Nations League means less attractive games for U.S., Mexico

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—Soccer’s governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean announced its new CONCACAF Nations League, a format designed to give more competitive matches to smaller nations. But it creates less attractive games for regional powers such as the United States and Mexico

The competition announced Wednesday replaces exhibitions on FIFA match dates, similar to the concept adopted by the Union of European Football Associations in 2014, a tournament set to start this September.

For the U.S., the new event means fewer dates for exhibitions against European and South American teams and more matches against Central American and Caribbean rivals.

Those games figure to have less box-office appeal and could make European club coaches more resistant to releasing regular starters to travel long distances for those national team matches.

After failing to qualify for this year’s World Cup, ending a streak of seven straight appearances in soccer’s showcase, the U.S. will not have a competitive match until the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

CONCACAF said the six teams in the final round of World Cup qualifying last year will proceed directly to the Nations League group phase: the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. Guatemala will not be in the tournament because it is suspended by FIFA.

The remainder of CONCACAF’s 41 members was drawn to play in qualifying from September through March 2019.