Concacaf: New Youth Competitions Format
Concacaf has announced that its Council has approved a new competition format for the region’s men’s and women’s youth tournaments starting in April 2023.
A spokesperson said, “The new competition format, created following an extensive analysis of the current format, includes three rounds – qualifying stage, group stage, and knockout stage – and will improve development by increasing the number of matches in the qualifying rounds, as well as producing more competitive and exciting matchups in the Championship stage.”
“This new Concacaf youth competitions format reflects our football first philosophy and our commitment to delivering more competition for all of our Member Associations”, said Concacaf General Secretary, Philippe Moggio. “We know that the best way for players to develop is to play and compete in official matches and tournaments. This format will provide more opportunities for all of our federations and their young players to shine on the regional and global stage,” added Moggio.
Men’s youth competition format
The spokesperson said, “Men’s Under-17 and Under-20 competitions will commence with a six group Qualifying Stage played amongst teams ranked between 7 and 41, according to the relevant Concacaf Rankings. The number of teams per group may vary depending on the number of participating teams.
“The Qualifying Stage will be played in a round robin format, with each team playing one match against each of the other teams in the same group. After round robin play, the six group winners will advance to a centralized Group Stage.
“The Group Stage will be composed of three groups of four teams each [12 teams in total]. This will include the six top-ranked teams [pre-seeded into this round] and the six group winners of the Qualifying stage. After round robin play, the top two teams of each group and the two best third places will advance to the Quarterfinals [eight teams].
“The knockout stage – quarterfinals, semifinals, and final – will be played in a single match direct elimination format, with the semifinalists [four teams] qualifying for the respective youth FIFA World Cup.
“Furthermore, for every other edition of the Men’s U-20 tournament, the finalists [two teams] will qualify for the Summer Olympics Men’s Football Tournament.
Women’s youth competition format
“Women’s Under-17 and Under-20 competition will commence with a six group Qualifying Stage played amongst teams ranked between 3 and 41, according to the respective Concacaf Rankings. The number of teams per group may vary depending on the number of participating teams.
“The Qualifying Stage will also be played in a round robin format and the six group winners will advance to a centralized Group Stage.
“The Group Stage will be composed of two groups of four teams each [eight teams in total]. This will include the two top-ranked teams [pre-seeded into this round] and the six group winners of the Qualifying stage. After round robin play, the top two teams of each group will advance to the semifinals [four teams].
“The knockout stage – semifinals, third place match, and final – will be played in a single match direct elimination format, with the finalists [two teams] and the third place match winner [one team] qualifying for the respective youth FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“The 2023 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship will be the first competition to feature this new format.”
