Concacaf U-20 Championship Kicks Off on Friday
Ninth edition the championship serves as the qualifying competition for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 and 2028 Summer Olympics.
MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship kicks off on Friday, with 12 national teams set to compete for the regional title and qualification to the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 and 2028 Summer Olympics.
Participating Teams
Twelve national teams will compete in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. The top six nations in the Concacaf U-20 Ranking qualified directly for the tournament, while the remaining six participants secured their places by winning their groups in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers.
The participating teams were drawn into three groups of four for the Group Stage:
- Group A: United States, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti
- Group B: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Antigua and Barbuda
- Group C: Honduras, Panama, Canada, Jamaica
Host Venues
The 2026 U-20 Championship will be hosted across three venues in Mexico.
- Estadio Banorte in Mexico City
- Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico
- Estadio Universitario BUAP in Puebla, Mexico
Group Stage matches will be played at Estadio Universitario BUAP and Estadio Cuauhtémoc, while the Quarterfinals will be held exclusively at Estadio Cuauhtémoc.
The Semifinals and Final will be played at Estadio Banorte.
Format and Schedule
The Group Stage is scheduled to run from Friday, July 24, through Saturday, August 1.
At the conclusion of the Group Stage, the top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-place finishers, will advance to the knockout stage.
The Quarterfinals are scheduled for August 4–5, followed by the Semifinals on August 7 and the Final on August 9.
The full match schedule for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship is available here.
Qualification to U-20 World Cup and Olympics
The tournament serves as the qualifying competition for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics Men’s Football Tournament.
The four teams that reach the Semifinals of the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship will qualify for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, while the tournament winner will also qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Should the United States, already qualified as host of the Olympics, win the regional competition, the Olympic berth will be awarded to the tournament runner-up.
Past Champions
- Mexico (14): 1962, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1990, 1992, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2024
- USA (3): 2017, 2018, 2022
- Canada (2): 1986, 1996
- Costa Rica (2): 1988, 2009
- Honduras (2): 1982, 1994
- El Salvador (1): 1964
