CONCACAF
CONCACAF ’s smaller nations have a golden opportunity to seize a spot at the 2026 World Cup ahead of the group stage qualifiers
Preview
CONCACAF qualifying for the 2026 World Cup will take on a different feel during this cycle. With the finals set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, three of the region’s leading nations will bypass qualification altogether, opening up huge opportunities for the rest.
Since the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, the USA and Mexico have only failed to qualify once between them, with the US missing out on Russia 2018. The absence of these two giants, as well as that of CONCACAF 2022 World Cup qualifying table-toppers Canada, leaves an unusual void in the region’s tournament this time around, which will be relished by the nations of Central America, the
Caribbean and the CONCACAF countries on the northern coast of South America. With three places up for grabs at the finals, plus one in an inter-confederational play-off, there is plenty to play for.
It is a packed and varyingly competitive field. Two first-round games took the field from 32 teams down to 30, deciding the final line-up for this second round, which begins in June.
Both of those two-legged first-round matches were eventually decided on penalties. Anguilla knocked out the Turks & Caicos Islands while the British Virgin Islands, coached by former Ipswich Town, Arsenal and QPR forward Chris Kiwomya, defeated the US Virgin Islands in what was something of a local derby.
With three places up for grabs at the World Cup finals, plus one in an inter -confederational play-off, there is plenty to play for
In the second round, the 30 teams will be split into six groups of five in which they play each other once. The highest FIFA-ranked teams in each group have the advantage of playing the two teams closest to them in the rankings at home. This in turn means that the lowest-ranked team in each group will face the two highest-ranked teams in their home games.
Those 30 teams will then be whittled down to 12 as two from each group qualify for the third round. There, the eventual World Cup qualifiers will be decided among three groups of four playing each other home and away, with the top team from each group securing their place.
But before then, there is t
