The tournament was open to all champion and runners-up from each member association’s league, once their competition ended on or before the end of 2013. Registration for all interested clubs closed on December 31, 2013. CONCACAF broadened the possibilities for participation and further indicated that the competition was not limited to professional clubs only. Therefore, clubs with amateur status were also eligible for participation.[2]
In the first round, the 12 teams were divided into three groups of four, with each group containing at least two league champions. 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 to join Valencia.[3][4]
Under the original plan for the final round, the four teams would play matches on a knock-out basis, hosted by one of the teams at a centralized venue. The semifinal winners would play in the final while the losers would play in the third place match.[3][4] Both finalists and the winner of the third place match would qualify for the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League.
On March 31, 2014, the CFU announced that Valencia, which were given a bye to the final round, could not participate in the competition after the Haitian Football Federation failed to confirm the club as an active member of the federation due to a fallout between the club and the federation. After consultation with CONCACAF and the three first round group winners which were to play with Valencia in the final round, the three group winners, Bayamón FC, Waterhouse, and Alpha United, were chosen to represent the CFU in the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, subject to the clubs meeting the minimum standards for participation. Moreover, the final round was cancelled to save expenses for the three teams.[8]
