2022-23 CNL March Window: All You Need to Know

MIAMI, Florida – The 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League resumes this week with teams across League A, League B and League C set to play their final matches of the group stage.

Here is everything you need to know about the March window if the 2022-23 CNL and what is at stake for all teams.

When

March 23-28, 2023

Participating teams

League A

Group A: Jamaica, Mexico, Suriname

Group B: Panama, Costa Rica, Martinique

Group C: Honduras, Canada, Curacao

Group D: El Salvador, United States, Grenada

League B

Group A: Cuba, Guadeloupe, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados

Group B: Haiti, Guyana, Bermuda, Montserrat

Group C: Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Group D: French Guiana, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Belize

League C:

Group A: Bonaire, Sint Maarten, U.S. Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands

Group B: Aruba, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Martin

Group C: Saint Lucia, Dominica, Anguilla

Group D: Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands

The draw

The draw took place on April 4, 2022 at Concacaf headquarters in Miami.

Qualification for 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals

The March window of games in League A will determine which teams advance to the CNL Finals. El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, and Panama are currently leading the groups in League A, with the Confederation’s 2022 FIFA World Cup participants, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States in contention.

The second edition of the CNL Finals will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, among the four CNL League A group winners and will consist of semifinals, on Thursday, June 15, and a third place match and final on Sunday, June 18. The Final will crown the CNL’s second champion after the United States won the inaugural edition in 2021.

CNL Finals Semifinal Matchups

To determine the two semifinal matchups, the four participating national teams will be ranked 1-4, according to their performance in the CNL Group Stage, with the highest ranked team facing the lowest ranked team (1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3).

• Semifinal 1: Highest ranked (1) vs lowest ranked (4)
• Semifinal 2: Second highest ranked (2) vs third highest ranked (3)

Qualification for 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup

The March window of games will also determine which teams have qualified for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims and Group Stage. group stage and also the teams that have qualified for the Gold Cup Prelims.

The winners and second-place finishers from the League A group and the winners of each group in League B group will qualify directly for the Gold Cup group stage. The third-place teams from League A and second-place teams from the League B groups will join the winners of each League C group winner in the Gold Cup Prelims.

As of the March 2023 window, Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico, have secured a berth into the Prelims, and El Salvador, Jamaica, and Panama into the Group Stage.

Full calendar, pairings, dates and venues available here

A total of 34 matches will be played in the March 2023 window across League A, League B and League C, with each participant playing two matches. 

New format from 2023/24

Beginning with the third edition, which commences in September 2023, the CNL has been revamped to include more direct elimination play that will qualify national teams for continental summer competitions. The tournament will continue to be played in a three-League format and will include an expanded League A (up from 12 to 16 teams and a new quarterfinal round).

Furthermore, the third and fourth editions will serve as the qualification route for Concacaf national teams to the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America (six teams) and 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, respectively.