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The Preliminary Draw CONCACAF for the FIFA World Cup 26™ was made at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 25, 2024, as 32 teams discovered their steps on the path to the biggest FIFA tournament in history.
The draw, conducted by Chief Tournament Officer – USA, FIFA World Cup 2026, Manolo Zubiria, with the assistance of FIFA Legends Paulo Wanchope Watson (Costa Rica) and Ricardo Gardner (Jamaica), saw the national teams divided into six groups of five for the second round of CONCACAF qualifying to be held in June 2024 and June 2025.
The winners of the first-round play-offs between Turks and Caicos Islands and Anguilla (play-off 1), and British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands (play-off 2), will join 28 CONCACAF counterparts in the second round of qualifying. These first-round matches will be played over two legs in March 2024, in accordance with the format for the CONCACAF qualifiers announced on February 28, 2023.
Throughout the second round of qualifying, each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches (two at home, and two away). Following the completion of the second round, the group winners and runners-up (12 teams in total) will progress to the final round, when a separate draw will be held.
During the final round draw, the 12 teams will be divided into three groups of four teams. Each team will play every other team in their group home and away, playing a total of six matches (three at home, and three away).
The final round matches will be played during the FIFA international match windows of September, October, and November 2025. Following the completion of the final round, the three group winners will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 26, joining hosts Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
Additionally, the best two runners-up will represent CONCACAF in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. In total, the CONCACAF region could have up to eight teams at the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
Following on from CONMEBOL, the AFC and CAF, CONCACAF will be the fourth confederation to launch its qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
CONCACAF Preliminary Draw (Round Two) – FIFA World Cup 26
Group A
Honduras, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands
Group B
Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Bahamas
Group C
Haiti, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba
Group D
Panama, Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat, Belize
Group E
Jamaica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Winner play-off 2 (British Virgin Islands or US Virgin Islands)
Group F
El Salvador, Suriname, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Winner play-off 1 (Turks and Caicos Islands or Anguilla)
