| Year: | 2026 |
| Tourney Name: | FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) |
| Num Teams: | 32 |
| Confederations: | 1 |
| Top Scorer: | Rangelo Janga Shamar Nicholson (3 goals each) |
| Prevseason: | 2022 |
| Nextseason: | 2030 |
| Updated: | 11 June 2024 |
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.
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]
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 CONCACAF schedule for qualification is as follows.[4]
| Round | Matchday | Dates[7] |
|---|---|---|
| First round | First leg | 22 March 2024 |
| Second leg | 26 March 2024 | |
| Second round | Window 1 | 5–11 June 2024 |
| Window 2 | 4–10 June 2025 | |
| Third round | Matchday 1 | 1–9 September 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 6–14 October 2025 | |
| Matchday 4 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 10–18 November 2025 | |
| Matchday 6 |
See main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round.
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]
See main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF second round.
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]
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 matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[9]
The following teams from CONCACAF qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | data-sort-type="number" | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 (1986, 2022) | ||||
| 17 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) | ||||
| 11 (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022) | ||||
| TBD | ||||
| TBD | ||||
| TBD |
Below are full goalscorer lists for each round: