MIAMI – The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered top moments as the decisive stage kicked off.
Here we present the best moments from the Final Round during the September window.
Suriname makes history in El Salvador
Suriname made history with a dramatic 2-1 victory in El Salvador, its first-ever win in World Cup Qualifiers in San Salvador and only its second all-time against La Selecta. The result snapped a five-match winless streak (0W-1D-4L) at Estadio Cuscatlán to extended Suriname’s record unbeaten run to six in qualifiers (4-2-0).
The Caribbean nation also became the first team in Concacaf Qualifiers history to visit El Salvador twice in a row without losing (1-1 draw on June 10, 2025; 2-1 win on Sept. 8, 2025).
Óscar Santis ends Guatemala’s 45-year goal drought in Panama
Óscar Santis bagged the opener in the 1-1 draw against Panama to end Guatemala’s 45-year scoring drought in Panama. The goal in the 35th minute of the match marked the first for Los Chapines on Panamanian soil since July 2, 1980, when Julio “Tiburón” Gómez and José “Nazareno” Mitrovich struck in a 2-0 victory during the qualifiers for the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.
The strike was Santis’ fifth career goal in Concacaf World Cup qualifiers and helped extend Panama’s winless run against Guatemala to seven in qualifiers (5L–2D), highlighting a rivalry that continues to trouble Los Canaleros.
Duckens Nazon’s heroic hat-trick in Costa Rica
Duckens Nazon came off the bench to score a hat-trick and secure a point for Haiti in an action-packed 3-3 draw on the road in Costa Rica, striking in the 56th, 58th and 84th minutes. His second goal was one for the books, finding the back of the net with an acrobatic bicycle kick from inside the box.
At 31 years, 5 months, and 2 days old, Nazon became the oldest Haitian player to score a hat-trick in World Cup qualifying and just the third overall to accomplish the feat. Additionally, the three goals see him reach 12 career goals to climb up to third among Haiti’s all-time top scorers in qualifiers.
Jamaica’s golden run – six straight wins in World Cup qualifiers
Jamaica reached six consecutive wins in FIFA World Cup qualifiers with 4-nil and 2-nil victories over Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, in this September window. The run sees the Reggae Boyz achieve the longest winning streak in the nation’s history, equaling its previous best during the France 1998 qualifiers.
El Salvador’s historic away win in Guatemala City
El Salvador opened the Final Round on the front foot, defeating Guatemala 1-nil to record its first qualifiers win in Guatemala City in 25 years. The victory was only the second in 19 all-time visits, ending a long drought and giving La Selecta a vital boost in the rivalry.
Curaçao’s breakthrough win against Bermuda, record unbeaten streak
Curaçao took a big step toward its World Cup aspirations with a 3-2 victory over Bermuda, its first-ever win against the fellow Caribbean side in Concacaf Qualifiers. A Tahith Chong brace and a Tyrese Noslin winner powered Curaçao to the historic result.
The win also extended Curaçao’s unbeaten run to seven matches (5-2-0), the longest run in the nation’s qualifying history, and kept its Stadion Ergilio Hato fortress intact as the team reached six straight qualifying home matches without defeat (4-2-0).
