• 12 national teams have been split into three groups of four
  • Home-and-away round-robin play will take place in September, October, and November
  • Group winners will qualify for next summer’s World Cup; the two best runners-up will advance to an Intercontinental Play-Off

 

Miami, FL (Thursday, June 12, 2025) – Concacaf today conducted the draw for the Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Third and Final Round, which will determine the region’s remaining participants for next summer’s tournament, will feature 12 national teams competing during the FIFA international windows of September, October, and November 2025.

The live made-for-TV event, hosted by sports anchor Alejandro Berry in Miami, FL, included Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, Concacaf Chief Football Competitions Officer Carlos Fernández, and former Panama international Blas Pérez, who served as draw assistant.

During Thursday’s draw, the six group winners and six runners-up from the Second Round were drawn into three groups as follows:

Group A: Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Suriname
Group B: Jamaica, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda
Group C: Costa Rica, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua

Competition Format and Dates

The Final Round will feature home-and-away round-robin play within each group, with each team playing six matches—three at home and three away—across the September, October, and November 2025 FIFA Match Windows.

At the conclusion of group play, the three group winners will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Additionally, the two best second-place finishers will advance to a FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off, to be played in March 2026.

At the conclusion of the qualifying cycle, the Concacaf region could, for the first time ever, be represented by up to eight teams at a men’s FIFA World Cup.

The Road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for Concacaf Member Associations includes a total of three rounds and kicked off in March 2024. The opening stage saw the four lowest-ranked teams compete for two available berths in the Second Round.

The Second Round featured the two Round One winners and the Confederation’s remaining 28 Member Associations that are also FIFA Members (excluding the three World Cup hosts).

Play began in June of last year with the first thirty matches and concluded this week. Each team played a total of four matches, two at home and two away, with the group winners and runners-up advancing to the Final Round.

Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule
*Venues and kick-off will be announced at a later date. The home team is listed first.