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. Teams 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 Notes Venues The matches were played at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo and Estadio Panamericano in San Cristóbal. Original format 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