Concacaf Nations League Play-In begins as teams eye 2025 Gold Cup | OneFootball

MIAMI – The 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League Play-In begins on Thursday, as eight teams compete to qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

After the completion of Concacaf Nations League Group Stage for Leagues A and C, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Cuba, and French Guiana, the League A fifth and sixth-place finishers, and Barbados, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Cayman Islands, the League C group winners and best second-place team, advanced to the Concacaf Nations League Play-In.The Concacaf Nations League Play-In consists of a home-and-away direct elimination round, where the eight participants have been divided into four matchups based on the Group Stage results.

After home-and-away play, the aggregate score winner in each matchup will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.

Saint Kitts and Nevis vs. Cuba

Saint Kitts and Nevis host Cuba in the first leg of their Play-In series on Thursday at the SKNFA Technical Center in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Saint Kitts and Nevis was the Group C winner in League C with a 3-1-0 record. Tiquanny Williams stood out with consecutive braces in September and leads the nation all-time with nine CNL goals.

Cuba was the fifth-place finisher in Group B of League A. Dariel Morejón was one of the top players for Cuba, achieving five ball recoveries, while Maykel Reyes scored one goal and was the team leader in shots (13) in the group stage.

The meeting will be the fourth in history between the two nations, with the previous encounter coming over 23 years ago on May 18, 2001. Cuba leads the all-time series with two wins and one draw.

Belize vs. French Guiana

Belize host French Guiana in the first leg of their Play-In series on Thursday at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize.

Belize was the Group B winner in League C with a 4-0-0 record. The Belize defense stood out for not conceding any goals in the group stage, with Charles Tillett suiting up in goal for multiple clean sheets. Jordy Polanco led the attack with four goals in as many games.

French Guiana finished sixth in Group B of League A. Jules Haabo scored twice to tie among the top scorers in the group stage in the first tier and provided an assist. In the process, Haabo lifted his tally to four goals in the last two CNL editions. Joel Sarrucco is the nation’s all-time CNL scorer with six goals in 16 appearances.

The match will mark the seventh time the teams have faced off. All previous encounters occurred in League B of the CNL across the 2019/20, 2022/23, and 2023/24 seasons. Belize leads the all-time series with three wins, one draw, and two losses.

Cayman Islands vs. Guadeloupe

Cayman Islands host Guadeloupe in the first leg of their Play-In series on Friday at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town, Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands was the best second-place team in League C with seven points and was the Group C runner-up, challenging for first place until the final matchday. Zachary Scott was one of four scorers for the team and contributed to three of the four goals for the nation in the group stage, providing two assists.

Guadeloupe was the fifth-place finisher in Group A of League A. Matthias Phaeton was a threat to opponents, connecting with eight shots on target from nine attempts, and has provided four goals and four assists in 15 CNL appearances.

This will be the second match between both nations. The only other previous encounter was a Guadeloupe 7-1 victory, featuring a Mickael Antoine-Curier hat-trick and a Lery Hannany brace, on October 11, 2008, in the second round of Group A of the Caribbean Cup qualifier for the 2009 Gold Cup at Stade René Serge Nabajoth, Les Abymes, Guadeloupe.

Barbados vs. Guyana

Barbados host Guyana in the first leg of their Play-In series on Friday at the Barbados FA Technical Center in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Barbados was the Group A winner in League C with a 4-0-0 record. Niall Reid-Stephen was the co-top scorer in the third tier with six goals, including a brace and a hat-trick against the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has scored eight goals in his last six CNL matches.

Guyana was the sixth-place team in Group A of League A. Isaiah Jones stood out with a brace against Martinique to become the nation’s top scorer in the first tier. Omari Glasgow is Guyana's all-time top scorer in the CNL with 11 goals.

Barbados and Guyana share a rich history with 22 previous encounters. Guyana leads the all-time series with nine wins to six and seven draws. The last time they faced each other was in an international friendly on March 27, 2022, a 5-nil win for Guyana, featuring goals from Quincy Adams, Pernell Schultz, Neil Danns, and a brace from Omari Glasgow, at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.