2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League

Inaugural season of an association football tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League was the inaugural season of the CONCACAF Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 41 member associations of CONCACAF. The Nations League qualifying tournament also served as part of the qualifying process for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which was expanded from twelve to sixteen teams. The group stage of the tournament also served as qualification for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Finals, which decided the inaugural champions, was originally scheduled to be played in June 2020. However, on 3 April 2020 CONCACAF postponed the event until March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] On 22 September 2020, it was announced that the event was again rescheduled until June 2021.[4] On 24 February 2021, CONCACAF confirmed the dates for the rescheduled Nations League Finals, 3 and 6 June 2021 with the venue later confirmed as Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, United States.[5]

Quick Facts Tournament details, Dates ...
2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
6 September 2018 –
24 March 2019
League phase:
5 September –
19 November 2019
Nations League Finals:
3–6 June 2021
Teams41
Final positions
Champions United States (1st title)
Runners-up Mexico
Third place Honduras
Fourth place Costa Rica
Tournament statistics
Matches played106
Goals scored337 (3.18 per match)
Top scorer(s) Gleofilo Vlijter (10 goals)[1]
Best player(s) Weston McKennie[1]
Best goalkeeper Luis López[1]
Fair play award Barbados[1]
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Format

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Perspective

The format proposals were first formally investigated at the XXXII CONCACAF Ordinary Congress in Oranjestad, Aruba on 8 April 2017.[6] The tournament was officially confirmed by CONCACAF in November 2017.[7] The format and schedule of the Nations Leagues was announced on 7 March 2018, 10:00 EST (UTC−5), at The Temple House in Miami Beach, Florida, United States.[8][9]

The Nations League began with a one-off qualifying phase, played across four matchdays from September 2018 to March 2019. The results determined the composition of the leagues for the group phase of the tournament. Apart from the six teams which participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying hexagonal, the other 34 teams (Guatemala could not enter due to FIFA suspension) entered qualifying. Each team played four matches, two home and two away, with the results compiled into an aggregate table. Based on the standings, the teams were divided into tiers for the group phase of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League. Moreover, the top ten teams in the qualifying phase qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, joining the six hexagonal participants.[10][11]

The group phase of the Nations League, consisting of three tiered leagues, was played in the official FIFA match windows in September, October, and November 2019. All eligible teams were assigned by sporting performance into Leagues A, B, and C. Each league was sub-divided into four groups, featuring promotion and relegation, in which the teams competed in a home-and-away, round-robin format over the course of the group phase.[12]

League A contained twelve teams, split into four groups of three teams. The six hexagonal participants were joined by the top six teams from qualifying. The four group winners qualified for the Nations League final championship, played in June 2021, which determined the champions of the new competition. The four teams which finished last in their group were relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.

League B consisted of sixteen teams, split into four groups of four teams. The league contained teams which finished from 7th to 22nd in qualifying. The four group winners were promoted to League A, while the four teams which finished last in their group were relegated to League C for the next edition.

League C consisted of the remaining thirteen member associations, the teams which finished 23rd to 34th in qualifying, along with Guatemala, who did not enter qualifying. The league contained four groups, with three groups of three teams and one group of four teams. The four group winners were promoted to League B for the next edition of the competition.

In September 2019, it was announced that the Nations League would also provide qualification for all sixteen teams participating in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup (no teams would qualify automatically).[13]

The following teams qualified for the Gold Cup after group play concluded in November 2019:

  • The top two teams from each of the four League A groups
  • The winners of each of the four League B groups

Initially, the final four spots at the Gold Cup were to be determined by two-legged matches between the second-place finishers of League B and the first-place finishers of League C, to be played in March 2020. The four winners of this round would then advance to the second round, to face the third-place finishers of League A, in matches to be played in June 2020. The four matchup winners of the second round would qualify for the 2021 Gold Cup. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, this format was changed. In July 2020, CONCACAF announced that the qualifiers would be played by the twelve aforementioned teams as a centralized preliminary round in the United States, in the week prior to the 2021 Gold Cup group stage.[14] In September 2020, CONCACAF announced that Qatar were invited to the Gold Cup as guests, and that the qualification tournament would determine the last three teams to participate in the group stage of the Gold Cup. The qualification tournament will feature two rounds, with the twelve participating teams divided into six one-off ties in the first round. The six winners will advance to the second round, with the winners of the three one-off matches qualifying for the Gold Cup.[15]

