MIAMI, Florida – Two big tournaments kick off this week in the Concacaf region with the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup and 2023 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship Qualifying, while the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup heads to crunch time.
2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup
The 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup kicks off this week with 10 teams divided into two groups of five beginning the journey of trying to finish in the top two of their respective group to reach the semifinal stage of the tournament. The top three finishers in the Caribbean Cup will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, so it will be imperative for all teams to get off to a good start.
Five different Caribbean Member Associations will be represented in the Caribbean Cup, including three teams from the Dominican Republic (Cibao FC, Atletico Pantoja, Moca), three from Jamaica (Dunbeholden, Harbour View, Cavalier), two from Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain, Defence Force) and the two qualifiers from the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, champions Robinhood of Suriname and runners-up Golden Lion of Martinique.
Another packed week of football ahead of us 👀⚽️ pic.twitter.com/CX8EatKnn7
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) August 21, 2023
2023 Concacaf Central American Cup
It is now crunch time in the Central American Cup, as the action heads to week four during which some teams will clinch their places in the quarterfinal stage, while others will be eliminated from advancing.
Past Concacaf champions CD FAS of El Salvador welcome in Honduran giants Olimpia in what is a must-win game for both sides on Tuesday night in Group B, while the top two teams in Group A at present, Universitario of Panama and three-time Concacaf champions Saprissa of Costa Rica will face off on Wednesday in a battle for the top spot.
There are also two key match-ups between second and third-place teams in Group C and Group D, respectively, with Comunicaciones of Guatemala traveling to El Salvador to face Aguila on Wednesday and Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito welcoming in another past Concacaf champions, Alajuelense of Costa Rica on Thursday.
2023 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship Qualifying
This week, Qualifying for the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship begins with action across the Dominican Republic, Curacao, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Among the teams to watch will be past CWU17 champions Canada and regional powerhouse Costa Rica.