Trinidad and Tobago has been announced as the host nation for this year’s edition of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-14 Girls Challenge Series, scheduled to take place from August 15-24.

Details about the groupings and format for the much-anticipated youth tournament were revealed by the regional football body on Monday, with 23 teams set to vie for supremacy across two tiers of play.

Tier I will spotlight eight of the region’s top teams in two groups of four, with football powerhouses such as Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and host nation Trinidad and Tobago leading the charge. In Group A, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and Martinique will do battle, while Group B will feature Aruba, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Teams will contest a round-robin format, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. The final is set for August 24, with classification matches also determining the fifth to eighth places.

Tier II, featuring 15 developing football nations, will kick off the action on August 15 and is divided into three groups of five.

Group A comprises St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, Bonaire, US Virgin Islands, and Saint Lucia, and Group B features Grenada, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, French Guiana, and Suriname, while Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Guyana, are set to do battle in Group C.

After the group stage, the three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semifinals. The top-ranked group winner will face the best runner-up, while the second- and third-ranked group winners meet in the other semifinal.

The tournament, a key developmental platform for young female footballers across the Caribbean, promises not only spirited competition but also an opportunity for emerging talents to shine on a regional stage.