The 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A was the top division of the 2019–20 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, the inaugural season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 41 member associations of CONCACAF. League A culminated with the final championship in June 2021 to crown the inaugural champions of the CONCACAF Nations League.[1]
Format
League A consisted of twelve teams, with the six participants of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying hexagonal joined by the top six teams from qualifying. The league was split into four groups of three teams. The teams competed in a home-and-away, round-robin format over the course of the group phase, with matches played in the official FIFA match windows in September, October and November 2019. The four group winners qualified to the Nations League final championship, while the four last-placed teams in each group were relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.[2][3][4]
The Nations League Finals took place in June 2021, and was played in a knockout format in the United States, the centralized location selected by CONCACAF. The four teams played the semi-finals, with the matchups determined by the group stage rankings (1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3), followed by the third place match and the final (Regulations Articles 12.8 and 12.10).[5]
In September 2019, it was announced that the Nations League would also provide qualification for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[6] The top two teams from each of the four League A groups qualified for the Gold Cup, while the third-placed teams entered the first round of Gold Cup qualification.
Seeding
Teams were seeded into the pots of League A according to their position in the November 2018 CONCACAF Ranking Index.[7][8]
Source: CONCACAF Rules for classification: Tiebreakers (R) Relegated Notes:
^Curaçao, who had originally qualified for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup through the Nations League, eventually had to withdraw just before the start of the tournament due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the team.
^Though listed with a 17:30 kick-off time,[20] the match began at 17:36.[21]
^Though listed with a 20:00 kick-off time,[23] the match began at 20:36.[21]
^Though listed with a 16:30 kick-off time,[24] the match began at 16:36.[25]
^Though listed with a 19:00 kick-off time,[27] the match actually began at 19:36.[25]
References
^"CONCACAF's top teams gear up for Nations League A". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. Las Vegas: CONCACAF. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
^"CONCACAF Nations League to Kickoff this September with Qualifiers". CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 5 March 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
^"CONCACAF Nations League Officially Launched". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
^"Regulations CONCACAF Nations League 2018/20 Edition" (PDF). res.cloudinary.com. CONCACAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
^ ab"Regulations CONCACAF Nations League 2018/20 Edition" (PDF). res.cloudinary.com. CONCACAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
^"CONCACAF Nations League to Serve as Pathway for 2021 Gold Cup". CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 4 September 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
^"CONCACAF Ranking: As of November 2018" (PDF). CONCACAF. 6 March 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^"Stage set for 2019 CONCACAF Nations League draw". CONCACAFNationsLeague. Miami: CONCACAF. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
^"2019 CONCACAF Nations League Draw to Take Place March 27". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. Miami: CONCACAF. 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^"Draw Delivers Groups for the Inaugural Edition of the CONCACAF Nations League". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. Miami: CONCACAF. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
^"Schedule confirmed for the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League". CONCACAFNationsLeague.com. Miami: CONCACAF. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
^"2019 CONCACAF Nations League schedule" (PDF). CONCACAF. 21 May 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
^"CONCACAF Nations League: Official schedule 2019" (PDF). CONCACAF. 21 May 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
^"2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League September Group Stage Schedule". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
^"2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League October Group Stage Schedule" (PDF). CONCACAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
^"2019-2020 Concacaf Nations League November Group Stage Schedule" (PDF). CONCACAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
^Davidson, Neil. "Announced attendance of 10,224 for Canada-Cuba match". Twitter. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
^Molinaro, John. "Davies helps Canada vanquish U.S. in Concacaf Nations League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
^"Alternate Venue Announced for the Concacaf Nations League Match Between Haiti and Costa Rica". concacafnationsleague.com. CONCACAF. 2 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
^"2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals provisional rosters and kick off times confirmed". CONCACAF. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^ abGoff, Steven [@SoccerInsider] (3 June 2021). "USMNT vs. Honduras kickoff: 5:36 pm local (7:36 ET). TV: CBS Sports Network, Univision, TUDN. Mexico-Costa Rica match listed at 8 pm local but won't kick off until 8:36 local (Univision, TUDN)" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 June 2021 – via Twitter.
^ abTannenwald, Jonathan (3 June 2021). "Jordan Siebatcheu's late goal gives USMNT ugly 1–0 win over Honduras in Nations League semifinal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^"2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals provisional rosters and kick off times confirmed". CONCACAF. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^"2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals provisional rosters and kick off times confirmed". CONCACAF. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^ abGoff, Steven [@SoccerInsider] (6 June 2021). "Concacaf Nations League matchday – 3rd-place game: Costa Rica v Honduras, 4:36 pm local kickoff/6:36 ET (UniMas, TUDN, Paramount+). Final: United States v Mexico, 7:36 pm local kickoff/9:36 ET (CBS Sports Network, Univision, TUDN, Paramount+)" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 June 2021 – via Twitter.
^ abKeeler, Sean (6 June 2021). "Highlands Ranch native Ethan Horvath, Christian Pulisic lift U.S. to 3–2 win over Mexico". The Denver Post. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^"2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals provisional rosters and kick off times confirmed". CONCACAF. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.