CONCACAF

Greenland applies for Concacaf membership, would play USMNT and Mexico

The application to Concacaf was formally submitted on May 13.

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Greenland is hoping to play on new green land.

The nation, known as the world's largest island with a population of around 56,000, submitted an application to join Concacaf, its footballing association said on Tuesday.

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Manager Morten Rutkjaer also posted a statement to social media on the submission.

"Greenland is taking a historic step on the international football scene by officially applying for membership in
Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football," Rutkjaer said in the statement.

Concacaf, which has yet to comment on the status of Greenland's application, is most known for being the international home for the U.S. men's national team and Mexico. Canada, Jamaica and Costa Rica are also among the popular teams.

Greenland, which formally submitted the application on May 13, said it is partnering with Iceland's national team to bolster its international ambitions and help host home games.

Politically, Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, which is under UEFA (Europe). But it's path to UEFA is blocked due to a bylaw the organization adopted in 2022, which stipulated that membership may only be offered to football associations “based in a country which is recognised as an independent state by the majority of members of the United Nations.”

FIFA, though, does not recognize Greenland's national team, which primarily plays against other Nordic states.

If Concacaf accepts it, Greenland would become the seventh member of the confederation which is not FIFA-recognized and the 42nd overall. The others are overseas territories of European nations in Martinique, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Bonaire, and Saint Martin (France) and Sint Marteen (Netherlands).

The closest Concacaf-related venue to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, would be Toronto at just north of 1,700 miles.

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