September 20: A new championship adds fresh impetus to the promotion race, with the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League C starting its group stage from September 23 to October 6, as nine teams begin their push for promotion and a first C League title.
Concacaf has reshaped its Nations League format. Previously, the C League featured only a group stage with simple promotion rules, no finals and no overall champion. Now, the nine teams, divided into three groups of three and facing each opponent twice, are chasing places in a new C League championship where the first champion will be crowned.
The groups pit the lower-ranked nations in the region against each other. Group A includes Montserrat, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands. Group B has Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba and Anguilla. Group C includes Saint Martin, the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands.
After the group stage in the September-October window, the three group winners and the best runner-up advance to the Championship and, crucially, the A and C League Play-Ins, keeping the path to the 2027 Gold Cup alive.
The format gives the region’s developing teams a real trophy to play for, as well as a clearer qualification path. In past editions, four teams were promoted with nothing else at stake.
The group stage runs until October 6, with the championship semi-finals, third place and final from March 22-30, 2027. For the Concacaf nations, this means there is much more to play for, all the way up the pyramid.
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