Concacaf: Details For Nations League Draw
Concacaf confirmed the date, procedures, and pots for the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League [CNL] official draw.
A spokesperson said, “The live made-for-TV event, which will sub-divide Leagues A, B, and C into groups, will take place on Tuesday, May 16, in Miami, FL, at 7:00 pm ET.
“Fans will be able to follow all the action through the Confederation’s partner networks, including CBS/Paramount + [USA-Eng], OneSoccer [CAN], regional partners in Central America and the Caribbean, and the Concacaf Official Platforms for all other territories [subject to territory restrictions].
New Concacaf Nations League Format
“As announced in February, beginning with the 2023/24 edition, the competition’s format has been revamped to include more direct elimination matches that will qualify teams for continental summer competitions.
“Furthermore, Concacaf also confirmed that the 2023/24 and 2024/25 CNL editions will serve as the qualifying tournaments for the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America [six Concacaf nations will participate] and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, respectively.
“The CNL 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] 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.
“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 also qualify for the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America. The other two participants will be determined via a single direct elimination play-in between the four League A losing Quarterfinalists [further details are available here].
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
“Promotion and relegation between CNL Leagues will take place at the conclusion of the third edition, as follows:
- League A: Fifth and sixth-place finishers will be relegated to League B.
- League B: Group winners will be promoted to League A, and fourth-place finishers will be relegated to League C.
- League C: Group winners and the best second-place finisher will be promoted to League B.
2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Schedule
“The 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Group Stage will be played during the official FIFA Match Windows in September, October, and November 2023.
“For League A, the new CNL Quarterfinals will be played in November 2023.
“The 2023/24 CNL Finals, where a champion will be crowned, will take place at a to be announced venue in March 2024.
2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Leagues
“The distribution of teams for Leagues A, B, and C has been determined based on the results of the 2022/23 CNL Group Stage, including a promotion system from Leagues B and C to Leagues A and B, respectively.
“League A [16 teams]: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba [promoted], Curaçao, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala [promoted], Haiti [promoted], Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua [promoted], Panama, Suriname, and the United States.
“League B [16 teams]: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Montserrat, Puerto Rico [promoted], Saint Kitts and Nevis [promoted], Saint Lucia [promoted], Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten [promoted], and Trinidad and Tobago.
“League C [9 teams]: Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Saint Martin, Turks and Caicos Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
2023/24 Concacaf Nations League Draw Procedures
“On Tuesday, May 16, the Confederation will conduct a draw for each League. The draws will be executed using a single-blind system involving six pots for League A, four pots for League B, and three pots for League C.
“All Concacaf Member Associations participating in the CNL Group Stage have been allocated in a League pot based on the Concacaf Men’s Rankings as of March 31, 2023 [available here].
“The pots for each League are as follows [listed in ranking order per Pot, with the highest-ranked teams in Pot 1]:
League A
“Seeded in the Quarterfinals: Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, and Canada
- Pot 1: Panama and Haiti
- Pot 2: Jamaica and Guatemala
- Pot 3: Honduras and El Salvador
- Pot 4: Martinique and Cuba
- Pot 5: Curacao and Suriname
- Pot 6: Nicaragua and Grenada
League B
- Pot 1: Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Guyana, and Guadeloupe
- Pot 2: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda
- Pot 3: Saint Lucia, Puerto Rico, Montserrat, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Pot 4: Belize, Barbados, Bahamas, and Sint Maarten
League C
- Pot 1: Bonaire, Dominica, and Aruba
- Pot 2: Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, and Saint Martin
- Pot 3: Anguilla, US Virgin Islands, and British Virgin Islands
“The draw for each league will begin by randomly selecting a team from Pot 1 and placing that nation in Group A of their respective league. The draw will continue by selecting the remaining teams from Pot 1 and positioning them into a group in sequential order. The same process will be done for the remaining pots.
“At the end of each draw, each group will contain one nation from each pot.”
