Date and Procedures Revealed for 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Draw
Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC and Trinidad and Tobago’s Club Sando and Defence Force have secured a place in the competition, with seven additional clubs to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
- Draw to take place on Tuesday, May 26
- Fans can follow the live event on Concacaf’s YouTube Channel starting at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Draw will determine the path of each club to the Final
- Three clubs have already secured a berth in the 10-team tournament
Miami, FL – Concacaf has announced the draw procedures that will govern the 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup draw. The draw for the fourth edition of the regional club competition, which serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, will determine the Group Stage matchups and each club’s path to the Final.
The official draw for the 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup will be conducted on Tuesday, May 26, in Miami, FL. Fans can follow the made-for-TV event on Concacaf’s Broadcast partner networks and the confederation’s YouTube channel starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Thus far, three clubs have secured a place in the competition, including Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC and Trinidad and Tobago’s Club Sando and Defence Force, with seven additional clubs to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
COMPETITION FORMAT AND DATES
The tournament will begin with a Group Stage consisting of two groups of five clubs each. During this stage, clubs will play each opponent in their group once, for a total of four matches per club (two home and two away) across five scheduled weeks.
- Group Stage Week 1: August 4–6, 2026
- Group Stage Week 2: August 18–20, 2026
- Group Stage Week 3: September 1–3, 2026
- Group Stage Week 4: September 8–10, 2026
- Group Stage Week 5: September 15–17, 2026
Following the Group Stage, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the Knockout Stage, which will include Semifinals, a 3rd place matches, and the Final.
- Semifinals (First Legs): October 13–15, 2026
- Semifinals (Second Legs): October 20–22, 2026
- Final and Third Place Matches (First Legs): December 1, 2026
- Final and Third Place Matches (Second Legs): December 5, 2026
The finalists and the third-place finisher will qualify for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, with the champion receiving a bye to the Round of 16.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE DRAW
Fans worldwide will be able to follow and enjoy the live event on Concacaf’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/concacaf) and through the Confederation's TV partner networks in the region.
Fans can also follow updates on the competition’s official social media platforms, including X (@TheChampions), Facebook (facebook.com/TheChampions), Instagram (@TheChampions) y TikTok (@Concachampions).
DRAW PROCEDURES
On Tuesday, May 26, Concacaf will conduct the Group Stage draw using a single-blind system involving five pots.
The 10 participating clubs will be distributed into five pots based on the Concacaf Club Ranking as of May 25, 2026, as follows:
- Pot 1: Two highest-ranked clubs
- Pot 2: Two next highest-ranked clubs
- Pot 3: Two next highest-ranked clubs
- Pot 4: Two next highest-ranked clubs
- Pot 5: Champion and runner-up of the 2026 CFU Club Shield
The draw will begin by randomly selecting a sphere from Pot 1 and placing that club in Group A, position A1. The next sphere will be drawn from Pot 1 and allocated to Group B, position B1.
This process will be replicated for Pots 2 through 5, assigning clubs sequentially to Groups A and B.
At the conclusion of the draw, each group will contain one club from each pot.
Concacaf will publish the confirmed pots in the days leading up to the official draw.
PARTICIPATING CLUBS
Thus far, three clubs from Concacaf Caribbean Member Associations have qualified for the tournament. These clubs have secured their place based on their performance in their domestic leagues. These clubs are (in alphabetical order by Member Association):
- Dominican Republic (1): Cibao FC
- Trinidad and Tobago (2): Club Sando FC, Defence Force FC
The remaining seven participating clubs will be determined through domestic leagues and regional competitions, as follows:
- CFU Club Shield (2): 2026 Champion and Runner-up
- Haiti (1): 2026 Champion des Champions
- Jamaica (2): Champion and Runner-up of the 2025–2026 JPL Season
- Dominican Republic (1): 2026 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol Champion
- Suriname (1): 2025-2026 Suriname Major League Champion
Mount Pleasant FA of Jamaica are the current Concacaf Caribbean Cup champions. The club claimed its first title in 2025 after defeating Universidad O&M FC of the Dominican Republic 3–2 on aggregate in the Final.
