2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers will determine the final four teams to qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[1]

2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers
Tournament details
Host countryUnited States
DatesJuly 2021
Teams12

Prior to the qualifiers, 12 of the 16 teams of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup had already been decided based on the results of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League:

Another 12 teams will compete in the qualifiers. The matches were originally scheduled to be played in March and June 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The matches will now take place in July 2021, the week before the start of the Gold Cup group stage, in a centralized format in the United States.[2]

Teams

The following 12 teams, based on the results of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League, will participate in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifiers.

League A

The four group third-placed teams of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A will enter the second round.

Group Third place
A  Cuba
B  Bermuda
C  Trinidad and Tobago
D  Haiti

League B

The four group runners-up of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B will enter the first round.

Group Runners-up
A  French Guiana
B  Montserrat
C  Guyana
D  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

League C

The four group winners of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League C will enter the first round.

Group Winners
A  Barbados
B  Bahamas
C  Guatemala
D  Guadeloupe

Original format

Draw

The qualifying draw took place on 11 December 2019, 19:00 EST (UTC−5), in Miami, Florida, United States.[3] Three pots were prepared, with Pot A containing the League A teams, Pot B containing the League B teams and Pot C containing the League C teams. To draw the first round matches, teams from Pot C were first drawn and allocated, in order, to pairings 1 to 4. To complete the fixtures, teams from Pot B were then drawn and allocated, in order, to pairings 1 to 4. To draw the second round matches, the Pot A teams were drawn and allocated to face the winners of first round pairings 1 to 4.[4][5]

The draw results were as follows:

First round Second round
Match Team 1 (League C) Team 2 (League B) Match Team 1 (Winner R1) Team 2 (League A)
1  Guadeloupe  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 Winner 1  Haiti
2  Barbados  Guyana 6 Winner 2  Trinidad and Tobago
3  Bahamas  French Guiana 7 Winner 3  Bermuda
4  Guatemala  Montserrat 8 Winner 4  Cuba

Schedule

The first round was originally to be played on 26 and 31 March 2020.[6] The four winners of Nations League C would face the four runner-ups of Nations League B, played as two-legged ties. The teams from League B would host the second legs. The four winners would advance to the second round.

The second round was originally to be played during the FIFA international window of 1–9 June 2020. The four first round winners would face the four third-placed teams of Nations League A, played as two-legged ties. The teams from League A would host the second legs. The four winners would qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On 13 March 2020, CONCACAF suspended all upcoming competitions scheduled to take place over the next 30 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the new dates of the matches to be confirmed later.[7] On 3 April 2020, CONCACAF announced the suspension of the June qualifiers, with the new dates of the matches to be confirmed later.[8]

New format

On 27 July 2020, CONCACAF announced that the qualifiers will be played by the 12 teams as a centralized preliminary round in the United States, in the week prior to the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage.[2] The format and schedule of this preliminary round will be confirmed by CONCACAF.

References
  1. "Concacaf Nations League to Serve as Pathway for 2021 Gold Cup". concacafnationsleague.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  2. "New Concacaf Qualifiers announced for regional qualification to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". www.concacaf.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. "Draw Delivers Matchups for 2021 Gold Cup Qualifying Matches". CONCACAF Gold Cup. 11 December 2019.
  4. "2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifying Draw Set for December 11". Miami: CONCACAF. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. "Road to Gold Cup Official Draw". CONCACAF Gold Cup.
  6. "First-Round 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifying Matches Schedule Announced". CONCACAF.com. 29 January 2020.
  7. "Concacaf suspends all its competitions scheduled to take place over the next 30 days". CONCACAF. 13 March 2020.
  8. "Concacaf Statement regarding the suspension of the Concacaf Nations League Finals, Road to Gold Cup Qualifiers and Flow Caribbean Club Championship". CONCACAF.com. 3 April 2020.
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