2021 Caribbean Club Championship

The 2021 Caribbean Club Championship (officially the 2021 Flow CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd edition of the Caribbean Club Championship (also known as the CFU Club Championship), the first-tier annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), a sub-confederation of CONCACAF.

The tournament was played in the Dominican Republic between 15 and 25 May 2021. As a result of the cancellation of the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship was expanded to include a number of teams originally set to participate in the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield.

The winners of the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship qualified to the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, and the second, third and fourth place teams qualified to the 2021 CONCACAF League, as long as they comply with the minimum CONCACAF Club Licensing requirements for the CONCACAF Champions League or CONCACAF League.

Portmore United, having won the title in 2019, are the title holders. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the title was not awarded.

A total of 13 teams from 11 associations entered the expanded 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship.

• Among the 31 CFU member associations, four of them were classified as professional leagues and each may enter two teams in the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship. Before the expansion of the tournament, six teams from three associations originally entered. However, the two teams from Jamaica later withdrew, and only four teams from two associations (Dominican Republic and Haiti) entered the expanded tournament.
• Originally, a total of 14 teams from 14 associations which were classified as non-professional leagues entered the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield. After its cancellation, 9 of the 14 teams instead participated in the expanded 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship. Initially, 11 teams would participate, but Racing Club Aruba (Aruba), South East (Dominica) and Platinum FC (Saint Lucia) withdrew, while Hope International (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) were added.

Association with professional league whose teams did not enter

• Trinidad and Tobago

Notes

The matches were played at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo and Estadio Panamericano in San Cristóbal.

Before the expansion of the tournament, the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship would originally be played at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, between 14 and 26 May 2021, and six teams from three associations entered. The original draw for the group stage was held on 25 February 2021, 11:00 EST (UTC−5), at the CONCACAF Headquarters in Miami, United States. The six teams were drawn into two groups of three. The two teams from hosts Dominican Republic were placed in Pot 1, the two teams from Haiti were placed in Pot 2, while the two teams from Jamaica were placed in Pot 3. This ensured that teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

The original draw results and schedule were as follows:

• Group stage
  • Group A: Universidad O&M, Cavaly, Portmore United
    • 14 May 2021, 18:30: Universidad O&M v Cavaly
    • 16 May 2021, 18:30: Cavaly v Portmore United
    • 18 May 2021, 18:30: Universidad O&M v Portmore United
  • Group B: Delfines del Este, Don Bosco, Waterhouse
    • 14 May 2021, 21:00: Delfines del Este v Don Bosco
    • 16 May 2021, 21:00: Don Bosco v Waterhouse
    • 18 May 2021, 21:00: Delfines del Este v Waterhouse
• Knockout stage
  • Semi-finals
    • 21 May 2021, 18:30: Group A Winners v Group B Runners-up
    • 21 May 2021, 21:00: Group B Winners v Group A Runners-up
  • Third place match
    • 23 May 2021, 17:00: Semi-final 1 Losers v Semi-final 2 Losers
  • Final
    • 23 May 2021, 20:00: Semi-final 1 Winners v Semi-final 2 Winners
  • CONCACAF League playoff
    • 26 May 2021, 20:00: Club Championship 4th place v Club Shield Winners

After the expansion of the tournament, the new draw for the group stage was held on 23 April 2021, 11:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the CONCACAF Headquarters in Miami, United States. The 15 teams were drawn into four groups: three groups of four teams (Groups A–C) and one group of three teams (Group D). The four teams from the Dominican Republic and Haiti were placed in Pot 1 and drawn to position 1 of the four groups. The 11 teams originally set to participate in the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield were placed in Pot 2 and drawn to positions 2, 3 and 4 of the four groups. This ensured that teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

After the draw was made, Hope International (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) were added to Group D, and each group would have four teams. Later, Racing Club Aruba (Aruba) and Platinum FC (Saint Lucia) withdrew, and there were only two teams left in Group B. To ensure that each group had a minimum of three teams, a draw was held on 13 May 2021 to relocate a team from Group A to Group B, and Metropolitan (Puerto Rico) were moved. South East (Dominica) also withdrew, so eventually there were three teams in Groups A–C, and four teams in Group D.

The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Tiebreakers

The ranking of teams in each group is determined as follows (Regulations Article 12.1):

1. Points obtained in all group matches (three points for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss);
2. Goal difference in all group matches;
3. Number of goals scored in all group matches;
4. Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
5. Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
6. Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
7. Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match): Yellow card: −1 points;Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;Direct red card: −4 points;Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
8. Drawing of lots.

All times local, AST (UTC−4).

The semi-final matchups would be:

• SF1: Group A Winners vs. Group B Winners
• SF2: Group C Winners vs. Group D Winners

The winners of SF1 and SF2 would play in the final.

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

The top four teams of the 2021 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League or 2021 CONCACAF League as long as they comply with the minimum CONCACAF Club Licensing requirements for the CONCACAF Champions League or CONCACAF League.

• Champions qualify for 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.

• Runners-up qualify for 2021 CONCACAF League round of 16.

• Losing semi-finalists qualify for 2021 CONCACAF League preliminary round. The team with the better record are ranked 3rd overall, and the team with the worse record are ranked 4th overall, for seeding in the CONCACAF League preliminary round draw.

• 2021 Caribbean Club Shield

• 2021 CONCACAF League

• 2022 CONCACAF Champions League

• Caribbean Club Championship, CONCACAF.com