2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

The North, Central American and Caribbean section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification will act as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Three direct slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot in the final tournament are available for CONCACAF teams.[1]

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
Tournament details
Dates24 March 2021 – March 2022
Teams35 (from 1 confederation)

Format

Original format

On 10 July 2019, CONCACAF announced a restructured qualifying format for the World Cup.[2] After CONCACAF initially announced in March 2018 that they would use the CONCACAF Ranking Index to determine the seeding of CONCACAF teams for qualifying to international tournaments,[3] it was determined that FIFA Rankings would be used instead.

  • Top-seeded Hexagonal group: The top 6 ranked CONCACAF teams based on the FIFA rankings of June 2020 were to play home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group (often referred to as the "Hexagonal"). The top three teams would have qualified for the World Cup, and the fourth-placed team would have advanced to the CONCACAF play-off round.
  • Lower-seeded group stage and knockout stage: The remaining CONCACAF teams (ranked 7 to 35 based on the FIFA rankings of June 2020) were to be divided into eight groups (five groups of four teams and three groups of three teams) to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group would have advanced to a knockout stage, consisting of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to be played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The winner of the knockout stage would have also advanced to the CONCACAF play-off round.
  • Play-off round: The fourth-placed team of the Hexagonal group would have faced the winner of the knockout stage in order to advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Original qualifying schedule (pre-format change)
Stage Matchday FIFA international dates[4]
Top-seeded round
Hexagonal Matchday 1 31 August – 8 September 2020
Matchday 2
Matchday 3 5–13 October 2020
Matchday 4
Matchday 5 9–17 November 2020
Matchday 6
Matchday 7 22–30 March 2021
Matchday 8
Matchday 9 30 August – 7 September 2021
Matchday 10
Lower-seeded round
Group stage Matchday 1 31 August – 8 September 2020
Matchday 2
Matchday 3 5–13 October 2020
Matchday 4
Matchday 5 9–17 November 2020
Matchday 6
Knockout stage Quarter-finals First leg 22–30 March 2021
Second leg
Semi-finals First leg 31 May – 8 June 2021
Second leg
Final First leg 30 August – 7 September 2021
Second leg
Play-off round
Play-off First leg 4–12 October 2021
Second leg

However, on 25 June 2020, following FIFA's decision to postpone the September 2020 international window due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CONCACAF noted that "the challenges presented by postponements to the football calendar, and the incomplete FIFA rankings cycle in our confederation, means our current World Cup qualifying process has been compromised and will be changed."[5]

New format

On 27 July 2020, CONCACAF announced a new qualifying format for the World Cup.[6]

  • First round: CONCACAF teams ranked 6 to 35 based on the FIFA rankings of July 2020 are drawn into six groups of five and play single round-robin matches (two home and two away), with group winners qualifying for the second round.
  • Second round: The six first round group winners will play in a two-legged home-and-away series. The three winners will advance to the final round.
  • Third round: The three second round winners will join the top five CONCACAF teams based on the FIFA rankings of July 2020 and play home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group. The top three teams qualify for the World Cup, and the fourth-placed team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Entrants

All 35 FIFA-affiliated national teams from CONCACAF will enter qualification. Teams were seeded based on their July 2020 FIFA rankings.

From the July 2020 FIFA World Rankings[7]
Bye to third round
(Ranked 1st to 5th)		 Competing in first round
(Ranked 6th to 35th)
  1.  Mexico (11)
  2.  United States (22)
  3.  Costa Rica (46)
  4.  Jamaica (48)
  5.  Honduras (62)
  1.  El Salvador (69)
  2.  Canada (73)
  3.  Curaçao (80)
  4.  Panama (81)
  5.  Haiti (86)
  6.  Trinidad and Tobago (105)
  7.  Antigua and Barbuda (126)
  8.  Guatemala (130)
  9.  Saint Kitts and Nevis (139)
  10.  Suriname (141)
  11.  Nicaragua (151)
  12.  Dominican Republic (158)
  13.  Grenada (159)
  14.  Barbados (162)
  15.  Guyana (166)

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is expected to be as follows, according to the FIFA International Match Calendar.[6][8]

