Concacaf announces dates and format for inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup
Concacaf has today announced that the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will be played between February 17 – March 10, 2024, in the United States. This new and exciting tournament is the region’s premier competition for women’s senior national teams and is a key part of the "Concacaf W" women's football strategy the Confederation launched in 2019.
The tournament will include a six team Preliminary Round (Prelims) and a 12-team group stage, followed by a three round Knockout Stage. The Final, on Sunday, March 10, will crown Concacaf’s best women’s national team and will conclude a cycle of elite women’s football in the region, which also included the 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers and 2022 Concacaf W Championship.
The 12 team W Gold Cup Group Stage will consist of eight Concacaf teams and four CONMEBOL guest teams. Thus far, the United States (current world champions) secured a berth by winning the 2022 Concacaf W Championship. They will be joined by the winner of the Concacaf Olympic Play-In (Canada or Jamaica) and a further six Concacaf teams who qualify through earlier rounds. The CONMEBOL guest participants have been determined based on the 2022 Women’s Copa America. Further details are included below.
Regarding this important announcement, Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said:
“This new Concacaf W Gold Cup will be the flagship event for women’s national team football in our region and will showcase some of the very best women’s football in Concacaf and the world. The tournament will be a celebration of the work we have done so far, hand-in-hand with our federations, implementing our groundbreaking Concacaf W strategy, which was launched in 2019 to prioritize the growth of women’s football at all levels. While there remains more work to do, I believe we are now truly beginning to see the benefits of that strategy, not least through the performances of the record six Concacaf teams who have qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”
The tournament will include a six team Preliminary Round (Prelims) and a 12-team group stage, followed by a three round Knockout Stage. The Final, on Sunday, March 10, will crown Concacaf’s best women’s national team and will conclude a cycle of elite women’s football in the region, which also included the 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers and 2022 Concacaf W Championship.
The 12 team W Gold Cup Group Stage will consist of eight Concacaf teams and four CONMEBOL guest teams. Thus far, the United States (current world champions) secured a berth by winning the 2022 Concacaf W Championship. They will be joined by the winner of the Concacaf Olympic Play-In (Canada or Jamaica) and a further six Concacaf teams who qualify through earlier rounds. The CONMEBOL guest participants have been determined based on the 2022 Women’s Copa America. Further details are included below.
Regarding this important announcement, Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said:
“This new Concacaf W Gold Cup will be the flagship event for women’s national team football in our region and will showcase some of the very best women’s football in Concacaf and the world. The tournament will be a celebration of the work we have done so far, hand-in-hand with our federations, implementing our groundbreaking Concacaf W strategy, which was launched in 2019 to prioritize the growth of women’s football at all levels. While there remains more work to do, I believe we are now truly beginning to see the benefits of that strategy, not least through the performances of the record six Concacaf teams who have qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”
This announcement has been made on International Women’s Day, which the Confederation is commemorating with a range of activities and content that promotes women in football in Concacaf, and the ongoing work being carried out through our Concacaf W strategy to develop all levels of football on and off the pitch for women and girls across the region. For more Concacaf women's football content and coverage, follow @ConcacafW and visit www.concacaf.com/en/concacafw.
2024 CONCACAF W GOLD CUP COMPETITION FORMAT
Prelims: February 17, 2024
(Qualifies three teams into the Group Stage)
The Prelims will be composed of a single round. The six participants, to be determined via the Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup (further details available below) will be divided into three pairings according to their Concacaf Women’s Ranking of December 2023 (published after the last match of the Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup), as follows:
- Highest ranked team vs lowest ranked team
- Second ranked team vs Fifth ranked team
- Third ranked team vs Fourth ranked team
After single match elimination play, the winning team in each of the matchups will advance to the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage (three teams in total).
Group Stage: February 20-28, 2024
(Qualifies eight teams into the Knockout Stage)
The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage will include the participation of eight Concacaf Member Associations and four CONMEBOL guests. CONMEBOL’s teams have been invited as part of a strategic collaboration agreement between both Confederations.
For the Group Stage, teams will be split into three groups of four. Each team will play every other team in their group once, for a total of three matches per team.
The 12 nations participating in the group stage will be determined as follows:
Group Stage: February 20-28, 2024
(Qualifies eight teams into the Knockout Stage)
The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage will include the participation of eight Concacaf Member Associations and four CONMEBOL guests. CONMEBOL’s teams have been invited as part of a strategic collaboration agreement between both Confederations.
For the Group Stage, teams will be split into three groups of four. Each team will play every other team in their group once, for a total of three matches per team.
The 12 nations participating in the group stage will be determined as follows:
- 2022 Concacaf W Championship champion (United States)
- Concacaf Olympic Play-In winner (Canada OR Jamaica)
- Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup League A Group winners (three teams)
- Concacaf W Gold Cup Prelims winners (three teams)
- CONMEBOL guests (four teams): Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Paraguay (determined based on the results of the 2022 Women’s Copa America).
Knockout Stage: March 2-10, 2024
Following Group Stage play, the three group winners and runners-up (six teams), plus the two best third place finishers (two teams) will advance to the Knockout Stage (eight teams in total). The Knockout Stage will be played in a single match direct elimination format and will be comprised of Quarterfinals (March 2-3), Semifinals (March 6), and a Final, on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Following Group Stage play, the three group winners and runners-up (six teams), plus the two best third place finishers (two teams) will advance to the Knockout Stage (eight teams in total). The Knockout Stage will be played in a single match direct elimination format and will be comprised of Quarterfinals (March 2-3), Semifinals (March 6), and a Final, on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
2023 ROAD TO CONCACAF W GOLD CUP
Following the conclusion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand in August, where a record six Concacaf Nations will participate, the road to the first-ever Concacaf W Gold Cup will begin.
33 Concacaf women's national teams, not including the two who will compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament (USA and Canada or Jamaica), will be split into three leagues according to their Concacaf Women’s Ranking of March 2023, as follows:
Following the conclusion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand in August, where a record six Concacaf Nations will participate, the road to the first-ever Concacaf W Gold Cup will begin.
33 Concacaf women's national teams, not including the two who will compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament (USA and Canada or Jamaica), will be split into three leagues according to their Concacaf Women’s Ranking of March 2023, as follows:
- League A: Nine top ranked teams divided into three groups of three teams
- League B: Next 12 best-ranked teams divided into three groups of four teams
- League C: Lowest ranked 12 teams divided into three groups of four teams
After home and away group stage play within each League, in the FIFA Women’s match windows of September, October, and November 2023, the top finishers in each of the League A groups (three teams) will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage.
Furthermore, the second place finishers in each of the League A groups (three teams) and the first-place finishers in each of the League B groups (three teams) will advance to Round One of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Prelims (six teams in total).
The official draw of the 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Additional details regarding the draw will be announced at a later date.
Furthermore, the second place finishers in each of the League A groups (three teams) and the first-place finishers in each of the League B groups (three teams) will advance to Round One of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Prelims (six teams in total).
The official draw of the 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Additional details regarding the draw will be announced at a later date.
