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CONCACAF announces new Scotiabank CONCACAF League

In continuation of their expansion of the CONCACAF Champions League, the confederation announced a new tournament to serve as qualification for smaller countries in Central America and the Caribbean.

The newly announced Scotiabank CONCACAF League will be a 16-team tournament, the champion of which qualifies for the next year’s Champions League. The tournament will include 13 teams from Central America and three that qualify via the Caribbean Club Championship. Two teams from each of Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and Nicaragua, as well as one team from Belize, join the three Caribbean teams in the new tournament.

The champion will join the Canadian Cup Champion, the Caribbean Club Champion, the overall champions of Cota Rica, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, and Guatemala, four Mexican teams, and four American teams in the subsequent Champions League. The new tournament provides an avenue for a smaller team from Central America and the Caribbean to qualify.

The draw for the new league will take place on May 31st in Miami, FL. The tournament itself is set to begin play this August for qualification into the 2018 Champions League.

For the 2017 edition, due to the continued FIFA suspension of the Guatemalan federation, three teams will replace those set to compete in the 2017 CONCACAF League and 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. Panama and Honduras will each have an additional team in the 2017 CONCACAF League, while the second-place Costa Rican team will qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.

Comments

  1. What is this going to do to the competition schedule? Even if both the new tournament and the CONCACAF Champions League itself are single elimination, it will be hard to fit one 16 team tourney in front of a second 16 team tourney and keep it all within the same year. Additionally, the Caribbean teams will still have to play the Caribbean Cup before qualifying for this new CONCACAF League. We’re going to have teams playing in the Champions League that originally began the qualification process in their national leagues 2-3 prior.

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  2. While I’m happy for the smaller clubs, I still wish for the original format. 4 groups of 4 was a lot of fun, at least in my opinion…

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  3. I already have little interest in the CL, and now they’re introducing another competition? Not to mention their League of Nations nonsense at the national level. I honestly can’t keep track of all these tournaments, and I’m guessing most MLS fans feel the same way.

    The only think I can get excited about is CONMEBOL and CONCACAF finalize an expanded Copa that’s here to stay.

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  4. I like this! Seems like a good idea as smaller clubs will have a shot. Plus, it will be a chance for great players hidden in obscurity to showcase themselves for clubs in larger leagues.

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  5. I like this! Seems like a good idea as smaller clubs will have a shot. Plus, it will be a chance for great players hidden in obscurity to showcase themselves for clubs in larger leagues.

    Reply
  6. I like this! Seems like a good idea as smaller clubs will have a shot. Plus, it will be a chance for great players hidden in obscurity to showcase themselves for clubs in larger leagues.

    Reply

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