2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League

The 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League was the third 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 group stage was held in September, October, and November 2023, and the Finals were played from 21 to 24 March 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League
Tournament details
DatesLeague A:
7 September – 17 October 2023
Leagues B and C:
7 September – 21 November 2023
League A quarter-finals:
16–21 November 2023
Nations League Finals:
21–24 March 2024
Teams41
Final positions
Champions United States (3rd title)
Runners-up Mexico
Third place Jamaica
Fourth place Panama
Tournament statistics
Matches played93
Goals scored317 (3.41 per match)
Top scorer(s)Collectivity of Saint Martin Axel Raga
(8 goals)
Best player(s)United States Giovanni Reyna[1]
Best young playerGuyana Omari Glasgow[1]
Best goalkeeperUnited States Matt Turner[1]
Fair play award Panama[1]

The competition saw a format change, with League A now featuring sixteen teams in two groups of a Swiss system, followed by a quarter-final round. In addition, the Nations League also served as qualification for CONCACAF teams for the 2024 Copa América, which is being held between June and July of this year in the United States.

The United States were the two-time defending champions and successfully defended their title in the final.

Format

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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.[2][3]

The size of League A was increased from twelve to sixteen teams, and now featured a quarter-final round. The twelve lowest-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings of March 2023 entered the group stage, now using a modified group format. The teams were 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 advanced to the quarter-finals, and were joined by the four top-ranked teams in the CONCACAF Rankings of March 2023. 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. The four quarter-finals winners advanced to the Nations League Finals, which retained its previous format of a semi-final round, third place play-off and final match to determine the champions.

League A also determined the six CONCACAF teams which qualified as guests for the 2024 Copa América in the United States. The quarter-finals winners qualified directly to the tournament, while the losers advanced to a qualifying play-off, featuring two single-leg matches.

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 thirteen to nine 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).[2]

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 were the best second-placed team of League C.[2]

Tiebreakers

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The ranking of teams in each group was determined as follows (Regulations Article 12.4):[4]

  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;

If two or more teams still tied based on the above criteria, their rankings were determined as follows:

  1. Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  2. Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
  3. Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
  4. Number of away goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question (if the tie was only between two teams);
  5. Lowest number of disciplinary 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;
  6. Drawing of lots.

Entrants

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All of CONCACAF's 41 member associations entered in the competition. Teams were divided into leagues based on their results of the 2022–23 season, while the pots were determined by the CONCACAF Ranking of March 2023.[5] The four top-ranked teams in League A received a bye to the quarter-finals. The group stage draw was held on 16 May 2023, 19:00 EDT, in Miami, Florida, United States.[2][6][7] The pots were confirmed on 2 May 2023, with League A split into six pots of two teams, League B split into four pots of four teams and League C split into three pots of three teams.[8]

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 by Trinidad and Tobago as the best runner-up in League B on 12 June 2023. Nicaragua replaced Trinidad and Tobago in League B.[9]

Key
  Promoted in previous season
League A
Pot Team Prv Pts Rank
QF   Mexico   1,939 1
  United States   1,919 2
  Costa Rica   1,796 3
  Canada   1,743 4
1   Panama   1,695 5
  Haiti   1,482 6
2   Jamaica   1,479 7
  Guatemala   1,405 8
3   Honduras   1,403 9
  El Salvador   1,330 10
4   Martinique   1,246 12
  Cuba   1,176 13
5   Curaçao   1,171 14
  Suriname   1,079 16
6   Trinidad and Tobago   1,254 11
  Grenada   791 25
League B
Pot Team Prv Pts Rank
1   Nicaragua   1,067 17
  French Guiana   1,086 15
  Guyana   994 18
  Guadeloupe   966 19
2   Antigua and Barbuda   949 20
  Saint Kitts and Nevis   923 21
  Dominican Republic   913 22
  Bermuda   863 23
3   Saint Lucia   795 24
  Puerto Rico   790 26
  Montserrat   780 27
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   726 28
4   Belize   715 29
  Barbados   681 30
  Bahamas   530 34
  Sint Maarten   413 37
League C
Pot Team Pts Rank
1   Bonaire 627 31
  Dominica 572 32
  Aruba 564 33
2   Turks and Caicos Islands 461 35
  Cayman Islands 435 36
  Saint Martin 377 38
3   Anguilla 224 39
  U.S. Virgin Islands 193 40
  British Virgin Islands 163 41

Schedule

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Below was the schedule of the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League.[2][10] The fixture dates for the group matches were confirmed on 6 July 2023.[11]

Round Dates
League A League B and C
Matchday 1 7–9 September 2023
Matchday 2 10–12 September 2023
Matchday 3 12–14 October 2023
Matchday 4 15–17 October 2023
Quarter-finals, 1st leg Matchday 5 16–18 November 2023
Quarter-finals, 2nd leg Matchday 6 19–21 November 2023
Semi-finals 21 March 2024
Third place play-off 24 March 2024
Final