Tiebreakers

The ranking of teams in each group was determined as follows (Regulations Article 12.7):[16]

  1. Points obtained in all group matches (three points for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss);
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Number of goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  5. Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
  6. Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
  7. Number of away goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question (if the tie was only between two teams);
  8. Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match):
    • Yellow card: −1 points;
    • Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
    • Direct red card: −4 points;
    • Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
  9. Drawing of lots.

Entrants

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Perspective

All of CONCACAF's 41 member associations participated in the competition.[17] The six teams which participated in the fifth round (hexagonal) of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification received automatic entry into League A. Of the remaining 35 teams, 34 entered into qualifying to determine which league they entered. The National Football Federation of Guatemala was suspended by FIFA in October 2016,[18] and therefore Guatemala was ineligible to enter qualifying after missing the deadline of 1 March 2018.[19] However, as the suspension was lifted by FIFA in May 2018,[20] they automatically entered into League C of the group phase.

More information Key to colours ...
Key to colours
2018 WCQ Hexagonal participants automatically in League A
Remaining CONCACAF members compete in qualifying
Association suspended at deadline to enter qualifying automatically in League C
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More information Rank, Team ...
Rank Team Pts[17]
1  Mexico 2,047
2  United States 1,853
3  Costa Rica 1,845
4  Panama 1,700
5  Honduras 1,669
6  Jamaica 1,516
7  Canada 1,448
8  Guatemala[a] 1,417
9  Haiti 1,348
10  El Salvador 1,347
11  Trinidad and Tobago 1,339
12  Martinique[b] 1,271
13  Cuba 1,146
14  French Guiana[b] 1,108
15  Guadeloupe[b] 1,089
16  Nicaragua 1,032
17  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,023
18  Curaçao 1,018
19  Suriname 991
20  Antigua and Barbuda 946
21  Dominican Republic 925
Rank Team Pts[17]
22  Bermuda 924
23  Guyana 914
24  Belize 853
25  Bonaire[b] 799
26  Grenada 795
27  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 793
28  Saint Lucia 773
29  Barbados 731
30  Puerto Rico 693
31  Bahamas 627
32  Dominica 563
33  Aruba 559
34  Cayman Islands 543
35  Turks and Caicos Islands 483
36  Montserrat 435
37  U.S. Virgin Islands 401
38  Saint Martin[b] 352
39  Sint Maarten[b] 336
40  Anguilla 261
41  British Virgin Islands 261
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Notes
  1. Guatemala was suspended by FIFA in October 2016, and therefore was ineligible to enter qualifying after missing the entry deadline of 1 March 2018.
  2. Full CONCACAF member, but not a FIFA member.

Schedule

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Perspective

Below was the schedule of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League.

The Nations League Finals were originally scheduled for the international window from 23 to 31 March 2020. However, on 5 August 2019 CONCACAF announced that the tournament would instead be played in June 2020.[21] The schedule for the tournament was announced on 9 March 2020, with the semi-finals on 4 June, and the third place play-off and final on 7 June 2020.[22] On 3 April 2020, the tournament was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On 27 July 2020, CONCACAF announced that the tournament would be held in the international window from 22 to 30 March 2021.[3] However, due to the postponement of the first round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, on 22 September 2020 CONCACAF announced that the final tournament would be held in June 2021.[4]

More information Stage, Round ...
Stage Round Dates
Qualifying Matchday 1 6–11 September 2018
Matchday 2 11–16 October 2018
Matchday 3 16–20 November 2018
Matchday 4 21–24 March 2019
League phase Matchday 1 5–7 September 2019
Matchday 2 8–10 September 2019
Matchday 3 10–12 October 2019
Matchday 4 13–15 October 2019
Matchday 5 14–16 November 2019
Matchday 6 17–19 November 2019
Finals Semi-finals 3 June 2021
Third place play-off 6 June 2021
Final
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The fixture list for the group phase was confirmed by CONCACAF on 21 May 2019.[23][24][25]

