.@CNationsLeague to serve as pathway for 2021 @GoldCup 🗞>> https://t.co/j5xa3ekZGu#FollowTheDream #LoveForOurGame pic.twitter.com/ARRFSiMbDL— Concacaf (@Concacaf) September 4, 2019
I think it's good to type it is as text. The top two in each League A group and the winners of each League B group qualify, which is 12 teams. The second place teams from League B play the winners from League C in Qualifying Round 1. Those four winners play the third (last) place teams from League A in Qualifying Round 2, and those team qualify. Both rounds will be in two legs, with Qualifying Round 1 in March 2020 and Qualifying Round 2 in June 2020.
Good a time as any to update this: The group stage of the 2019-20 CNL has qualified the following teams to this next Gold Cup. Mexico Honduras USA Costa Rica Panama Martinique Canada Curaçao Grenada El Salvador Jamaica Suriname And the playoff draw for the final four berths:
Pretty much the best possible outcome for Guatemala coming out of League C (although I do recall them somehow losing to Cuba the last time they were in the Gold Cup in 2015). I don’t really want Cuba since they invariably make sure to get routed at least one game every Gold Cup, so I hope Guatemala takes them out and comes back from 6 years of Gold Cup purgatory. Guyana gave Trinidad fits at the last Gold Cup, so they might be in trouble, too. Haiti and Bermuda are the only two locks IMO.
So with the COVID-19 provoking the suspension of games/empty stadium measures the world over, at some point Concacaf will have to make a decision on these Round-1 playoffs as well. Given that Concacaf isn't going to organize any major competition in the summer (beyond the Nations League finals), no reason they couldn't just play both rounds in June...
CONCACAF changes Gold Cup format; Qatar to participate in 2021 https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...-gold-cup-format-qatar-to-participate-in-2021
SUM Makes more money off of the Mexico team so blame it on them trying to help them not the USA. Nice try though.
Here's a breakdown of when USA and Mexico could play if they advanced against everyone else: 1/3rd chance of Groups A and D or Groups B and C: Meet in Quarterfinals if one finishes first and one finishes second, meet in Final if both finish first or both finish second 1/3rd chance of Groups A and C or Groups B and D: Meet in Semifinals if both finish first or both finish second, meet in Final if one finishes first and one finishes second 1/3rd chance at Groups A and B or Groups C and D: Meet in Semifinals if one finishes first and one finishes second, meet in Final if both finish first or both finish second The first possibility is the earliest they can meet, but it guarantees that if they both win their group they can't meet until the final.
I'd honestly be surprised if the top seeds weren't pre-seeded into the groups...like Concacaf did with the 1st round of WCQ, or as they and Conmebol did with for the Copa América Centenario.
Not only that. Also how will the pots be formed? FIFA ranking? And then where do they put Martinique? Some time ago they eliminated the ranking that Concacf made including non-FIFA members ...... Another thing: First the draw and then decide the venues: this seems logical to me because they know where to put the USA and Mexico to play to sell more tickets.
Concacaf today announced the pots for its upcoming Gold Cup draw, with guest team Qatar in Pot 4 along with the three winners of the 12-team preliminary phase. pic.twitter.com/DlafmQhy11— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) September 18, 2020 It also announced Haiti, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Guadeloupe and Bermuda are the 'pre-seeded' teams for the prelims, so they wouldn't play each other until Round Two of that phase. pic.twitter.com/ejxAMcxoDV— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) September 18, 2020 Should definitely produce more balanced groups than last time.
Depends on where they rig it. If it is played at a neutral site I would favor Qatar. If they play in Miami or Texas or California or New Jersey then I'd favor Honduras.
Fine print says that Mexico, the US, Costa Rica and Honduras will be preseeded to Groups A-D (respectively), and Qatar will automatically get the D - I mean, get placed in Group D, so Honduras-Qatar will happen.
So with this happening... FIFA suspends the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association➡️ https://t.co/h2VWJCBtdw pic.twitter.com/cpddSkSypE— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) September 24, 2020 Concacaf has made the following decision: Concacaf Statement – Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and the Gold Cup Drawhttps://t.co/gafEljnhem Declaración de Concacaf - Asociación de Fútbol de Trinidad y Tobago y sorteo de la Copa Orohttps://t.co/pVL3QewjXl pic.twitter.com/E1u8TTyETo— Concacaf (@Concacaf) September 25, 2020 They won't make any changes to Monday's draw, but the TTFA have to kiss and make up with FIFA by December 18, or they'll be dropped from the Gold Cup prelims and replaced by Antigua and Barbuda.
Draw's tonight at 8:00 p.m. on FOX Sports 2 and TUDN. And there's a detail with the preliminary draw that I missed... If you combine this with the note from Concacaf's explanation on the draw: Then it sounds like said seeded teams are already set...meaning that if they all win their de facto playoff semifinals, the last Gold Cup berths will come down to: Haiti vs. Bermuda Guatemala vs. Guadeloupe Trinidad and Tobago vs. Cuba