Why is Nicaragua not playing in the 2025 Gold Cup?

Despite performing well in the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League, Nicaragua will not participate in the 2025 Gold Cup. Here are the reasons behind their absence from the competition.

As the global soccer community turns its attention toward the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, Concacaf fans eagerly anticipate the upcoming Gold Cup. The Mexican and U.S. teams aim to continue their historic dominance in the competition. Meanwhile, other teams are determined to end a 25-year drought and claim the coveted trophy. Unfortunately, Nicaragua will not compete in this prestigious tournament.

The Nicaraguan National Team faces significant challenges. They have struggled to find consistency in recent matches and show great instability with their sports project. Furthermore, their soccer league encounters controversy and scrutiny. In 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found twelve players guilty of match-fixing. This scandal has cast a long shadow over the league’s reputation and integrity.

Nicaragua ignited controversy during the 2022-23 Nations League season by fielding an ineligible player in eight games, according to ESPN. Consequently, the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee addressed the issue in June 2023. They found them guilty and removed them from their 2023 Gold Cup spot. Additionally, this decision relegated them to League B in the Nations League.

Why Nicaragua will not attend the 2025 Gold Cup?

Although Nicaragua was relegated to League B of the Nations League after the incident, the team bounced back to League A. In the 2024–25 edition of the tournament, they defended their spot in the top division. However, they could not clinch direct qualification to the 2025 Gold Cup after finishing third in their group.

Because of that, they had to play Guadeloupe in the preliminary phase. On paper, it looked like a favorable matchup. Still, Nicaragua failed to win either the first or second leg. As a result, they were eliminated and lost their shot at reaching the 2025 Gold Cup.

This year’s failure marked Nicaragua’s third consecutive absence from the Gold Cup. However, it still falls short of their longest drought since that record stands at nine straight editions without qualifying, a streak that lasted from 1991 to 2007.

From: bolavip.com