What is CONCACAF Nations League? Format, schedule, rules, and all-time winners for soccer tournament
The CONCACAF Nations League returns in 2022/23, with all national teams from North America taking part in the competition, with USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada standing out as the top-ranked teams in the region and favorites for the title.
CONCACAF is the name for the group of football-playing nations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean (the acronym stands for “Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football”).
There are several tournaments for men’s, women’s and youth national teams organized by CONCACAF, with the Nations League being one of the latest additions to the calendar.
The USA will look to defend their Nations League trophy after beating Mexico in the opening edition of the competition. But there are a host of other smaller, lesser-known nations from the Caribbean, Central America and elsewhere hoping to throw up some surprises that could set them up well for future tournaments.
With the CONCACAF region set to host the 2026 World Cup, there has never been a better opportunity for lesser-known nations to secure a coveted spot in the expanded 48-team World Cup field. The CONCACAF Nations League is an important testing ground for these countries.
MORE: Mexico close to reaching Nations League Final Four
What is the CONCACAF Nations League?
The CONCACAF Nations League is the North American version of a tournament that started in Europe in 2018.
Regional football governing body UEFA introduced it as a competitive substitute for the massive number of friendlies played by European nations just to fill the schedule between the World Cup and European Championships.
CONCACAF saw this and essentially copied it. From 2019, the CONCACAF Nations League was set up as a kind of copy of the European version.
The inaugural CONCACAF Nations League began in 2019 when the United States were crowned champions after winning the final in June 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the inaugural edition, but the intent is to complete the Nations League in a two-year window, bridging the gap between the World Cup (which is played every four years) and the North American championship called the Gold Cup (every two years in odd years played).
CONCACAF Nations League format
The CONCACAF Nations League is divided into “leagues” or tiers, which separate nations by relative strength: League A (top tier), League B (intermediate tier), League C (bottom tier).
The very first edition took into account the world rankings of all countries, and since then teams have moved up and down the ranks based on their performance. Nations League champions can only come from teams competing in the top flight (League A).
The 41 nations that are part of the CONCACAF region are in one of three tiers: 12 in League A, 16 countries in League B and the remaining 13 countries in League C.
At each stage, the participating nations will be drawn into groups where they will play against other opponents in the group in a round-robin format with home and away matches. There is a reward for winning the group, and there are consequences for finishing last.
The top-placed teams in League A compete for the tournament title, while the group winners in League B and League C advance to the next division.
The group bottoms of League A and League B are demoted (relegated) to the lower league.
CONCACAF Nations League winners
Since the competition is still extremely new, there has only been a completed CONCACAF Nations League tournament to date.
In the 2019/20 final, the first in the history of the competition, the CONCACAF Nations League delivered a mouth-watering final between rivals USA and Mexico, eventually played in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game lived up to the hype as it was action level 2-2 after 90 minutes. Christian Pulisic scored the winner in extra time, a 114th-minute penalty that gave the United States their first title of the tournament.
MORE: Why everyone was talking about the epic United States-Mexico Nations League final
CONCACAF Nations League A schedule, 2022/23 matches
For the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League, the top division A pool includes the defending champions USA as one of the 12 teams.
Among the dozen nations are the four newly promoted teams that won their League B groups in the previous edition: Jamaica, El Salvador, Suriname and Grenada.
Only the group winners advance to the semi-finals and finals of the Nations League, to be held June 15-18, 2023 in Las Vegas.
Group A ranking
| position | nation | Points | WLD | DG |
| 1. | Mexico | 7 | 2-0-1 | +5 |
| 2. | Jamaica | 5 | 1-0-2 | +2 |
| 3. | Suriname | 1 | 0-2-1 | -7 |
Group A games
Group B Ranking
| position | nation | Points | WLD | DG |
| 1. | Panama | 7 | 2-0-1 | +7 |
| 2. | Costa Rica | 3 | 1-1-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Martinique | 1 | 0-2-1 | -7 |
Group B games
| Date | Fit | time (ET) |
| June 2, 2022 | Panama 2-0 Costa Rica | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 5, 2022 | Costa Rica 2-0 Martinique | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 9, 2022 | Panama 5-0 Martinique | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 12, 2022 | Martinique 0-0 Panama | HIGHLIGHTS |
| March 25, 2023 | Martinique vs Costa Rica | 19:00 |
| March 28, 2023 | Costa Rica vs Panama | 22:00 |
Group C position
| position | nation | Points | WLD | DG |
| 1. | Honduras | 6 | 2-1-0 | +1 |
| 2. | Canada | 3 | 1-1-0 | +3 |
| 3. | Curaçao | 3 | 1-2-0 | -4 |
Group C games
| Date | Fit | time (ET) |
| June 3, 2022 | Curaçao 0-1 Honduras | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 6, 2022 | Honduras 1-2 Curaçao | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 9, 2022 | Canada 4-0 Curaçao | HIGHLIGHTS |
| June 13, 2022 | Honduras 2-1 Canada | HIGHLIGHTS |
| March 25, 2023 | Curacao vs Canada | 21:00 |
| March 28, 2023 | Canada vs Honduras | 20:00 |
Group D Ranking
| position | nation | Points | WLD | DG |
| 1. | United States | 7 | 2-0-1 | +11 |
| 2. | ElSalvador | 5 | 1-0-2 | +2 |
| 3. | Granada | 1 | 0-3-1 | -13 |
Group D games
CONCACAF Nations League 2022/23 B&C teams
League B
Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and Bermuda were relegated from League A to League B after finishing bottom of their group at the last edition.
Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Barbados and Bahamas were promoted from League C to League B after topping their respective groups in the last edition.
| team | 2022/23 group |
FIFA rank |
| Antigua and Barbuda | A | 131 |
| Bahamas | C | 203 |
| Barbados | A | 166 |
| Belize | D | 176 |
| Bermudas | B | 169 |
| Cuba | A | 168 |
| Dominican Republic | D | 152 |
| French Guiana | D | — |
| Guadeloupe | A | — |
| Guatemala | D | 119 |
| Guyana | B | 171 |
| Haiti | B | 87 |
| monser council | B | 179 |
| Nicaragua | C | 142 |
| St. Vincent & Grenadines | C | 178 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | C | 104 |
League C
Aruba, Dominica, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Lucia were Relegated from League B after finishing last in their group in the last edition of the Nations League.
| team | 2022/23 group |
FIFA ranking |
| anguilla | C | 210 |
| Aruba | B | 202 |
| Bonaire | A | — |
| British Virgin Islands | D | 209 |
| Cayman Islands | D | 194 |
| Dominika | C | 184 |
| Puerto Rico | D | 170 |
| Saint Maarten | A | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | B | 140 |
| Saint Lucia | C | 172 |
| St. Martin | B | — |
| Turks & Caicos | A | 206 |
| US Virgin Islands | A | 208 |