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. 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]

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

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 will be relegated from the 2022–23 season.[9]

The size of League A will be increased from 12 to 16 teams, and will now feature a quarter-final round. The 12 lowest-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings of March 2023 will enter the group stage, now using a Swiss-system tournament format. The teams will be divided into two groups of six teams, with each team playing four matches against group opponents (two at home and two away). The top four teams will advance to the quarter-finals and will be joined by the four top-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings. The teams advancing from the group stage will be drawn into ties against the top-ranked teams, which will be played on a two-legged home-and-away basis.

League B will remain unchanged, featuring sixteen teams divided into four groups of four. Each team will play six matches in a double round-robin home-and-away format (three at home and three away). Following the format change, League C will be reduced from 13 to nine teams and four to three groups. Teams will be 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 will resume 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 will be promoted, as will 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.

Results

Finals

Ed.SeasonHostFinalThird place play-off
WinnersScoreRunners-upThird placeScoreFourth place
12019–20
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
22022–23
Finals

United States
2–0
Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

Canada

Mexico
1–0
Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

Panama
32023–24
Finals

United States
2–0
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Mexico

Jamaica
1–0
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Panama
42024–25
Finals

Performances by team

TeamWinnersRunners-upThird placeFourth placeTotal
 United States3 (2021, 2023, 2024)3
 Mexico2 (2021, 2024)1 (2023)3
 Canada1 (2023)1
 Honduras1 (2021)1
 Jamaica1 (2024)1
 Panama2 (2023, 2024)2
 Costa Rica1 (2021)1
  • Italic: hosts

Team performances by season

  •  1  – Champions
  •  2  – Runners-up
  •  3  – Third place
  •  4  – Fourth place
  • – Promoted
  • – No movement
  • – Relegated
  • Q – Qualified for upcoming CONCACAF Nations League Finals
  •    – Hosts of CONCACAF Nations League Finals
National TeamSeasons in leagueSeason
2019–202022–232023–242024–25
ABCLGMLGMLGMLGM
 Anguilla--4C C C C
 Antigua and Barbuda-4-B B B B
 Aruba-22B C C B
 Bahamas-22C B B C
 Barbados-22C B B C
 Belize-31B B B C
 Bermuda13-A B B B
 Bonaire-13C C C B
 British Virgin Islands--4C C C C
 Canada5--A A2A A
 Cayman Islands--4C C C C
 Costa Rica4--A4A A A
 Cuba31-A B A A
 Curaçao31-A A A B
 Dominica-22B C C B
 Dominican Republic-4-B B B B
 El Salvador22-B A A B
 French Guiana13-B B B A
 Grenada22-B A A B
 Guadeloupe121C B B A
 Guatemala211C B A A
 Guyana13-B B B A
 Haiti22-A B A B
 Honduras4--A3A A A
 Jamaica31-B A A3A
 Martinique4--A A A A
 Mexico5--A2A3A2A
 Montserrat-4-B B B B
 Nicaragua13-B B [a]B[a] A
 Panama5--A A4A4A
 Puerto Rico-22C C B B
 Saint Kitts and Nevis-22B C B C
 Saint Lucia-31B C B B
 Saint Martin-13C C C B
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-4-B B B B
 Sint Maarten-22C C B B
 Suriname31-B A A A
 Trinidad and Tobago31-A B [a]A[a] A
 Turks and Caicos Islands--4C C C C
 United States5--A1A1A1A
 U.S. Virgin Islands--4C C C C

Broadcasters

CONCACAF

Country/regionBroadcasterRef.
FreePay
 ArubaTelearuba
 CanadaOneSoccer[12]
 CaribbeanFlow[12]
 El SalvadorTCSMillicom[13]
 GuatemalaRTVG
 NicaraguaViva Nicaragua
 HondurasTVC
 Costa RicaRepretel
Teletica
Multimedios TV
 MexicoTV Azteca
TelevisaUnivision
 CuraçaoTeleCuraçao
 JamaicaCVM (delayed)
 PanamaRPC-TV
TVN
TVMax
 SurinameATV
STVS
 United StatesCBSParamount+ (English)[14][15][16]
CBS Sports Network (English, finals only)
Univision (Spanish)VIX

International

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

Country/regionBroadcasterRef.
FreePay
Sport Klub
 BruneiAstro SuperSport
 Malaysia
 NetherlandsESPN
South America

Awards

EditionBest PlayerTop scorerBest GoalkeeperBest young playerFair Play AwardRef
2019-20 Weston McKennie Gleofilo Vlijter Luis López Barbados[17]
2022-23 Christian Pulisic Gerwin Lake Matt Turner Panama[18]
2023-24 Gio Reyna Omari Glasgow Matt Turner Omari Glasgow Panama[19]

See also

References

External links