T&T clubs Defence Force Elite and Central FC will kicked off their respective campaigns in the ten-team Concacaf Caribbean Cup (CCC) with contrasting home and away encounters in Week One in August.
The third edition of this regional cup tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, will take place from August to December 2025.
T&T Premier Football League (TTPFL) champions Defence Force, who lifted the Caribbean Concacaf Club title back in 2001, will open their Group B campaign at home to Haitian champions Juventus de Cayes on August 21 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 8 pm in Week One before returning to action in Week Three away to Jamaica Wray & Nephew Premier League two-time reigning champion Cavalier FC, who are also the two-time Concacaf Caribbean Cup winners on September 17 at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, from 7 pm.
The Densill Theobald-coached Defence Force, which captured a record 24th T&T national league title last month without losing a match, will then host the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield runner-up on September 25 at the Mucurapo venue before journeying to the Dominican Republic for a clash with last year’s tournament runner-up, Dominican Republic’s Cibao FC at the Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros.
This season, Defence Force will be making a a return to the Caribbean Cup competition for the first time since 2023, after they contested the CFU Club Shield competition last year, a qualifier to the Caribbean Cup, but bowed out at the round-of-16 hurdle.
However, in Group A, two-time CFU Club champions Central FC (2015 & 2016), who last competed at the Concacaf level in 2018 but qualified as the runner-up of the 2024/2025 TTPFL Tier I competition will have a tougher start to their tournament as they play their first two matches on the road before ending with two matches at home.
The Randolph Boyce-coached Central FC will be first of T&T clubs in action in the competition when they travel to Dominican Republic to play O&M FC at Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros on August 20 followed six days later by another away clash, this time at Suriname’s SV Robinhoodat the Frank Essed Stadion in Paramaribo.
Central FC then close out their tournament with home clashes at the Hasely Crawford Stadium against the CFU Club Shield champion on September 16, and then Jamaica Wray & Nephew Premier League runner-up Mount Pleasant Football Academy on September 23.
In this first round of the CCC, clubs will play every club in their group once, for a total of four matches per club (two at home and two away) in the five scheduled weeks.
After the group stage, the first-and second-placed finishers in each group will advance to the semifinals (October 21-23 and 28-30, 2025), with the third place and final set for November 25-27 and December 2-4, where the Caribbean’s new champion will be crowned.
Furthermore, the finalists and the third-place winner will qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, with the champion receiving a bye to the round of 16 of the Confederation’s premier 27-club competition.
Last year, Cavalier FC retained their title, defeating Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic in the CCC final on away goals after the two-legged series ended in a 2–2 aggregate draw.
Miscellaneous Police FC and dethroned TTPFL champion AC Port-of-Spain (AC PoS), who finished the season in the third and fourth spots, respectively, will contest the CFU Club Shield, with the additional fourth spot being specific to the 2025 edition of the competition, as stated by CFU general secretary Camara David via a press release to T&T Football Association president Kieron Edwards on May 17.
Concacaf Caribbean Cup schedule
Group Stage Week 1
August 19
Mount Pleasant FA vs SV Robinhood - Stadium East, Kingston, Jamaica, 7 pm
Cibao FC vs Cavalier FC - Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 8 pm
August 20
O&M FC vs Central FC - Estadio Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 8 pm
August 21
Defence Force FC vs Juventus de Cayes - Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm
Group Stage Week 2
August 26
SV Robinhood vs Central FC - Frank Essed Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname, 7 pm
CFU Club Shield runner-up vs Cibao FC - TBC, 8 pm
August 27
CFU Club Shield champion vs Mount Pleasant FA - TBC, 8 pm
August 28
Cavalier FC vs Juventus des Cayes - Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, 7 pm
Group Stage Week 3
September 16
Central FC vs CFU Club Shield Champion - Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm
September 17
Cavalier FC vs Defence Force FC - Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, 7 pm
September 18
SV Robinhood vs O&M FC - Frank Essed Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname, 7 pm
Juventus de Cayes vs CFU Club Shield Runner-Up - Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 8 pm
Group Stage Week 4
September 23
Juventus de Cayes vs Cibao FC - Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 8 pm
Central FC vs Mount Pleasant FA - Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm
September 24
O&M FC vs CFU Club Shield Champion - TBC, 8 pm
September 25
Defence Force FC vs CFU Club Shield runner-up - Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm
Group Stage Week 5
September 30
CFU Club Shield champion vs SV Robinhood - TBC, 8 pm
Mount Pleasant FA vs O&M FC - Stadium East, Kingston, Jamaica, 7 pm
October 1
CFU Club Shield Runner-Up vs Cavalier FC - TBC, 8 pm
Cibao FC vs Defence Force FC - Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominica Republic, 8 pm