League A

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation            
1   Panama 4 3 1 0 9 2 +7 10 Advance to quarter-finals 3–0 3–0
2   Trinidad and Tobago 4 3 0 1 10 9 +1 9 3–2 1–0
3   Martinique 4 2 1 1 2 3 −1 7 1–0 1–0
4   Guatemala 4 1 1 2 5 7 −2 4 1–1 2–0
5   Curaçao (R) 4 1 0 3 6 7 −1 3 Relegation to League B 1–2 5–3
6   El Salvador (R) 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 1 2–3 0–0
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(R) Relegated

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation            
1   Jamaica 4 3 1 0 10 5 +5 10 Advance to quarter-finals 1–0 2–2
2   Honduras 4 2 1 1 8 1 +7 7 4–0 4–0
3   Suriname 4 1 2 1 6 3 +3 5 1–1 4–0
4   Cuba 4 1 2 1 1 4 −3 5 0–0 1–0
5   Haiti (R) 4 0 3 1 5 6 −1 3 Relegation to League B 2–3 0–0
6   Grenada (R) 4 0 1 3 2 13 −11 1 1–4 1–1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(R) Relegated

Quarter-finals

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The quarter-finals pairings were determined based on the CONCACAF Rankings published after the October 2023 FIFA Match Window for the four pre-seeded teams and the group stage results for the winners and runners-up of each group.[4]

Seeded teams
Pos Team Rank[a] Pts
1   Mexico 1 1,967
2   United States 2 1,909
3   Canada 4 1,729
4   Costa Rica 5 1,676
  1. ^ CONCACAF rankings (as of 18 October 2023)[12]
Group stage winners and runners-up
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1   Panama 4 3 1 0 9 2 +7 10
2   Jamaica 4 3 1 0 10 5 +5 10
3   Trinidad and Tobago 4 3 0 1 10 9 +1 9
4   Honduras 4 2 1 1 8 1 +7 7
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

The match-ups were as follows:

  • Quarter-final 1 (QF1): Fourth-ranked seeded team vs. Best-ranked group winner
  • Quarter-final 2 (QF2): Third-ranked seeded team vs. Next best-ranked group winner
  • Quarter-final 3 (QF3): Second-ranked seeded team vs. Best-ranked group runner-up
  • Quarter-final 4 (QF4): First-ranked seeded team vs. Next best-ranked group runner-up

The first legs were played from 16 to 18 November, and the second legs were played on 20 and 21 November 2023.[13]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Costa Rica   1–6   Panama 0–3 1–3
Jamaica   4–4 (a)   Canada 1–2 3–2
United States   4–2   Trinidad and Tobago 3–0 1–2
Honduras   2–2 (2–4 p)   Mexico 2–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)

Nations League Finals

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Seeding

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The four teams were ranked based on their results in both legs of the quarter-finals to determine the semi-final matchups. The first seed played the fourth seed and the second seed played the third seed.[14]

Seed QF Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 1   Panama 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 6
2 3   United States 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2 3
3 2   Jamaica 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 3
4 4   Mexico 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Bracket

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
March 21 – Arlington, TX
 
 
  Panama0
 
March 24 – Arlington, TX
 
  Mexico3
 
  Mexico0
 
March 21 – Arlington, TX
 
  United States2
 
  United States (a.e.t.)3
 
 
  Jamaica1
 
Third place play-off
 
 
March 24 – Arlington, TX
 
 
  Panama0
 
 
  Jamaica1

All match times are in EDT (UTC−4) as listed by CONCACAF (local times are in parentheses).[15]

Semi-finals

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United States  3–1 (a.e.t.)  Jamaica
  • Burke   90+6' (o.g.)
  • Wright   96', 109'
Report Leigh   1'

Panama  0–3  Mexico
Report

Third place play-off

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Panama  0–1  Jamaica
Report Lembikisa   42'

Final

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Mexico  0–2  United States
Report
Attendance: 59,471
Referee: Drew Fischer (Canada)

League B

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation        
1   Guadeloupe (P) 6 5 0 1 16 3 +13 15 Promotion to League A 2–0 4–0 5–0
2   Saint Lucia 6 3 1 2 10 6 +4 10 2–1 1–2 2–0
3   Sint Maarten 6 2 0 4 6 15 −9 6 0–2 1–5 2–3
4   Saint Kitts and Nevis (R) 6 1 1 4 4 12 −8 4 Relegation to League C 1–2 0–0 0–1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation        
1   Nicaragua (P) 6 5 1 0 17 1 +16 16 Promotion to League A 0–0 3–0 5–1
2   Dominican Republic 6 3 1 2 14 6 +8 10 0–2 3–0 5–2
3   Montserrat 6 3 0 3 9 14 −5 9 0–3 2–1 4–2
4   Barbados (R) 6 0 0 6 7 26 −19 0 Relegation to League C 0–4 0–5 2–3
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation        
1   French Guiana (P) 6 3 1 2 10 6 +4 10 Promotion to League A 3–2 3–0 0–2
2   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 3 0 3 13 14 −1 9 1–4 4–3 3–0
3   Bermuda 6 2 2 2 8 9 −1 8 0–0 3–1 1–1
4   Belize (R) 6 2 1 3 5 7 −2 7 Relegation to League C 1–0 1–2 0–1
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation        
1   Guyana (P) 5 5 0 0 20 5 +15 15 Promotion to League A 3–1 6–0 3–2
2   Puerto Rico 6 4 0 2 22 10 +12 12 1–3 5–0 6–1
3   Antigua and Barbuda 6 1 1 4 9 22 −13 4 1–5 2–3 2–2
4   Bahamas (R) 5 0 1 4 7 21 −14 1 Relegation to League C Canc. 1–6 1–4
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

