Jamaica, as the holders, and Antigua and Barbuda, as hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 6 spots open for competition.
Although the qualifying tournament is also part of 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying process, the tournament has not been included by FIFA on the FIFA International Match Calendar meaning that the participating nations' first choice players may not be available to play due to club commitments.
At the time of the original draw in March 2012, only Sint Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands had not agreed to participate.
Of the five nations to withdraw, three were represented on the Caribbean Football Union executive committee.
Although a draw was originally made in March 2012, the Caribbean Football Union partner Digicel made changes to the original draw allowing only nations where Digicel services were available to host group games.