The BeIn article does mention how this can put more question marks into the international match calendar, especially the June matchdays, or play it at the same days of the Euro championship. Will the Gold Cup need to have consolation matches to determine the last qualifiers, t0 determine places 5 and 6?
...plus, how pissed off must Canada be? This development (if it turns out to be true) means they only have a shot at 2 of the 6 CONCACAF berths in the Copa America.
Canada gets a free pass to the gold cup despite not being able make it to the hex doesn't seem like they have much to complain about
The Caribbean Cup format has just been released: EDIT: The teams missing out are St.-Martin, Sint-Maarten, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.
Seems like they made groups three and four a little too hard compared to the other groups in that round.
It looks like they aimed to balance that with those groups receiving the prelim survivors. To which I must ask: how is it that French Guiana (who were one game away from qualifying for the last Gold Cup) have to go through the prelims, but Anguilla don't?
Maybe Guiana's inactivity in three competitions before 2012 affected on this. It would be nice to see CFU's national teams coefficients (if those exist).
Amid all the hype about the 2016 Copa América in the US, we have found out two important details relevant to the Gold Cup: 1. The top four teams not already qualified for the Copa América (i.e. US, Mexico, the Copa Centroamericana winner and the Caribbean Cup winner) will be paired up for one-game playoffs (1 v. 4, 2 v. 3), with the winners of each filling out the Copa América roster...no clue how they will determine them. 2. The playoff between the fifth-place teams from Central America and the Caribbean to reach the Gold Cup will actually be a home-and-away series.
I believe this will only be Montserrat's second home game since becoming a FIFA member in 1996. Hopefully the new stadium meets FIFA standards so they can start playing WCQs there.
We still don't know in what order the games will take place, but: called it on the triple-header schedule. The last one in the group stage will take place in Houston.
Copy, paste, give credit... Two things: I knew French Guiana had no business playing in this round. Unless they asked the CFU for extra games, I have no idea why their participation was even necessary at this early stage. And, here's to Suriname and Bonaire being able to trash-talk each other in the same language.
Another venue for the Copa Centroamericana has been confirmed. Considering the schedule as we know it: Group Stage Matchday 1: September 3, venue TBA GS Matchday 2: September 7, Dallas GS Matchday 3: September 10, Houston ...Final: September 13, LA It sounds as though UNCAF is going to skip the semifinals entirely, probably a wise decision given the timeframe and travel. That way, the last matchday in LA can feature the Fifth-Place Match, a Third-Place dead rubber between the group runners-up, and the Final between the group winners for the Copa América spot.
I'll repeat myself - shame Canada don't take part in this, it would be great for them to play three more official games against tough opposition, especially now when this is played in FIFA window, and it would be great for UNCAF to have two groups of four rather than four+three.
i agree. you can even do it in a more official way. The lowest ranking member of the NAFU has to quality for the Gold Cup via the Copa Centroamericano. 99% of the time that would be Canada, but it allows them to work their way out of it if possible.
The venues are now complete: Group Stage Matchday 1: September 3, RFK Stadium, DC GS Matchday 2: September 7, Cotton Bowl, Dallas GS Matchday 3: September 10, BBVA Stadium, Houston ...Final: September 13, LA Coliseum Here's hoping these games end up on GolTV.
Well, for starters, UNCAF would have to want Canada to participate in the event, and I would be surprised if all 7 federations would be OK with that. Also, we don't know if the CSA would be interested in participating in Copa Centroamericana in the first place. If all parties are in agreement to permit Canada's participation, CONCACAF would certainly be on board with the arrangement. As it stands now, Canada would guarantee qualification for the 2016 Copa America only by making the semi-finals or final in the Gold Cup.
I'm currently based in Peru, and BeIN Sports hasn't shown any interest in expanding into Latin America, so I would rather the games be on Gol TV. Of course, UNCAF can just sign separate TV deals for each market...
I bet they would be for it if it increased the number of bids they could win since Canada's bid would be up for grabs. 2 Groups of 4 Top 2 in each group qualify for Gold Cup Two 3rd Place teams playoff, winner qualifies, loser must play in against the Caribbean 5th place team.
Right now, I have to imagine UNCAF rubbing their collective hands at the thought of how much ticket revenue for the Copa Centroamericana should grow, now that it's featuring "World Cup quarterfinalist" Costa Rica. And it the ticos go further...
Damn it, I should have put money on my format prediction... It's all confirmed: the Copa Centroamericana will continue to feature triple-headers, but will skip the semifinal round entirely. Also, CONCACAF has finally verified that there will be a home-and-away playoff between the fifth-place teams from Central America and the Caribbean for the final Gold Cup spot.