[5] The format proposals were first formally investigated at the XXXII CONCACAF Ordinary Congress in Oranjestad, Aruba on 8 April 2017.

[7] The format and schedule of the Nations Leagues was announced on 7 March 2018, 10:00 EST (UTC−5), at The Temple House in Miami Beach, Florida, United States.

[8][9] The Nations League began with a one-off qualifying phase, played across four matchdays from September 2018 to March 2019.

Based on the standings, the teams were divided into tiers for the group phase of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League.

The four group winners qualified for the Nations League final championship, played in June 2021, which determined the champions of the new competition.

[13] The following teams qualified for the Gold Cup after group play concluded in November 2019: Initially, the final four spots at the Gold Cup were to be determined by two-legged matches between the second-place finishers of League B and the first-place finishers of League C, to be played in March 2020.

In July 2020, CONCACAF announced that the qualifiers would be played by the twelve aforementioned teams as a centralized preliminary round in the United States, in the week prior to the 2021 Gold Cup group stage.

[15] The ranking of teams in each group was determined as follows (Regulations Article 12.7):[16] All of CONCACAF's 41 member associations participated in the competition.

[17] The six teams which participated in the fifth round (hexagonal) of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification received automatic entry into League A.

[23][24][25] The draw for the qualifying fixtures was held on 7 March 2018 directly after the launch event of the CONCACAF Nations League.

[26][27] Based on their results, the teams were divided into tiers for the main round of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Moreover, the top ten teams qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup to join the six hexagonal participants.

[29][30] The draw for the group phase took place at The Chelsea Theater in Paradise, Nevada, United States on 27 March 2019, 22:00 EDT (19:00 local time, PDT).