League C

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion      
1   Saint Martin (P) 4 4 0 0 20 1 +19 12 Promotion to League B 2–1 8–0
2   Bonaire (P) 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6 0–4 2–0
3   Anguilla 4 0 0 4 0 19 −19 0 0–6 0–3
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion      
1   Aruba (P) 4 4 0 0 14 4 +10 12 Promotion to League B 5–1 3–1
2   Cayman Islands 4 1 1 2 6 10 −4 4 1–2 2–1
3   U.S. Virgin Islands 4 0 1 3 5 11 −6 1 1–4 2–2
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion      
1   Dominica (P) 4 3 1 0 8 2 +6 10 Promotion to League B 1–1 2–0
2   British Virgin Islands 4 1 2 1 7 6 +1 5 1–2 3–1
3   Turks and Caicos Islands 4 0 1 3 3 10 −7 1 0–3 2–2
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted

Ranking of second-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 A   Bonaire (P) 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6 Promotion to League B
2 C   British Virgin Islands 4 1 2 1 7 6 +1 5
3 B   Cayman Islands 4 1 1 2 6 10 −4 4
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted

Top goalscorers

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League A
Rank Player Goals
1   Shamar Nicholson 5
2   Rangelo Janga 3
  Anthony Lozano
  Bobby Decordova-Reid
  Demarai Gray
  José Fajardo
  Reon Moore
League B
Rank Player Goals
1   Omari Glasgow 7
2   Dorny Romero 6
  Gerald Díaz
  Ricardo Rivera
5   Ange-Freddy Plumain 5
6   Thierry Gale 4
  Kelsey Benjamin
  Tiquanny Williams
League C
Rank Player Goals
1   Axel Raga 8
2   Rovien Ostiana 5
  Stanley Segarel
4   Luka Chalwell 3
  Billy Forbes

Source: CONCACAF.[18]

Top Scorer Award

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An official "Top Scorer Award" was also handed out by CONCACAF, utilising a points system that took into consideration which league the player in question was a part of and weighed their goals accordingly. Each goal scored in League A was awarded 2 points, goals in League B 1.5 points, and goals in League C 1 point. With seven goals for Guyana in League B, Omari Glasgow won the award with a total of 10.5 points.[1]

Rank Player Goals Factor Points
1   Omari Glasgow 7 1.5 10.5
2   Shamar Nicholson 5 2 10
3   Dorny Romero 6 1.5 9
  Gerald Díaz
  Ricardo Rivera

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Reyna, Turner, Glasgow earn Concacaf Nations League honors". CONCACAF. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "CONCACAF announces formats for men's national team competitions for the 2023–2026 cycle". CONCACAF. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  3. ^ Straus, Brian (28 February 2023). "Concacaf Revamps Nations League, Unveils Copa America and World Cup Qualifying". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "CONCACAF Nations League regulations" (PDF). res.cloudinary.com. CONCACAF.
  5. ^ "CONCACAF Ranking Index". CONCACAF. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  6. ^ Reidy, Paul (3 May 2023). "Concacaf Nations League 23/24 draw to be staged on 16 May". Diario AS. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Draw delivers groups for 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League presented by Qatar Airways". CONCACAF. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  8. ^ "CONCACAF confirms details for 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League official draw". CONCACAF. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Concacaf Disciplinary Committee decision regarding Nicaragua and the Eligibility of Players" (Press release). CONCACAF. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Men's International Match Calendar 2023–2030" (PDF). FIFA. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  11. ^ "CONCACAF announces schedule for 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League presented by Qatar Airways". CONCACAF. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Selección de Panamá escala posición en Ranking de Concacaf" (in Spanish). RPC Televisión. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Concacaf confirms 23/24 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal pairings". Miami: CONCACAF. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Concacaf confirms Concacaf Nations League Semifinals and Play-In pairings and schedule". CONCACAF. 22 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Tickets now on sale for Concacaf Nations League Play-In matches in Dallas". Miami: CONCACAF. 24 January 2024.
  16. ^ "U.S. Men's National Team advances to 2024 CONCACAF Nations League Final with 3-1 semifinal win over Jamaica". Arlington, Texas: United States Soccer Federation. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Mexico 3-0 Panama (Mar 21, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  18. ^ "CONCACAF Nations League Stats". CONCACAF. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
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