JFF football
CONCACAF has confirmed the schedule, venues, and kickoff times for the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League (CNL) Group Stage matches that will take place during the October 2024 FIFA Match Window.
The fourth edition of the CNL kicked off in September with thrilling matches across all three Leagues (A, B, and C). Some of the highlights included Elijah Seymour of the Cayman Islands scoring the competition’s 1,000th goal, Guadeloupe getting its first win in League A (1-0 vs Suriname), Bermuda defeating Antigua and Barbuda in an official match for the first time since 1992, and a closely contested draw between Costa Rica and Guatemala.
A total of 37 CNL matches will be played next month (October 9-15), concluding Group Stage play for Leagues A and C, while League B will play through November.
League A
In League A, the 12 matches that will be played in October will determine the four teams (group winners and runners-up) that will join Concacaf's four top-ranked teams - Canada, Mexico, Panama, and the United States (listed alphabetically) - in the Quarterfinals, as well as the third and fourth-place finishers and fifth and sixth-place finishers that will progress to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims and CNL Play-In, respectively.
The CNL Quarterfinals will be played in a home-and-away format in November 2024, with the aggregate score winner in each matchup advancing to the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals and qualifying for the 2025 Gold Cup. The Quarterfinal losers will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.
CNL Quarterfinal pairings will be determined based on the Concacaf Rankings as of October 2024 (after the FIFA Window) and the Group Stage results, as follows:
QF1: Fourth-ranked seeded team vs Best first place (1A/1B)
QF2: Third-ranked seeded team vs Next first place (1A/1B)
QF3: Second-ranked seeded team vs Best second place (2A/2B)
QF4: Best-ranked seeded team vs Next second place (2A/2B)
The CNL Play-In will take place in November 2024, and the Gold Cup Prelims will be in March 2025. Further details on the Play-In are available below.
League B
League B will continue Group Stage play in October and November, as 16 nations battle for Gold Cup Qualification and promotion for the competition’s next edition. The confirmed host venues for October’s League B matches are as follows:
Group A: Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Group B: Darren Sammy Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
Group C: Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion, Oranjestad, Aruba
Group D: Bermuda National Sports Centre, Devonshire, Bermuda
League C
October will also conclude Group Stage play for League C. After the League’s last match on Tuesday, October 15, the three group winners and the best second-place finisher will advance to the CNL Play-In.
The confirmed host venues for the October matches are as follows:
Group A: Wildey Turf, Wildey, Barbados
Group B: FFB Stadium, Belmopan, Belize
Group C: Warner Park Football Stadium, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Play-In
The CNL Play-In will take place during the FIFA Match Window of November. It will consist of a single direct elimination round and eight teams: the fifth and sixth-place finishers from the League A Groups and the group winners and the best second-place finisher from League C.
The eight teams will be split into four pairings based on their Group Stage performance, as follows:
PI1: Best 5th Place (League A) vs Best 2nd Place (League C)
PI2: Next 5th Place (League A) vs Best 3rd Group Winner (League C)
PI3: Best 6th Place (League A) vs Best 2nd Group Winner (League C)
PI4: Next 6th Place (League A) vs Best 1st Group Winner (League C)
After home-and-away play, the aggregate score winner in each matchup will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.