Qualifying

The draw for the qualifying fixtures was held on 7 March 2018 directly after the launch event of the CONCACAF Nations League.[8] The 34 teams were seeded into four pots based on their position in the March 2018 CONCACAF Ranking Index. A computerized pre-draw produced a "master schedule", creating 17 fixtures for each matchday. The teams in each pot were then drawn to the corresponding positions in the schedule. The computer model assured that no teams would face each other more than once, and that each team would play two home and two away matches.[26][27] Based on their results, the teams were divided into tiers for the main round of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League. Moreover, the top ten teams qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup to join the six hexagonal participants.[9]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Haiti 4 4 0 0 19 2 +17 12 Qualification for League A
and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2  Canada 4 4 0 0 18 1 +17 12
3  Martinique 4 4 0 0 10 2 +8 12
4  Curaçao 4 3 0 1 22 2 +20 9
5  Bermuda 4 3 0 1 17 4 +13 9
6  Cuba 4 3 0 1 15 2 +13 9
7  Guyana 4 3 0 1 14 3 +11 9 Qualification for League B
and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
8  Jamaica 4 3 0 1 12 3 +9 9
9  Nicaragua 4 3 0 1 9 2 +7 9
10  El Salvador 4 3 0 1 7 2 +5 9
11  Montserrat 4 3 0 1 6 3 +3 9 Qualification for League B
12  Suriname 4 2 1 1 8 2 +6 7
13  Saint Lucia 4 2 1 1 7 4 +3 7
14  Dominica 4 2 1 1 6 5 +1 7
15  Saint Kitts and Nevis 4 2 0 2 11 3 +8 6
16  Dominican Republic 4 2 0 2 9 4 +5 6
17  Belize 4 2 0 2 6 3 +3 6
18  Antigua and Barbuda 4 2 0 2 10 8 +2 6
19  French Guiana 4 2 0 2 8 6 +2 6
20  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4 2 0 2 5 6 1 6
21  Grenada 4 2 0 2 7 14 7 6
22  Aruba 4 1 1 2 5 6 1 4
23  Guadeloupe 4 1 1 2 3 7 4 4 Qualification for League C
24  Turks and Caicos Islands 4 1 1 2 5 23 18 4
25  Barbados 4 1 0 3 3 7 4 3
26  Bonaire 4 1 0 3 3 14 11 3
27  U.S. Virgin Islands 4 1 0 3 3 16 13 3
28  Sint Maarten 4 1 0 3 4 30 26 3
29  Cayman Islands 4 0 1 3 1 9 8 1
30  British Virgin Islands 4 0 1 3 3 13 10 1
31  Anguilla 4 0 1 3 1 15 14 1[a]
32  Bahamas 4 0 1 3 1 15 14 1[a]
33  Puerto Rico 4 0 0 4 0 5 5 0
34  Saint Martin 4 0 0 4 5 22 17 0
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Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Qualifying tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Away goals: Anguilla 1, Bahamas 0.

Seeding

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Perspective

The 41 CONCACAF members were allocated into pots of the league for which they qualified. Teams were seeded into pots based on their position in the November 2018 CONCACAF Ranking Index.[28] League A had three pots of four teams, while League B had four pots of four teams. League C had three pots, with pots 1 and 2 featuring four teams each, and pot 3 featuring five teams.[29][30]

