2 C Rise B Same position B Fall C Rise B
 Belize – 4 1 B Same position B Same position B Fall C Rise B
 Bermuda 1 4 – A Fall B Same position B Same position B Same position B
 Bonaire – 2 3 C Same position C Same position C Rise B Same position B
 British Virgin Islands – – 5 C Same position C Same position C Same position C Same position C
 Canada 5 – – A Same position A 2 A Same position A A
 Cayman Islands – 1 4 C Same position C Same position C Same position C Rise B
 Costa Rica 5 – – A 4 A Same position A Same position A Same position A
 Cuba 3 2 – A Fall B Rise A Same position A Fall B
 Curaçao 4 1 – A Same position A Same position A Fall B Rise A
 Dominica – 3 2 B Fall C Same position C Rise B Same position B
 Dominican Republic 1 4 – B Same position B Same position B Same position B Rise A
 El Salvador 3 2 – B Rise A Same position A Fall B Rise A
 French Guiana 1 4 – B Same position B Same position B Rise A Fall B
 Grenada 2 3 – B Rise A Same position A Fall B Same position B
 Guadeloupe 1 3 1 C Rise B Same position B Rise A Fall B
 Guatemala 3 1 1 C Rise B Rise A Same position A Same position A
 Guyana 1 4 – B Same position B Same position B Rise A Fall B
 Haiti 3 2 – A Fall B Rise A Fall B Rise A
 Honduras 5 – – A 3 A Same position A Same position A Same position A
 Jamaica 4 1 – B Rise A Same position A 3 A Same position A
 Martinique 5 – – A Same position A Same position A Same position A Same position A
 Mexico 5 – – A 2 A 3 A 2 A A
 Montserrat – 4 1 B Same position B Same position B Same position B Fall C
 Nicaragua 2 3 – B Same position B Same position[a] B[a] Rise A Same position A
 Panama 5 – – A Same position A 4 A 4 A A
 Puerto Rico – 3 2 C Same position C Rise B Same position B Same position B
 Saint Kitts and Nevis – 3 2 B Fall C Rise B Fall C Rise B
 Saint Lucia – 4 1 B Fall C Rise B Same position B Same position B
 Saint Martin – 1 4 C Same position C Same position C Rise B Fall C
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 5 – B Same position B Same position B Same position B Same position B
 Sint Maarten – 3 2 C Same position C Rise B Same position B Same position B
 Suriname 4 1 – B Rise A Same position A Same position A Same position A
 Trinidad and Tobago 4 1 – A Fall B Rise[a] A[a] Same position A Same position A
 Turks and Caicos Islands – – 5 C Same position C Same position C Same position C Same position C
 United States 5 – – A 1 A 1 A 1 A A
 U.S. Virgin Islands – – 5 C Same position C Same position C Same position C Same position C
  1. ^ a b c d Nicaragua 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]

Broadcasters

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CONCACAF

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Country/region Broadcaster Ref.
Free Pay
 Aruba Telearuba
 Canada OneSoccer [12]
 Caribbean Flow [12]
 El Salvador TCS Millicom [13]
 Guatemala RTVG
 Nicaragua Viva Nicaragua
 Honduras TVC
 Costa Rica Repretel
Teletica
Multimedios TV
 Mexico TV Azteca
TelevisaUnivision
 Curaçao TeleCuraçao
 Jamaica CVM (delayed)
 Panama RPC-TV
TVN
TVMax
 Suriname SCCN
SCCN
 United States CBS Paramount+ (English) [14][15][16]
CBS Sports Network (English, finals only)
Univision (Spanish) VIX

International

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All matches are streamed through CONCACAF's streaming service CONCACAF GO.

Country/region Broadcaster Ref.
Free Pay
Balkan countries
 Sport Klub
 Brunei Astro SuperSport
 Malaysia
 Denmark Viaplay
 Finland
 Iceland
 Norway
 Sweden
 Netherlands ESPN
South America

Awards

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Edition Best Player Top scorer Best Goalkeeper Best young player Fair Play Award Ref
2019–20 United States Weston McKennie Suriname Gleofilo Vlijter Honduras Luis López Barbados Barbados [17]
2022–23 United States Christian Pulisic Sint Maarten Gerwin Lake United States Matt Turner Panama Panama [18]
2023–24 United States Gio Reyna Guyana Omari Glasgow United States Matt Turner Guyana Omari Glasgow Panama Panama [19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "CONCACAF Nations League to Kickoff this September with Qualifiers". CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 5 March 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ "USMNT beat Canada 2-0 to win second CONCACAF Nations League". SoccerBrief. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "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.
  4. ^ "CONCACAF League of Nations – Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "CONCACAF Nations League Officially Launched". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  7. ^ "CONCACAF Announces Gold Cup Expansion to 16 Teams, Opening Access for More Nations to Participate and Host". GoldCup.org. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 26 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Montagliani: CONCACAF Gold Cup expansion is additional fuel for the growth of the game". GoldCup.org. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "CONCACAF announces formats for men's national team competitions for the 2023–2026 cycle". CONCACAF. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Concacaf Nations League Trophy unveiled ahead of Final Four". CONCACAF. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Concacaf Disciplinary Committee decision regarding Nicaragua and the Eligibility of Players" (Press release). CONCACAF. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Concacaf Nations League deal tightens OneSoccer's grip on Canadian soccer". Sports Business Media. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Tigo Sports acquires rights to Costa Rica Concacaf Nations League games". SportBusiness Media. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Concacaf and CBS Sports agree to multi-year media rights partnership for Concacaf Nations League and new Concacaf women's national team competitions". CONCACAF. 27 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Paramount+ adds Concacaf soccer rights ahead of US launch - SportsPro Media". 25 February 2021.
  16. ^ "USA, Mexico change formations for Concacaf Nations League final". CBS Sports. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  17. ^ "McKennie, Lopez and Vlijter take home CNL honors". Concacaf. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Pulisic, Turner and Lake take home CNL honors". Concacaf. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Reyna, Turner, Glasgow earn Concacaf Nations League honors". Concacaf. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
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