2026 World Cup qualifying - CONCACAF: Fixtures, results, table & how it works
- Canada, USA and Mexico already guaranteed of their place at the 2026 World Cup
- Only 3-5 other teams can qualify from CONCACAF
- Qualifying broken down into three rounds
By Euan Burns
The 2026 World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico promises to be a historic one as the shift is made from 32 to 48 teams.
Ahead of the tournament proper, hundreds of football matches will be played all around the world to determine which 45 teams will join the three host nations already guaranteed of a place.
Here's how the CONCACAF section of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will be played out.
2026 World Cup CONCACAF qualifying - Quick Links
- How does CONCACAF World Cup qualifying work?
- Which teams compete in CONCACAF qualifying?
- When does CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying start?
- CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying first round results
- CONCACAF 2026 World Cup second round qualification groups
- CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying second round fixtures & results
How does CONCACAF World Cup qualifying work?
CONCACAF is the federation that represents countries in North America, Central America and Caribbean areas. It's a huge geographical space but arguably the two biggest teams in the area - the USA and Mexico - have already qualified as hosts. Canada's place is also assured so things look a bit different this time.
Originally, CONCACAF was going to get six direct qualification slots and two inter-confederation play-off spots. In a change of format, there would be no dedicated host country slot, with the slots of host countries being taken out of their confederation's quota.
That means that after the USA, Canada and Mexico were chosen as hosts, only three more CONCACAF sides will qualify directly and two will join the inter-confederation play-offs.
First round
The first round of CONCACAF qualifying essentially exists to get a better number of teams. The four teams ranked 29-32 based on the FIFA rankings of November 2023 will be divided into two ties and play home and away.
The two winners go into the second round. It's not decided yet, but in the current rankings, those teams would be Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.
Second round
By shaving those two teams off, you get to 30 nations. They are drawn into six groups of five teams, playing single round-robin games, two at home and two away. Group winners and runners-up qualify for the third round.
Third round
Those 12 advancing teams are drawn into three groups of four teams. They play double round-robin home and away matches and the three group winners get into the 2026 World Cup. The two best-ranked runners-up go into the inter-confederation play-offs.
Which teams compete in CONCACAF qualifying?
With Canada, Mexico and the USA already confirmed as 2026 World Cup participants, the following teams are competing in qualifying.
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Montserrat
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- US Virgin Islands
When does CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying start?
As one of the smaller confederations with fewer rounds of action, there was no sign of who could compete at the 2026 World Cup until late March 2024. The three teams that qualify automatically for the tournament will be discovered in November 2025 as the third round of qualifying draws to a close.
Round | Dates |
|---|---|
First round | 18-26 March 2024 |
Second round | 3-11 June 2014 and 2-10 June 2025 |
Third round | 1-9 September 2025, 6-14 October 2025, 10-18 November 2025 |
CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying first round results
The first round of qualifying involved just the four lowest ranked CONCACAF nations, with the pair of two-legged affairs both being decided on penalties:
- Anguilla 1-1 (4-3p) Turks and Caicos Islands
- US Virgin Islands 1-1 (2-4p) British Virgin Islands
CONCACAF 2026 World Cup second round qualification groups
Group A
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Honduras | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 9:2 | 6 |
2. | Cuba | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4:3 | 3 |
3. | Cayman Islands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 1:3 | 3 |
4. | Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1:2 | 1 |
5. | Bermuda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 2:7 | 1 |
Group B
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Costa Rice | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 7:0 | 6 |
2. | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 9:3 | 4 |
3. | St Kitts and Nevis | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 1:4 | 3 |
4. | Grenada | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 2:5 | 1 |