Thumb
Map showing the leagues each national team participated in.
  League A
  League B
  League C
More information Pot, Team ...
League A
Pot Team Pts Rank
1  Mexico 1,998 1
 United States 1,863 2
 Costa Rica 1,752 3
 Honduras 1,630 4
2  Panama 1,579 5
 Canada 1,471 7
 Haiti 1,359 10
 Trinidad and Tobago 1,342 11
3  Martinique 1,286 12
 Cuba 1,152 13
 Curaçao 1,079 15
 Bermuda 865 23
League B
Pot Team Pts Rank
1  Jamaica 1,507 6
 El Salvador 1,380 9
 Nicaragua 1,083 14
 French Guiana 1,057 16
2  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,018 18
 Dominican Republic 983 19
 Suriname 975 20
 Guyana 953 21
3  Antigua and Barbuda 930 22
 Belize 831 24
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 821 25
 Saint Lucia 813 26
4  Grenada 749 28
 Aruba 638 31
 Dominica 593 32
 Montserrat 478 35
League C
Pot Team Pts Rank
1  Guatemala 1,419 8
 Guadeloupe 1,054 17
 Bonaire 766 27
 Barbados 707 29
2  Puerto Rico 665 30
 Bahamas 582 33
 Cayman Islands 532 34
 Turks and Caicos Islands 453 36
3  U.S. Virgin Islands 392 37
 Saint Martin 338 38
 Sint Maarten 328 39
 British Virgin Islands 257 40
 Anguilla 250 41
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The draw for the group phase took place at The Chelsea Theater in Paradise, Nevada, United States on 27 March 2019, 22:00 EDT (19:00 local time, PDT).[31][32]

League A

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Perspective

Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation United States Canada Cuba
1  United States 4 3 0 1 15 3 +12 9 Qualification for Finals and Gold Cup 4–1 7–0
2  Canada 4 3 0 1 10 4 +6 9 Qualification for Gold Cup 2–0 6–0
3  Cuba (R) 4 0 0 4 0 18 18 0 Gold Cup prelims and League B 0–4 0–1
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Source: CONCACAF
(R) Relegated

Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation Mexico Panama Bermuda
1  Mexico 4 4 0 0 13 3 +10 12 Qualification for Finals and Gold Cup 3–1 2–1
2  Panama 4 1 0 3 5 9 4 3 Qualification for Gold Cup 0–3 0–2
3  Bermuda (R) 4 1 0 3 5 11 6 3 Gold Cup prelims and League B 1–5 1–4
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Source: CONCACAF
(R) Relegated

Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation Honduras Martinique Trinidad and Tobago
1  Honduras 4 3 1 0 8 1 +7 10 Qualification for Finals and Gold Cup 1–0 4–0
2  Martinique 4 0 3 1 4 5 1 3 Qualification for Gold Cup 1–1 1–1
3  Trinidad and Tobago (R) 4 0 2 2 3 9 6 2 Gold Cup prelims and League B 0–2 2–2
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Source: CONCACAF
(R) Relegated

Group D

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation Costa Rica Curaçao Haiti
1  Costa Rica 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 6 Qualification for Finals and Gold Cup 0–0 1–1
2  Curaçao 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5 Qualification for Gold Cup, later withdrew[a] 1–2 1–0
3  Haiti (R) 4 0 3 1 3 4 1 3 Gold Cup prelims and League B 1–1 1–1
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Source: CONCACAF
(R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Curaçao, who had originally qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup through the Nations League, eventually had to withdraw just before the start of the tournament due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the team.

Nations League Finals

Seeding

The four teams were ranked based on their results in the group stage to determine the semi-final matchups.

More information Seed, Grp ...
Seed Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 B  Mexico 4 4 0 0 13 3 +10 12
2 C  Honduras 4 3 1 0 8 1 +7 10
3 A  United States (H) 4 3 0 1 15 3 +12 9
4 D  Costa Rica 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 6
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Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) away goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) drawing of lots (Regulations Article 12.9).[33]
(H) Hosts

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
3 June – Denver, CO
 
 
 Honduras0
 
6 June – Denver, CO
 
 United States1
 
 United States (a.e.t.)3
 
3 June – Denver, CO
 
 Mexico2
 
 Mexico (p)0 (5)
 
 
 Costa Rica0 (4)
 
Third place play-off
 
 
6 June – Denver, CO
 
 
 Honduras (p)2 (5)
 
 
 Costa Rica2 (4)

All times are local, MDT (UTC−6).

