Fifth Edition of Concacaf Nations League Kicks Off Wednesday with Historic 500th Match on the Horizon
The game between Cayman Islands and Dominica will be the competition’s 500th match.
- Concacaf Nations League set to celebrate historic 500th match
- 74 Group Stage matches set for September-October match window
- Competition will serve as the qualifier for 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup
Miami, FL – The fifth edition of the Concacaf Nations League will kick off Wednesday, September 23, launching a new campaign featuring all 41 Concacaf Member Associations across Leagues A, B, and C.
The September-October FIFA Match Window will feature 74 Group Stage matches across three leagues and include the tournament's historic 500th match. The competition will continue in November before culminating in March 2027 with the Concacaf Nations League Finals for League A and, for the first time, centralized League B and C Championships.
The 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League will also serve as the sole pathway to the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup, with teams qualifying directly or advancing to additional qualification rounds based on their performance in the competition.
500th Match Celebration
The Concacaf Nations League will reach a landmark milestone on Thursday, September 24, when Cayman Islands face Dominica at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica, in the competition’s 500th match.
To commemorate the historic milestone, the match will feature several special activations, including commemorative 500th-match patches. Concacaf will also produce customized match balls to mark the occasion.
Gold Cup Qualification
The 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League will serve as the sole pathway to the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup, with teams qualifying directly or advancing to the Gold Cup Prelims and League A and C Play-In based on their Nations League performance.
The four League A Quarterfinal winners and four League B group winners will qualify directly for the Gold Cup.
The four League A Quarterfinalists that do not advance to the Nations League Finals, the third- and fourth-place finishers from each League A group, and the two best League B runners-up will advance to the Gold Cup Prelims.
Additionally, the fifth- and sixth-place finishers from each League A group will compete against the three League C group winners and best second-place finisher in the League A and C Play-In. The four Play-In winners will also advance to the Gold Cup Prelims.
The 14 teams in the Gold Cup Prelims will compete in seven home-and-away series in March 2027, with the seven winners qualifying for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Competition Format
League A: 16 Teams (Group Stage and Quarterfinals)
League A will feature 16 national teams, including a Group Stage and Quarterfinals. The 12 lowest-ranked League A teams, based on the Concacaf Rankings, will compete in a Swiss-style Group Stage format, split into two groups of six teams each. Every team will play four matches – two home and two away.
- Group A: Costa Rica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
- Group B: Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Suriname, Martinique, El Salvador
Following Group Stage play in the September-October FIFA Match Window, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the Quarterfinals, joining the four pre-seeded League A teams – Mexico, United States, Canada, and Panama – who receive direct entry.
The quarterfinal matchups will be determined based on the Concacaf Ranking following the September-October FIFA Match Window and the results of the League A Group Stage. The four pre-seeded teams will be ranked 1 through 4 according to the Concacaf Ranking at that time, while the group winners and runners-up will be ranked based on their Group Stage performance. The matchups will be set as follows:
- QF1: Fourth-ranked seeded team vs Best first place (1A/1B)
- QF2: Third-ranked seeded team vs Next best first place (1A/1B)
- QF3: Second-ranked seeded team vs Best second place (2A/2B)
- QF4: Best-ranked seeded team vs Next best second place (2A/2B)
The Quarterfinals will be played in a home-and-away series in November 2026, with aggregate winners advancing to the Concacaf Nations League Finals, to be played at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.
League B: 16 Teams (Group Stage)
League B will feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four. During the September-October and November FIFA Match Windows, each team will play two matches against every opponent in its group, for a total of six matches per team.
- Group A: Guyana, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Cayman Islands
- Group B: Guadeloupe, Bermuda, Saint Lucia, Barbados
- Group C: Cuba, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bonaire
- Group D: French Guiana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Sint Maarten
Group Stage matches will be played at centralized venues, a format change introduced in the last edition to reduce travel demands and support Member Associations in delivering the highest possible standards of competition.
Following Group Stage play, the four group winners will advance to the League B Championship, where they will compete for the title of League B Champions.
League C: 9 Teams (Group Stage)
League C will feature 9 teams divided into three groups of three. During the September-October FIFA Match Window, each team will play every team in its group twice, for a total of four matches per team. Matches will also take place at centralized venues.
- Group A: Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands
- Group B: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Anguilla
- Group C: Saint Martin, Bahamas, US Virgin Islands
Following Group Stage play, the three group winners and the best second-place finisher will advance to the League C Championship, where they will compete for the title of League C Champions.
Match Schedule
The 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League will kick off on Wednesday, September 23, with League C action, followed by the start of Leagues A and B on Thursday, September 24, which will include the historic 500th Concacaf Nations League match between Cayman Islands and Dominica. In total, 74 Group Stage matches will be played during the September-October FIFA Match Window.
League B Group Stage play will continue in November, alongside the League A Quarterfinals and League A and C Play-In. The competition will conclude in March 2027 with the Concacaf Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the inaugural League B and League C Championships.
The complete 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League September-October match schedule is available here.