5. | Bahamas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 1:8 | 0 |
Group C
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Curacao | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 6:1 | 6 |
2. | Haiti | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5:2 | 6 |
3. | St Lucia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 3:4 | 1 |
4. | Aruba | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 2:4 | 1 |
5. | Barbados | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 2:7 | 0 |
Group D
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Nicaragua | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 8:1 | 6 |
2. | Panama | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 5:1 | 6 |
3. | Guyana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3:3 | 3 |
4. | Montserrat | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 2:7 | 0 |
5. | Belize | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 | 1:7 | 0 |
Group E
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Guatemala | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 9:0 | 6 |
2. | Jamaica | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 4:2 | 6 |
3. | Dominican Republic | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 4:1 | 3 |
4. | Dominica | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 2:9 | 0 |
5. | British Virgin Islands | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 0:7 | 0 |
Group F
Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Suriname | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 8:1 | 6 |
2. | Puerto Rico | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +8 | 8:0 | 4 |
3. | El Salvador | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 3:1 | 4 |
4. | St Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 2:7 | 0 |
5. | Anguilla | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -12 | 0:12 | 0 |
CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifying second round fixtures & results
Matchday 1
Date | Result | Group |
|---|---|---|
05/06/24 | Antigua and Barbuda 1-1 Bermuda | A |
05/06/24 | Trinidad and Tobago 2-2 Grenada | B |
05/06/24 | Curaçao 4-1 Barbados | C |
05/06/24 | Nicaragua 4-1 Montserrat | D |
05/06/24 | Guatemala 6-0 Dominica | E |
05/06/24 | Suriname 4-1 St Vincent and Grenadines | F |
06/06/24 | Honduras 3-1 Cuba | A |
06/06/24 | Costa Rica 4-0 St Kitts and Nevis | B |
06/06/24 | Haiti 2-1 St Lucia | C |
06/06/24 | Panama 2-0 Guyana | D |
06/06/24 | Jamaica 1-0 Dominican Republic | E |
06/06/24 | El Salvador 0-0 Puerto Rico | F |
Matchday 2
Date | Result | Group |
|---|---|---|
08/06/24 | Cayman Islands 1-0 Antigua and Barbuda | A |
08/06/24 | Bahamas 1-7 Trinidad and Tobago | B |
08/06/24 | Aruba 0-2 Curaçao | C |
08/06/24 | Belize 0-4 Nicaragua | D |
08/06/24 | British Virgin Islands 0-3 Guatemala | E |
08/06/24 | Anguilla 0-4 Suriname | F |
09/06/24 | Bermuda 1-6 Honduras | A |
09/06/24 | Grenada 0-3 Costa Rica | B |
09/06/24 | Barbados 1-3 Haiti | C |
09/06/24 | Montserrat 1-3 Panama | D |
09/06/24 | Dominica 2-3 Jamaica | E |
09/06/24 | St Vincent and the Grenadines 1-3 El Salvador | F |
Matchday 3
Date | Result | Group |
|---|---|---|
11/06/24 | Cuba 3-0 Cayman Islands | A |
11/06/24 | St Kitts and Nevis 1-0 Bahamas | B |
11/06/24 | St Lucia 2-2 Aruba | C |
11/06/24 | Guyana 3-1 Belize | D |
11/06/24 | Dominican Republic 4-0 British Virgin Islands | E |
11/06/24 | Puerto Rico 8-0 Anguilla | F |
Matchday 4
Date | Fixture | Group |
|---|---|---|
04/06/25 | Bermuda vs Cayman Islands | A |
04/06/25 | Grenada vs Bahamas | B |
04/06/25 | Barbados vs Aruba | C |
04/06/25 | Montserrat vs Belize | D |
04/06/25 | Dominica vs British Virgin Islands | E |
04/06/25 | St Vincent and the Grenadines vs Anguilla | F |
06/06/25 | Antigua and Barbuda vs Cuba | A |
06/06/25 | Trinidad and Tobago vs St Kitts and Nevis | B |
06/06/25 | Curaçao vs St Lucia | C |
06/06/25 | Nicaragua vs Guyana | D |
06/06/25 | Guatemala vs Dominican Republic | E |
06/06/25 | Suriname vs Puerto Rico | F |
Matchday 5
Date | Fixture | Group |
|---|---|---|
07/06/25 | Cayman Islands vs Honduras | A |
07/06/25 | Bahamas vs Costa Rica | B |
07/06/25 | Aruba vs Haiti | C |
07/06/25 | Belize vs Panama | D |
07/06/25 | British Virgin Islands vs Jamaica | E |
07/06/25 | Anguilla vs El Salvador | F |
Matchday 6
Date | Fixture | Group |
|---|---|---|
10/06/25 | Cuba vs Bermuda | A |
10/06/25 | Honduras vs Antigua and Barbuda | A |
10/06/25 | St Kitts and Nevis vs Grenada | B |
10/06/25 | Costa Rica vs Trinidad and Tobago | B |
10/06/25 | St Lucia vs Barbados | C |
10/06/25 | Haiti vs Curaçao | C |
10/06/25 | Guyana vs Montserrat | D |
10/06/25 | Panama vs Nicaragua | D |
10/06/25 | Dominican Republic v Dominica | E |
10/06/25 | Jamaica vs Guatemala | E |
10/06/25 | Puerto Rico vs St Vincent and the Grenadines | F |
10/06/25 | El Salvador vs Suriname | F |
READ THE LATEST NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MATCH REACTION
feed