CONCACAF RANKINGS

NATIONAL TEAM RANKING

The CONCACAF (Football Federation of North and Central America and the Caribbean) wanted to develop a fair and transparent ranking in 2020 to be used for draw, placement and pot allocation for different tournaments. In addition, CONCACAF had the ambition to change the competition structure to make football more attractive. Hypercube has been asked to think along about a new ranking system, in line with the new competition structure that CONCACAF had in mind.

The developed ranking is based on the zero-sum system. This type of ranking has the advantage that it is reliable when not all countries have played against each other. There are large differences in size and playing strength between the countries that belong to CONCACAF. Big countries like Mexico and the USA, but also small states like Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago are part of CONCACAF. In practice, the big countries do not often play against the small countries, because they do not meet often in tournaments. In this case, the zero- sum system makes it possible to objectively compare countries that have never played against each other.

The new ranking has been successfully implemented and can be found on the website of CONCACAF. In the CONCACAF Nations League, the ranking is used for draw, placement and pot classification. The countries are satisfied with this. The ranking also plays an important role for the World Cup qualification.

CLUB RANKING

A variety of competitions and tournaments for club teams are organized in North and Central America. In addition to the national competitions and cups, there is the CONCACAF Champions League, regional cups and clubs participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. CONCACAF needed a reliable ranking of all clubs in the continent to use in draw procedures. In addition, a ranking offers clubs and fans a great way to keep track of the sporting strength of their club within the continent.

Hypercube, together with Concacaf and the stakeholders involved, went in search of a system that reflects the sporting relationships of all clubs. Both national and international results are included in the ranking. An Elo rating system has been chosen.

This YouTube video explains the system of the CONCACAF Club ranking.

The club ranking was published on the CONCACAF website in May 2023. The ranking is updated after every match, making it always publicly available for clubs, fans and stakeholders. The first practical application will soon follow, as the ranking will be used for the draw of the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, the Central American Cup and the Champions League later this year.