- Official draws will take place on June 8, in Miami, FL.
- Caribbean Club pots determined based on Concacaf’s new club ranking.
Miami, FL (Friday, June 2, 2023) – Concacaf has confirmed important details regarding the official draws for the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and the inaugural edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.
The live made-for-tv events, scheduled for Thursday, June 8, will take place at 2:30 pm ET and 5:00 pm ET, respectively, and will include the participation of Concacaf General Secretary, Philippe Moggio, alongside former players from the Caribbean.
The draws will be widely available for fans across the Concacaf region to follow and enjoy through the Confederation’s TV partner networks, FOX Sports | Tubi (USA-English), TUDN | ViX (USA-Spanish), Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico-Spanish), ESPN | Star+ (Central America, Caribbean, and South America), and the Concacaf Official Platforms for all other territories (subject to territory restrictions).
INAUGURAL CONCACAF CARIBBEAN CUP
In September 2021, the Confederation announced that starting in 2023, three regional cup competitions (Leagues Cup, Central American Cup, and Caribbean Cup) will be played in the fall of each year and, along with other leagues and cups, will qualify clubs for a new expanded Concacaf Champions League.
For the Caribbean, the Confederation is introducing a 10-club tournament that includes a group stage (two groups of five teams), followed by a direct elimination knockout stage.
Thus far, 8 Caribbean clubs have secured a berth based on their performance in their domestic leagues. These are, in alphabetical order per Member Association:
Dominican Republic (3): Cibao FC, CA Pantoja, and Moca FC
Jamaica (3): Cavalier FC, Dunbeholden FC, and Harbour View FC
Trinidad and Tobago (2): AC Port of Spain and Defence Force FC
The remaining two participants will be confirmed at the conclusion of the 2023 Caribbean Club Shield (champion and runner-up).
Draw Pots and Procedures
On June 8, Concacaf will conduct the draw for the 2023 Caribbean Cup Group Stage. The draw will be executed using a single-blind system involving five pots.
The 10 participating clubs have been distributed into the five pots according to their Concacaf Club Ranking as of May 28, 2023. Further details on the Confederation’s recently launched club ranking are available here.
The five pots are as follows (listed in ranking order per Pot):
Pot 1: Cibao FC and Defence Force FC
Pot 2: Cavalier FC and CA Pantoja
Pot 3: Moca FC and Harbour View FC
Pot 4: Dunbeholden FC and AC Port of Spain
Pot 5: Caribbean Club Shield Champion and Runner-Up
The draw will begin by randomly selecting a sphere from Pot 1 and placing that club in Group A, position A1. The second sphere will be then drawn, and the club will be placed in Group B, position B1. This process will be replicated for Pot 2-5, placing clubs in sequential order in Groups A and B.
Competition Windows
Group Stage
Week 1: August 22-24
Week 2: August 29-31
Week 3: September 19-21
Week 4: September 26-28
Week 5: October 3-5
Knockout Stage
Semifinals: October 24-26 (first legs) and October 31 – November 2 (second legs).
Final and Third Place Play-In: November 28-30 (first legs) and December 5-7 (second legs).
At the end of the Knockout Stage, the finalists and third place will advance to the revamped 27-club Concacaf Champions League. Furthermore, the competition’s champion will receive a bye to the Concacaf Champions League Round of 16.
Concacaf will announce the competition’s match schedule after the official draw.
2023 CONCACAF CARIBBEAN CLUB SHIELD
The fifth edition of the Caribbean Club Shield will be hosted by the Saint Kitts and Nevis Football Association and will be played between August 3-13, 2023.
The expanded competition will feature a total of 16 clubs from 16 Concacaf Caribbean Member Associations, which are working with Concacaf towards a long-term vision to professionalize the club game across the region.
These clubs are, in alphabetical order per Member Association: SV Dakota (Aruba), Scholars International SC (Cayman Islands), CRKSV Jong Holland (Curacao), South East FC (Dominica), OyM FC (Dominican Republic), Solidarité Scolaire (Guadeloupe), AS Etoile De Matoury (French Guiana), Waterhouse FC (Jamaica), B1 FC (St Lucia), Golden Lion (Martinique), Metropolitan FA (Puerto Rico), St. Pauls United FC (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Junior Stars (Saint Martin), SV Robinhood (Suriname), SWA Sharks FC (Turks and Caicos Islands), and Club Sando FC (Trinidad and Tobago).
The tournament will kick off with a Group Stage (four groups of four clubs each). After single round-robin play, the group winners (four teams in total) will advance to the Semifinals. The Semifinal winners (two clubs) will dispute the tournament’s final and secure a berth in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup.
Draw Pots and Procedures
On June 8, Concacaf will conduct the draw for the 2023 Caribbean Club Shield Group Stage. The draw will be executed using a single-blind system involving two pots.
The two pots are as follows (listed in alphabetical order per Pot):
Pot 1 (host and clubs from professional leagues): O&M FC (DOM), Waterhouse FC (JAM), St. Paul’s United FC (SKN), and Club Sando FC (TRI)
Pot 2 (12 remaining clubs): SV Dakota (ARU), Scholars International SC (CAY), CRKSV Jong Holland (CUW), South East FC (DMA), AS Etoile de Matoury (GUF), Solidarité Scolaire (GLP), Golden Lion (MTQ), Metropolitan FA (PUR), B1 FC (LCA), Junior Stars (SMN), SV Robinhood (SUR), and SWA Sharks FC (TCA)
The draw will begin by selecting the blue sphere containing the name of the host club, St. Paul’s United FC, and placing the club from Saint Kitts and Nevis in Group A, position A1. The draw will continue by drawing the three remaining red spheres from Pot 1 and placing the clubs in sequential order in Groups B, C, and D, position 1.
Once all clubs from Pot 1 have been assigned a group, the 12 spheres from Pot 1 will be drawn one by one, placing clubs in Groups A-D in sequential order.
Concacaf will announce the competition’s match schedule after the official draw.
