2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round explained

The first round of CONCACAF matches for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification were played on 22 and 26 March 2024.^[1]

Format

Four teams, ranked as the bottom four in the CONCACAF entrant list, played home-and-away over two legs in two ties. The two winners advanced to the second round.^[2]

Seeding

The seeding was based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking of December 2023 (shown in parentheses).^{[3] [4]}

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the second round.

The first round ties were predetermined as follows:

• First-ranked team vs fourth-ranked team
• Second-ranked team vs third-ranked team

The lower-ranked teams hosted the first leg, while the higher-ranked teams hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played on 22 March, while the second legs were played on 26 March 2024.^[5]

Matches

1–1 on aggregate. Anguilla won 4–3 on penalties and advanced to the second round (Group F).----1–1 on aggregate. British Virgin Islands won 4–2 on penalties and advanced to the second round (Group E).

External links

• • World Cup Qualifying – Men, CONCACAF.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: CONCACAF announces schedule for first two rounds of CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 . . 29 January 2024 . 29 January 2024.
2. Web site: CONCACAF announces formats for men's national team competitions for the 2023–2026 cycle . . 28 February 2023 . 28 February 2023.
3. Web site: Draw Procedures for the CONCACAF Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 . . 23 January 2024 . 29 January 2024.
4. Web site: Men's Ranking – December 2023 . . 21 December 2023 . 29 January 2024.
5. Web site: CONCACAF announces schedule for first two rounds of CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 . . 29 January 2024 . 29 January 2024.