Semi-finals

More information Honduras, 0–1 ...
Honduras 0–1 United States
Report
  • Pefok 89'
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Attendance: 34,451[36]
Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

More information Mexico, 0–0 (a.e.t.) ...
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Attendance: 34,451[36]
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

Third place play-off

Attendance: 37,648[40]
Referee: Reon Radix (Grenada)

Final

More information United States, 3–2 (a.e.t.) ...
Close

League B

Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation Grenada French Guiana Belize Saint Kitts and Nevis
1  Grenada (P) 6 4 2 0 8 4 +4 14 League A and Gold Cup 1–0 3–2 2–1
2  French Guiana 6 2 2 2 8 6 +2 8 Advance to Gold Cup prelims 0–0 3–0 3–1
3  Belize 6 2 0 4 6 12 6 6 1–2 2–0 0–4
4  Saint Kitts and Nevis (R) 6 1 2 3 8 8 0 5 Relegation to League C 0–0 2–2 0–1
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation El Salvador Montserrat Dominican Republic Saint Lucia
1  El Salvador (P) 6 5 0 1 10 1 +9 15 League A and Gold Cup 1–0 2–0 3–0
2  Montserrat 6 2 2 2 4 5 1 8 Advance to Gold Cup prelims 0–2 2–1 1–1
3  Dominican Republic 6 2 1 3 5 5 0 7 1–0 0–0 3–0
4  Saint Lucia (R) 6 1 1 4 2 10 8 4 Relegation to League C 0–2 0–1 1–0
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation Jamaica Guyana Antigua and Barbuda Aruba
1  Jamaica (P) 6 5 1 0 21 1 +20 16 League A and Gold Cup 1–1 6–0 2–0
2  Guyana 6 3 1 2 12 10 +2 10 Advance to Gold Cup prelims 0–4 5–1 4–2
3  Antigua and Barbuda 6 3 0 3 8 17 9 9 0–2 2–1 2–1
4  Aruba (R) 6 0 0 6 5 18 13 0 Relegation to League C 0–6 0–1 2–3
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group D

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation Suriname Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Nicaragua Dominica
1  Suriname (P) 6 4 1 1 16 5 +11 13 League A and Gold Cup 0–1 6–0 4–0
2  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 3 2 1 6 4 +2 11 Advance to Gold Cup prelims 2–2 1–0 1–0
3  Nicaragua 6 2 1 3 9 11 2 7 1–2 1–1 3–1
4  Dominica (R) 6 1 0 5 3 14 11 3 Relegation to League C 1–2 1–0 0–4
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League C

Group A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification Barbados Cayman Islands Collectivity of Saint Martin United States Virgin Islands
1  Barbados (P) 6 4 0 2 14 4 +10 12 League B and Gold Cup prelims 3–0 4–0 1–0
2  Cayman Islands 6 4 0 2 7 8 1 12 3–2 1–0 1–0
3  Saint Martin 6 3 0 3 7 8 1 9 1–0 3–0 1–2
4  U.S. Virgin Islands 6 1 0 5 3 11 8 3 0–4 0–2 1–2
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Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted

Group B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification The Bahamas Bonaire British Virgin Islands
1  Bahamas (P) 4 3 1 0 10 2 +8 10 League B and Gold Cup prelims 2–1 3–0
2  Bonaire 4 2 1 1 10 8 +2 7 1–1 4–2
3  British Virgin Islands 4 0 0 4 5 15 10 0 0–4 3–4
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Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted

Group C

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification Guatemala Puerto Rico Anguilla
1  Guatemala (P) 4 4 0 0 25 0 +25 12 League B and Gold Cup prelims 5–0 10–0
2  Puerto Rico 4 2 0 2 6 12 6 6 0–5 3–0
3  Anguilla 4 0 0 4 2 21 19 0 0–5 2–3
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted

Group D

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification Guadeloupe Turks and Caicos Islands Sint Maarten
1  Guadeloupe (P) 4 4 0 0 20 2 +18 12 League B and Gold Cup prelims 10–0 5–1
2  Turks and Caicos Islands 4 2 0 2 8 17 9 6 0–3 3–2
3  Sint Maarten 4 0 0 4 6 15 9 0 1–2 2–5
Close
Source: CONCACAF
(P) Promoted

Top goalscorers

Notes

  1. Though listed with a 17:30 kick-off time,[34] the match began at 17:36.[35]
  2. Though listed with a 20:00 kick-off time,[37] the match began at 20:36.[35]
  3. Though listed with a 16:30 kick-off time,[38] the match began at 16:36.[39]
  4. Though listed with a 19:00 kick-off time,[41] the match actually began at 19:36.[39]

References

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