The competition was originally scheduled to begin on 18 August with the final match taking place on 28 November.

[1] However, at the beginning of August 2010, the CFU released a different schedule that showed the competition being postponed until 2 October.

The groups were changed, allowing Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda to get a bye to the second qualifying round at the expense of Guyana and the Netherlands Antilles.

[3] The six highest-ranking teams – Grenada, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and Barbuda – based on the results of the 2008 tournament, were given byes into the second qualifying round.

Jamaica and Martinique automatically qualified for the final group stage as title holder and host, respectively.