The road to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins in October 2004 for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) when qualifying starts.
The inaugural 2004 Digicel Cup (Gold Cup Qualifying – Caribbean Zone), which will crown the first CFU champion since 2001, has 24 teams placed into six groups of four.
Jamaica and Cuba, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, will each host a group (A & C) for the CFU tournament’s first round from 6 October to 28 November 2004.
Martinique, who also competed at the 2003 Gold Cup, will host Group B, while the remaining three Groups (D, E, F) will be staged by the Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands and St. Kitts & Nevis, respectively.
The top two teams from each group will progress into the CFU Qualifying Second Round, which will be composed of six home-and-away series match-ups on 12 & 19 December 2004.
The Second Round winners will advance to the Third Round of CFU Tournament that has three home-and-away series encounters on 9 & 16 January 2005.
The Third Round victors will join the host Barbados in the CFU Final Round Qualification from 20-24 February 2005.
The top three teams from the CFU Final Round event will earn the Caribbean berths to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.
2005 CONCACAF GOLD CUP QUALIFYING – CARIBBEAN ZONE
First Round
Group A (24-28 November 2004)
Jamaica*, Haiti, US Virgin Islands, Saint-Martin
Group B (10-14 November 2004)
Martinique*, French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Dominica
Group C (6-10 October 2004)
Cuba*, Dominican Republic, Netherlands Antilles, Guyana
Group D (24-28 November 2004)
Trinidad & Tobago*, Puerto Rico, Grenada, Surinam
Group E (26-30 October 2004)
Cayman Islands*, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, British Virgin Islands
Group F (27-31 October 2004)
St. Kitts & Nevis*, Monsterrat, Saint Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda
Second Round
Home-and-Away Series (12 & 19 December 2004)
Series 1: Group A Winner vs. Group F Runner-up
Series 2: Group A Runner-up vs. Group F Winner
Series 3: Group B Winner vs. Group C Runner-up
Series 4: Group B Runner-up vs. Group C Winner
Series 5: Group D Winner vs. Group E Runner-up
Series 6: Group D Runner-up vs. Group E Winner
Third Round
Home-and-Away Series (9 & 16 January 2005)
Series A: Winner of Series 1 vs. Winner of Series 3
Series B: Winner of Series 5 vs. Winner of Series 6
Series C: Winner of Series 2 vs. Winner of Series 4
Final Round Group (20-24 February 2005)
Barbados*, Series Winners A, B, C
* Group Host