The 2016 CFU Club Championship was the 18th edition of CFU Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). The top three teams in the tournament qualified for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League. Central were the defending champions, having won the 2015 CFU Club Championship, and successfully defended their title, defeating fellow Trinidadian side W Connection in the final for the second straight year.
Teams
The tournament was open to all league champions and runners-up from each of the 31 CFU member associations, once their competition ended on or before the end of 2015.
A total of 14 teams from 8 CFU associations entered the competition. This is the first CFU Club Championship to feature teams from the Dominican Republic, with Atlético Pantoja and Atlántico both participating.
AssociationTeamQualification method BermudaSomerset Trojans2014–15 Bermudian Premier Division champions Cayman IslandsScholars International2014–15 Cayman Islands Premier League champions Dominican RepublicAtlético Pantoja2015 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol championsAtlántico2015 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol runners-up GuadeloupeMoulien2014–15 Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur championsLa Gauloise2014–15 Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur runners-up HaitiDon Bosco2015 Ligue Haïtienne Tournoi d'Ouverture championsAmérica2015 Ligue Haïtienne Tournoi d'Ouverture runners-up JamaicaArnett Gardens2014–15 National Premier League championsMontego Bay United2014–15 National Premier League runners-up SurinameInter Moengotapoe2014–15 SVB Hoofdklasse championsNotch2014–15 SVB Hoofdklasse runners-up Trinidad and TobagoCentral2014–15 TT Pro League championsW Connection2014–15 TT Pro League runners-up
+Associations which did not enter a team Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica French Guiana Grenada Guyana Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint-Martin Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands
Notes
Schedule RoundDatesPreliminary roundGroups A & B24–28 February 2016Group C9–13 March 2016Group D2–6 March 2016Final round29 April – 1 May 2016
The Group C matches were delayed from the original dates of 24–28 February 2016 due to the Jamaican general election on 25 February.
Preliminary round In the preliminary round, the 14 teams were divided into two groups of four teams and two groups of three teams, consisting of two league champions and either one or two league runners-up. Each group was played on a round-robin basis, hosted by one of the teams at a centralized venue. The winners of each group advanced to the final round.
Group 1 Host venue: Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, Trinidad and Tobago (all times UTC−4)
Group 2 Host venue: Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (all times UTC−5)
Group 3 Host venue: Montego Bay Sports Complex, Montego Bay, Jamaica (all times UTC−5)
Group 4 Host venue: Estadio Quisqueya, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (all times UTC−4)
Final round In the final round, the four teams played matches on a knock-out basis, hosted by one of the teams at a centralized venue. The semi-finals matchups were: Winner Group 1 vs. Winner Group 4 Winner Group 2 vs. Winner Group 3
The semi-final winners played in the final, while the losers played in the third place match.
The CFU announced on 18 March 2016 that Don Bosco were chosen as the final round host, with the host venue being the Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (all times UTC−5).
Bracket
Semi-finals Winners qualified for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League.
Third place match Winner qualified for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League.
Final
Top scorers RankPlayerTeamGoals1 Jamal Charles W Connection4 Michealos Martin Arnett Gardens43 Owayne Gordon Montego Bay United3 Kemal Malcolm Arnett Gardens3 Jason Marcano Central3 Darren Mitchell Central3 Jomal Williams W Connection3
Awards AwardPlayerTeamMost Valuable Player Leston Paul CentralGolden Boot Marcus Joseph Central Jason Marcano Central Darren Mitchell CentralGolden Glove Javon Sample CentralFair Play Award— Central
References
External links CFU Club Championship, CFUfootball.org