The Grenada Football Association (GFA) has taken the difficult decision to relocate its upcoming home fixtures in the 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League to Trinidad and Tobago, as the Association acts to protect Grenada’s competition standing and avoid exposing the country to the risk of further sanctions arising from poor field conditions at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
The GFA will host two League B, Group C doubleheaders at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 2 and 5 October 2026. On Friday, 2 October, St Kitts and Nevis will face Cuba at 5 pm, followed by Bonaire versus Grenada at 8 pm. On Monday, 5 October, Cuba will meet St Kitts and Nevis at 5 pm, before Grenada faces Bonaire at 8 pm.
The doubleheaders were originally intended to provide Grenadian supporters with another opportunity to experience Concacaf Nations League football at home. Relocating them is therefore neither the preferred nor the more convenient option for the GFA. The decision follows an escalating history of field-of-play compliance concerns, formal warnings and financial penalties associated with Grenada’s hosting of international matches at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium. These concerns culminated in a Concacaf visit to Grenada on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, during which the pitch at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium was deemed unsatisfactory and failed to meet the required standard.
In September 2023, the GFA incurred a fine in relation to poor field conditions. In August 2024, Concacaf formally advised the association that the condition of the field at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium was below the acceptable standard required to host League B matches. Concacaf stated that significant improvements were necessary, including the implementation of a specialised irrigation and maintenance plan, and warned that stronger sanctions could follow in the event of repeated violations.
Concerns continued during the September 2024 Nations League window. Following matches played at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium on 9 September, Concacaf Match Officials reported poor field conditions, including dirt patches and waterlogged areas following rainfall, and identified concerns surrounding the maintenance of the playing surface. Concacaf subsequently issued what it described as a stringent warning, advising that more severe sanctions could be imposed in the event of another recurrence.
In May 2026, the GFA incurred a further fine in relation to poor field conditions. Formal warning letters issued in August and September 2024, together with additional communications from Concacaf, also addressed the ongoing concerns surrounding the condition of the field.
Throughout this period, the GFA continued to engage directly with the Grenada National Stadium Authority (GNSA), in an effort to address the concerns and keep international football in Grenada. Several meetings were held to discuss field preparation, venue readiness and the significant costs associated with hosting international matches at the facility, most recently with the Deputy Chair of the GNSA. These discussions formed part of the association’s efforts to identify practical solutions before relocation became necessary.
Despite those engagements, as at the date of this release, the revised field-maintenance plan and the required lighting report have not been provided by the stadium to the GFA. These documents form part of the mandatory requirements for confirming a venue’s readiness to host Concacaf matches; without them, the venue would not be eligible for approval to host the fixtures. By relocating the matches, the GFA acted before Grenada could be exposed to a further avoidable failure to meet the competition’s hosting requirements.
Against that background, the GFA has determined that it cannot responsibly expose Grenada to the consequences of another minimum-standard violation. The relocation of the October fixtures is therefore a proactive compliance and risk-management decision intended to safeguard Grenada’s standing and continued participation in Concacaf competition, rather than wait for another violation to occur and potentially trigger more serious disciplinary consequences.
The GFA also wishes to clarify an important distinction between its regulatory responsibility as Grenada’s governing body for football and the operational management of the country’s national stadium. As Grenada’s Concacaf Member Association, the GFA bears responsibility for ensuring that any venue submitted for international competition satisfies Concacaf requirements. However, the Association is not the operator of the Kirani James Athletics Stadium and does not exercise control over the maintenance, preparation or infrastructure of the facility.
Nevertheless, when the venue presented for Grenada’s international matches does not satisfy the required competition standards, the regulatory and disciplinary consequences ultimately fall upon the GFA and, by extension, Grenada.
GFA President Marlon Glean said the Association has a responsibility to protect the long-term interests of the game. “Our first preference will always be for Grenada to play its home matches in Grenada. Our players deserve to represent their country in front of their own people, and our supporters deserve to experience international football at home.
However, our responsibility extends beyond any one match. We have received repeated warnings and financial penalties regarding the condition of the playing field, and we cannot responsibly continue to place Grenada in a position where another violation could result in even more serious consequences or require us to divert resources that should be invested in football development toward fines and penalties.
Moving these matches to Trinidad and Tobago is not something we want to do. It comes at a significant financial and operational cost, takes away the home advantage our players should enjoy, and deprives our supporters of the opportunity to rally behind their national team here in Grenada.
At this stage, however, protecting Grenada’s competition standing and the long-term interests of our football must take priority. We remain committed to working constructively with the relevant authorities so that international football can return home as soon as a compliant and sustainable hosting environment can be assured.”
Relocating the 2 matchdays will require the GFA to absorb additional expenditure associated with air travel, accommodation, ground transportation, venue arrangements, match operations, match promotions and other logistical requirements. The estimated additional cost of relocating the fixtures is approximately EC$336,345.69.
The impact, however, extends beyond the association. Playing outside Grenada means the national team loses genuine home-field advantage. Grenadian supporters lose the opportunity to watch and support their team on home soil. Local vendors, transportation providers, hotels and other businesses lose economic activity ordinarily generated by international match hosting. The anticipated influx from the three visiting teams, supporters, Concacaf staff and match officials was expected to exceed 200 visitors. Grenada also loses the wider sense of national pride and occasion associated with welcoming regional and international football to the country.
For these reasons, staging Grenada’s home matchdays abroad is neither financially nor competitively advantageous to the GFA. It is a decision being taken because the association believes that the potential consequences of another compliance failure could be significantly more damaging to Grenada.
The GFA further wishes to make clear that Grenada has not been formally banned from hosting Concacaf matches. Concacaf has, however, repeatedly warned that further violations could result in more severe sanctions. Given the accumulated warnings and financial penalties, the association believes it would be irresponsible to wait for such sanctions to materialise before taking preventative action.
The GFA’s objective is therefore not simply to return international football to Grenada, but to ensure that, when international matches return, the hosting environment is capable of consistently and sustainably meeting FIFA and Concacaf standards across successive competition windows.
The association looks forward to working collaboratively with the Government of Grenada, the GNSA and other stakeholders toward establishing the field-management, maintenance and venue-readiness systems necessary to achieve that objective.
Grenada’s national teams belong at home, and the GFA remains committed to doing everything within its responsibility to ensure they can return home under conditions that protect our players, our supporters and the future standing of Grenadian football.
GFA