2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Schedule – October Matches
*Matches listed by League and in ET | local time
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
(C) 15:30 | 15:30 British Virgin Islands vs St. Kitts and Nevis - Warner Park Football Stadium, Basseterre, SKN
(C) 20:00 | 20:00 US Virgin Islands vs Barbados - Wildey Turf, Wildey, BAR
(C) 22:00 | 20:00 Anguilla vs Belize - FFB Stadium, Belmopan, BLZ
Thursday, October 10, 2024
(A) 15:30 | 16:30 French Guiana vs Honduras - Stade Municipal Dr Edmard Lama, Remire Montjoly, GUF
(A) 16:00 | 16:00 Cuba vs Trinidad and Tobago - Estadio Antonio Maceo, Santiago, CUB
(B) 16:00 | 16:00 Bonaire vs Montserrat - Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, Kingstown, VIN
(B) 21:00 | 21:00 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs El Salvador - Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, Kingstown, VIN
(A) 22:00 | 20:00 Nicaragua vs Jamaica - Estadio Nacional, Managua, NCA
Friday, October 11, 2024
(B) 16:00 | 16:00 Sint Maarten vs Puerto Rico - Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion, Oranjestad, ARU
(A) 16:00 | 16:00 Guadeloupe vs Martinique - Stade Roger Zami, Le Gosier, GLP
(B) 17:00 | 17:00 Grenada vs Curacao - Darren Sammy Ground, Gros Islet, LCA
(A) 18:00 | 19:00 Suriname vs Costa Rica - Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadium, Paramaribo, SUR
(B) 19:00 | 19:00 Aruba vs Haiti - Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion, Oranjestad, ARU
(B) 20:00 | 20:00 Saint Martin vs St. Lucia - Darren Sammy Ground, Gros Islet, LCA
(A) 21:00 | 21:00 Guyana vs Guatemala - National Track & Field Centre, Leonora, GUY
Saturday, October 12, 2024
(B) 13:30 | 14:30 Antigua and Barbuda vs Dominican Republic - Bermuda National Sports Centre, Devonshire, BER
(C) 15:30 | 15:30 Cayman Islands vs British Virgin Islands - Warner Park Football Stadium r, Basseterre, SKN
(B) 18:30 | 19:30 Dominica vs Bermuda - Bermuda National Sports Centre, Devonshire, BER
(C) 20:00 | 20:00 Bahamas vs US Virgin Islands - Wildey Turf, Wildey, BAR
(C) 22:00 | 20:00 Turks and Caicos Islands vs Anguilla - FFB Stadium, Belmopan, BLZ
Sunday, October 13, 2024
(B) 15:00 | 15:00 Montserrat vs Bonaire - Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, Kingstown, VIN
(B) 20:00 | 20:00 El Salvador vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Arnos Vale Sporting Complex, Kingstown, VIN
Monday, October 14, 2024
(B) 16:00 |16:00 Puerto Rico vs Sint Maarten - Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion, Oranjestad, ARU
(B) 16:00 | 16:00 Curacao vs Grenada - Darren Sammy Ground, Gros Islet, LCA
(B) 19:00 | 19:00 St. Lucia vs Saint Martin - Darren Sammy Ground, Gros Islet, LCA
(B) 19:00 | 19:00 Haiti vs Aruba - Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadion, Oranjestad, ARU
(A) 21:00 | 20:00 Jamaica vs Honduras - National Stadium, Kingston, JAM
(A) 21:00 | 21:00 Trinidad and Tobago vs Cuba - Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tobago, TRI
(A) 21:00 | 19:00 Nicaragua vs French Guiana - Estadio Nacional, Managua, NCA
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
(B) 13:30 |14:30 Dominican Republic vs Antigua and Barbuda - Bermuda National Sports Centre, Devonshire, BER
(C) 15:30 | 15:30 St. Kitts and Nevis vs Cayman Islands - Warner Park Football Stadium, Basseterre, SKN
(B) 18:30 | 19:30 Bermuda vs Dominica - Bermuda National Sports Centre, Devonshire, BER
(A) 20:00 | 18:00 Costa Rica vs Guatemala - Estadio Nacional, San Jose, CRC
(A) 20:00 | 20:00 Martinique vs Guadeloupe - Stade Pierre Aliker, Fort de France, MTQ
(A) 20:00 | 21:00 Suriname vs Guyana - Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadium, Paramaribo, SUR
(C) 20:00 | 20:00 Barbados vs Bahamas - Wildey Turf, Wildey, BAR
(C) 22:00 | 20:00 Belize vs Turks and Caicos Islands - FFB Stadium, Belmopan, BLZ
Shaw, Layzell on target as Man City stun holders Barcelona in Women's Champions League
Naomi Layzell enjoyed a dream Women's Champions League debut as her goal and assist helped Manchester City stun holders Barcelona 2-0 on Wednesday.
Layzell was playing her football in the Women's Super League last season with relegated Bristol City, but was the star of the show at the Joie Stadium.
City were making their first appearance in the competition since falling to a 4-2 quarter-final loss to the Catalan side in March 2021, and exacted their revenge with a plucky display.
The hosts, however, almost found themselves a goal behind with just three minutes on the clock when Caroline Hansen took aim and saw her effort cannon off the post, shortly before Lauren Hemp struck the woodwork with a strike of her own.
City grew into the contest and almost got the goal their performance merited in the 35th minute when Vivianne Miedema teed up Khadija Shaw, only to see her effort saved by Cata Coll.
