Jamaica to open Nations League in Suriname
Published:Thursday | April 7, 2022 | 12:09 AM
JAMAICA’S REGGAE Boyz will open their Concacaf Nations League A (CNL) account in Suriname when the competition kicks off in June.
Concacaf announced the schedule for the competition yesterday, with Jamaica facing Suriname in the home-and-away round robin format on Saturday, June 4.
Jamaica were announced as being a part of Group A in a Nations League A draw earlier this week. There are four groups of three teams at this stage of the CNL, with Jamaica matched with Suriname and Mexico.
The Reggae Boyz will then welcome Suriname three days later on June 7.
It will be two weeks later when the Jamaicans will again be at home to Mexico.
The Reggae Boyz lost their two games to Mexico in the just-concluded Concacaf World Cup qualification competition, including a 2-1 defeat at the National Stadium earlier this year.
The CNL will then go on a break until next year to leave room for teams to prepare for the World Cup in Qatar.
The CNL will get back into the swing of things again in Jamaica with a trip to Mexico to consider. That game will be played on March 26 of 2023.
FORMAT
The CNL will be used as a qualifier for the Concacaf Gold Cup next year.
The format of the CNL will allow 24 teams to earn a spot to next year’s regional showpiece and will give Jamaica two bites at the cherry.
If Jamaica tops their League A group, which puts them and three other group winners into the CNL semi-finals, they qualify for the Gold Cup.
They can also book a place by finishing second in the group.
Should the Reggae Boyz fail to win or finish second in the group, they will get a second bite at the cherry as the third-place teams in League A go to the Gold Cup preliminary round.
In that preliminary round, the League A third-place finishers will be joined by four League B second-place finishers as well as the winners from four groups in League C.