MIAMI, FL – Concacaf has launched an innovative, new ranking system for clubs and leagues in the confederation that will help determine draw seedings for its Champions League and other new tournaments.
Photo courtesy of ConcacafThe new rankings will be an important part of revamped club ecosystem in Concacaf and will come into effect from the start of the new Central American and Caribbean Cup tournaments and onwards, and the expanded Champions League next year.
According to a Concacaf news release: “The new dynamic rankings will be regularly updated following international club competitions, domestic league, and cup matches. They will be publicly available on [the Concacaf website]…
“In addition to determining draw seedings for Concacaf club competitions, the ranking system will also provide fans with an engaging way to track the progress of their favorite club and league week after week, as they compete with the very best in the confederation.”
The news release indicated that the men’s clubs in the confederation have been ranked based on their results in a slew of official international and domestic club competitions over the past six years as a starting point for the new rankings.
The competitions include the Champions League, as well as the Leagues Cup, Central American Cup, and Caribbean Cup, domestic top division professional leagues, member association cup tournaments, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Concacaf news release added: “Performances in these competitions from this season and going forward will continue to be used to determine the new club ranking.
“The competitions are weighted in terms of the ranking points available in every match, with international matches awarding more ranking points than domestic top division league and cup matches.”
The news release stated: “The calculating formula has been developed in a way that allows clubs to know ahead of each match how many ranking points they can gain or lose depending on the result (win, draw, or loss).
“Clubs gain more ranking points for defeating a higher-ranked opponent and lose more ranking points should they be defeated by a lower-ranked opponent. Home-field advantage is also a factor.”
In addition to an individual club ranking, Concacaf is launching a league ranking index to determine the strength of domestic professional leagues based on the performances of their clubs in international competitions.
For the League ranking, only international matches will be considered and matches from the Concacaf Champions League will award twice the points in comparison to Leagues Cup, Central American Cup, and Caribbean Cup.