But from the resulting corner, Gareth Taylor's side got their noses in front as Miedema brilliantly headed the ball from the back post and back into the danger area, with Layzell sliding in to mark her Champions League debut with a goal.
Barcelona had only failed to score once in their past 79 games heading into the encounter, and improved after the interval in their search for an equaliser.
Aitana Bonmati forced Ayaka Yamashita into making a smart save down to her right, with substitute Claudia Pina going close from distance as City were forced to withstand a relentless wave of pressure from the defending champions.
But the hosts landed a sucker punch in the 77th minute on the counter, with Layzell turning provider for Shaw, with the striker riding the challenge of Patri Guijarro before rounding Coll to seal a memorable triumph for City.
The Citizens ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.68 compared to Barca's 1.5, despite having four fewer shots than their opponents.
Gareth Taylor's side sit level on points with Hammarby in Group D, after the Swedish side beat Austria's St. Polten 2-0 earlier on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in Group C, Juventus edged out Norwegian side Valerenga to kickstart their campaign with a victory at the Intility Arena.
Sofia Cantore's 29th minute strike proved to be the difference, with the Italian curling a fine right-footed effort beyond the grasp of Tove Enblom against the run of play.
Juventus continued to struggle throughout the contest, with Valerenga registering 25 shots, with six of those on target, ending with an xG total of 2.2.
Man United's Diallo withdraws from Ivory Coast squad
Manchester United's Amad Diallo has withdrawn from the Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Sierra Leone due to illness.
Diallo, who has made six appearances for his country, has since returned to Manchester ahead of the Red Devils' upcoming Premier League fixture against Brentford.
The 22-year-old earned his first cap for the Elephants in 2021, and was recalled to Emerse Fae's group after a 15-month absence in June for wins over Zambia and Chad.
Ivory Coast know that two wins against the Leone Stars will seal their progression to the tournament, which takes place in Morocco at the end of next year.
A statement by the Elephants read, “The Ivorian Football Federation informs the Press and the public that the player, Amad DIALLO, arrived in group on Monday October 7, 2024, as part of the 3rd and 4th Days of the CAN qualifiers Morocco 2025, is declared forfeit for health reasons.”
Diallo is the latest player within Erik ten Hag's ranks to withdraw from international duty with their respective nations.
Argentina's Alejandro Garnacho, England's Kobbie Mainoo and Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui are the other players left out as a precaution.
Diallo has made 10 appearances for United this season in all competitions, scoring once in his side's 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
However, he has yet to fully nail down a starting berth, with Ten Hag so far rotating his wide options with Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
Daniel Maldini the missing piece to Italy puzzle, believes Spalletti
Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti believes Daniel Maldini has been the creative spark the national side has been lacking ahead of their Nations League clash with Belgium.
Maldini could follow in the footsteps of his father, Paolo, and grandfather Cesare, both former Italy captains, should he represent the Azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
The 22-year-old came through the ranks at Milan, managing 24 appearances in all competitions and scoring once, but spent three seasons out on loan from 2022 to 2024.
Maldini spent the second half of last season on loan with Monza before making his move permanent in July, netting five goals in 19 outings to help Raffaele Palladino's side to a 12th place finish in Serie A.
Now under the guidance of Alessandro Nesta, Maldini has begun to flourish, completing more dribbles (12) than any of his team-mates in the league so far.
The young Italian was one of four players given their senior call-up by Spalletti for their Nations League fixtures against Belgium and Israel, with the Monza forward replacing Lazio's Matteo Zaccagni.
And Spalletti is confident Maldini can make an impact, saying: "He is the (kind of) player we were missing."
Italy come into the contest off the back of an impressive opening to their Nations League A2 group, beating Israel and France last month.
After a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign that saw them lose to Switzerland in the round of 16, Spalletti insisted that their encounter against Belgium is crucial to their development.
"We will immediately become a great team in every match where we will be able to give the best of ourselves," Spalletti said.
"It is a crucial match for our future."
Spalletti, however, has his eyes set on the 2026 World Cup, a tournament the Azzurri have won on four occasions throughout their history.
But Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions of the competition, but have since won the European Championships against England in 2021 under Roberto Mancini.
While Spalletti signified the importance of the World Cup's influence on the Azzurri's illustrious history, he said his players must focus on each game as it comes.
"It is a tournament that has determined our history, it has made many people happy," Spalletti concluded.
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