The North, Central American and Caribbean section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Three direct slots and two inter-confederation play-off slots in the final tournament were available for CONCACAF teams.
Format
On 9 May 2017, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which included six direct spots and two inter-confederation play-off spots for the CONCACAF region. However, in a change of format from previous World Cups, there would be no dedicated host country slot, with the slots of automatically qualifying host countries now taken from the quota of its confederation. If the tournament were to be co-hosted, the FIFA Council would decide which host countries would qualify automatically.[1] On 13 June 2018, three members of CONCACAF—Canada, Mexico and the United States—were selected as hosts for the 2026 World Cup by the 68th FIFA Congress.[2]
On 14 February 2023, the FIFA Council awarded automatic berths for all three host countries, leaving three direct slots and two inter-confederation play-off slots to be decided through CONCACAF qualification.[3] On 28 February, CONCACAF announced the qualifying format for 2026 World Cup qualification.[4]
First round: Four CONCACAF teams, ranked 29 to 32 based on the FIFA rankings of December 2023, were divided into two matchups, played on a two-legged home-and-away basis. The two winners advanced to the second round.
Second round: Thirty teams, the two winners from the first round and CONCACAF teams ranked 1 to 28 based on the FIFA rankings of December 2023, were drawn into six groups of five teams. They will play single round-robin matches (two home and two away), with group winners and runners-up qualifying for the third round.
Third round: The twelve teams advancing from the second round will be drawn into three groups of four teams. They will play double round-robin home-and-away matches, with the three group winners qualifying for the World Cup. The two best-ranked runners-up will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Entrants
As Canada, Mexico and the United States were awarded automatic berths as co-hosts, they did not enter qualifying. The remaining 32 FIFA-affiliated national teams from CONCACAF entered qualification. Based on the FIFA rankings of December 2023, the top 28 teams received a bye to the second round, while the lowest four teams entered the first round.[5]
The bottom four CONCACAF teams, ranked 29 to 32 based on the FIFA rankings of December 2023, were divided into two matchups to be played on a two-legged home-and-away basis. The pairings were predetermined, with the 29th ranked team facing the 32nd ranked team, and the 30th ranked team facing the 31st ranked team. The two winners advanced to the second round.[4]
The draw took place on 25 January 2024 in Zürich, Switzerland.[8]
The top twenty-eight CONCACAF teams in the FIFA rankings of December 2023 entered in the second round, joined by the two winners of the first round. Teams were drawn into six groups of five teams, and will play single round-robin matches (two home and two away). The six group winners and six group runners-up will advance to the third round.[4]
Updated to match(es) played on 11 June 2024. Source: FIFA Rules for classification: Tiebreakers Notes:
^Cuba were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit after Cayman Islands were unable to travel to Cuba due to visa issues stemming from the United States government's policy on travel to Cuba.[9]
Updated to match(es) played on 11 June 2024. Source: FIFA Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Third round
In the third round, the twelve teams advancing from the second round will be drawn into three groups of four teams. They will play double round-robin home-and-away matches, with the three group winners qualifying for the World Cup. The two best-ranked runners-up will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.[4]
The best two runners-up from the third round will join one team each from AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[10]
Qualified teams
The following teams from CONCACAF qualified for the final tournament.
^ abcAlthough the United bid was selected on 13 June 2018, the automatic berths allocated to the hosts were not confirmed until a decision by the FIFA Council on 14 February 2023.[3]
Top goalscorers
There have been 115 goals scored in 33 matches, for an average of 3.48 goals per match (as of 11 June 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.
