Cayman to host a pair of Caribbean foes as Concacaf Nations League play starts next month

The Cayman Islands Men’s National team is set to play a pair of Caribbean opponents next month at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex as it kicks off Concacaf Nations League play.

Concacaf this week confirmed the schedule, host venues, and kickoff times for the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League (CNL) Group Stage matches that will be played during the September 2024 FIFA Match Window.

Cayman is set to host British Virgin Islands on Wednesday, 4 Sept. before taking on St. Kitts and Nevis on Saturday, 7 Sept. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

“We look forward to getting back out on the pitch and having the chance to face quality opponents in front of our home crowd,” Cayman Islands Football Association President Alfredo Whittaker said. “This competition allows us another opportunity to show the talent we have in Cayman and how we’ve come together as a team.”

The last time the Cayman Islands side played at the national stadium was nothing short of magical. Joshwa Ebanks’ late winner lifted Cayman to its first win in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

The squad will look to build off that momentum next month.

BVI enters the match having lost three of its last five matches, including its last two World Cup qualifiers earlier this year. St. Kitts and Nevis enters the match after having beat Bahamas in its previous World Cup qualifier match in June.

The fourth edition of the Nations League tournament continues to feature the region’s 41 men’s national teams divided into three leagues (A, B, and C), with the teams distributed into the Leagues according to the results of the preceding edition (2023/24). Matches for all three Leagues will be played across three upcoming men’s FIFA Match Windows (September, October, and November 2024), followed by the Concacaf Nations League Finals (CNLF) in March of 2025.

League C includes nine teams divided into three groups of three teams. During the FIFA Match Windows of September and October, each team will play every team in its group twice, for a total of four matches per team.

In the previous edition of the CNL, Jamaica beat Panama 1-0 to make history as the first Caribbean team to secure a podium finish in the tournament. The United States won the tournament, its third consecutive title.