Concacaf nations learn opponents in U-17 World Cup draw

Teams were drawn into twelve groups during Thursday’s draw in Zurich.

MIAMI – The eight Concacaf nations participating in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026 later this year have learned their opponents.

Teams were drawn into twelve groups during Thursday’s draw in Zurich. The event defined the group-stage matchups and subsequent ties for the tournament’s 21st edition.

Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and the United States earned the right to represent the region as the group winners in the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers.

Here are the complete pairings for the group stage:

Group A: Qatar, Panama, Egypt, Greece

Group B: Korea Republic, CAF 1, New Caledonia, Ecuador

Group C: Argentina, Australia, CAF 2, Denmark

Group D: France, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group E: Italy, Jamaica, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan

Group F: Senegal, Croatia, Cuba, Tajikistan

Group G: Mali, New Zealand, Belgium, Vietnam

Group H: Spain, China PR, Fiji, Morocco

Group I: Brazil, Republic of Ireland, Tanzania, Costa Rica

Group J: USA, Montenegro, Chile, Algeria

Group K: Mexico, Romania, Cameroon, Venezuela

Group L: Japan, Colombia, Serbia, Honduras

The 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup will take place from November 19 to December 13. The tournament will be hosted in Qatar for a second consecutive edition.

The top two teams in each group and eight best third place teams will qualify for the Round of 32, as the tournament shifts to a single-elimination knockout format to determine the next world champion.

Mexico is the most successful nation from the region at the U-17 World Cup, lifting the trophy at the 2005 and 2011 editions. The other seven Concacaf participants will be seeking to win the tournament for the first time.