2023-24 Nations League finals coupled with the 2024 Copa America qualifiers signal a huge month for football in the region
There is plenty to play for as the nations of CONCACAF prepare for a March international window in which a trophy will be won and places at the Copa America secured. Participants will have one eye on the present and another on the future amid what is an exciting time for international football in the region.
On this occasion, the undercard contains arguably the more significant matches as the remaining spots at this summer’s Copa America are up for grabs in a pair of play-off matches, but first, at the top of the bill, the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League reaches its finale.
A champion will be decided from four semi-finalists: the United States, Jamaica, Panama and Mexico. All four games will be played at the same venue, the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the two semi-finals on March 21, and a third-place play-off and final on the 24th.
The stadium on the outskirts of the sprawling urban area around Dallas was widely tipped to host the 2026 World Cup final, only to be pipped to that honour by the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The facility in Arlington will, however, host more games at the 2026 World Cup than any other, so this will be preparation for the venue as well as the start of the teams’ own World Cup groundwork.
There is plenty to play for before then, including this Nations League trophy itself, in which the United States will be looking to continue their dominance. The USA have hosted and won each edition of the tournament’s final stages since the inaugural edition. They won the 2020 final (played in 2021) against Mexico in Denver and the 2023 edition against Canada in Las Vegas.
All four semi-finalists have already achieved something significant in a region that is preparing to host a number of high-profile international tournaments in the coming years. By qualifying for this stage, they secured qualification for the Copa America, which will be hosted across the United States this summer.
It will be Jamaica’s first appearance at this stage of the Nations League, arriving at the semi-finals after defeating Canada on away goals in their two-legged quarter-final. With a squad containing Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, a player who could stake a claim to be one of the best players in CONCACAF, plus a number of other Premier League stars such as Michail Antonio, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Amari’i Bell, Jamaica have high expectations and will believe that reaching this stage of tournaments is just the start.
They will face a United States side that is beginning a second term under coach Gregg Berhalte