On 25 June 2020, FIFA announced that the inter-confederation play-offs, originally scheduled to be played in March 2022, were moved to June 2022, and that the June 2021 window would be extended from two matchdays to four for CONCACAF.[9] On 8 September 2020, CONCACAF announced that the matches scheduled for October and November 2020 would be rescheduled to 2021.[10] On 4 December 2020, FIFA announced that the September 2021, October 2021, January 2022 and March 2022 windows in the FIFA International Match Calendar would each be extended by one day to allow for three matchdays to be played per window.[11] On the same day, CONCACAF announced the revised qualification schedule.[12]

Round Matchday Dates
First round Window 1 24, 25, 27, 28, & 30 March 2021
Window 2 2, 4, 5, & 8 June 2021
Second round First leg 12 June 2021
Second leg 15 June 2021
Third round Matchday 1 September 2021
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Matchday 4 October 2021
Matchday 5
Matchday 6
Matchday 7 November 2021
Matchday 8
Matchday 9 January 2022
Matchday 10
Matchday 11
Matchday 12 March 2022
Matchday 13
Matchday 14
Original qualifying schedule (revised format)
Stage Matchday FIFA international dates
First round Window 1 7, 8, 10, 11 & 13 October 2020
Window 2 11, 13, 14 & 17 November 2020
Second round First leg 22–30 March 2021
Second leg
Third round Matchday 1 31 May – 15 June 2021
Matchday 2
Matchday 3
Matchday 4
Matchday 5 30 August – 7 September 2021
Matchday 6
Matchday 7 4–12 October 2021
Matchday 8
Matchday 9 8–16 November 2021
Matchday 10
Matchday 11 24 January – 1 February 2022
Matchday 12
Matchday 13 21–29 March 2022
Matchday 14

First round
Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF First Round

The six highest ranked teams of the first round were pre-seeded into groups A through F. Teams in their groups will play each other once, a total of four matches; two home and two away matches. The draw for the first round was held on 19 August 2020, 19:00 CEST (UTC+2), at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich.[13][14]

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  El Salvador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Antigua and Barbuda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Grenada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Montserrat 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  U.S. Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Suriname 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Bermuda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Cayman Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  Aruba 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Curaçao 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Guatemala 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Cuba 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  British Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Panama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Dominican Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Barbados 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Dominica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  Anguilla 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Haiti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Nicaragua 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Belize 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Saint Lucia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round — 8 Jun 25 Mar — —
2  Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 4 Jun 24 Mar —
3  Guyana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — 8 Jun 30 Mar
4  Puerto Rico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 Mar — — — 2 Jun
5  Bahamas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Jun 27 Mar — — —
First match(es) will be played on 24 March 2021. Source: FIFA

Second round
Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Second Round

The second round will see the six group winners from the first round playing in three home-and-away ties of predetermined pairings. The winners will advance to the third round.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
First round Group F winner First round Group A winner 12 Jun 15 Jun
First round Group E winner First round Group B winner 12 Jun 15 Jun
First round Group D winner First round Group C winner 12 Jun 15 Jun

Third round
Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round

As a result of CONCACAF's revision to their World Cup qualifying format, the traditional Hexagonal has been expanded to two more teams, as its final and decisive round. The top five CONCACAF teams in the July 2020 FIFA rankings immediately enter in the third round, with the three winners of the second round. The draw to determine the schedule for the third round was held on 19 August 2020, 19:00 CEST (UTC+2), at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich.[15][16]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Winner of B v E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to 2022 FIFA World Cup — Sep Sep Jan '22 Oct Nov Nov Mar '22
2  Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jan '22 — Jan '22 Sep Nov Oct Mar '22 Oct
3 Winner of A v F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jan '22 Sep — Sep Oct Mar '22 Oct Nov
4  United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs Sep Jan '22 Jan '22 — Mar '22 Oct Nov Oct
5 Winner of C v D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '22 Mar '22 Nov Oct — Sep Sep Jan '22
6  Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mar '22 Nov Oct Mar '22 Jan '22 — Sep Sep
7  Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct Oct Mar '22 Mar '22 Jan '22 Jan '22 — Sep
8  Jamaica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oct Mar '22 Mar '22 Nov Sep Jan '22 Jan '22 —
First match(es) will be played on September 2021. Source: FIFA

Inter-confederation play-offs
Main article: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

The inter-confederation play-offs will be determined by another draw to be held at a later date. They are scheduled to be played in June 2022.

References
  1. "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. FIFA. 30 May 2015.
  2. "Concacaf Announces Format for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Confederation Qualifiers". Concacaf. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  3. "Concacaf Nations League". Concacaf. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  4. "INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR 2018–2024" (PDF). FIFA. April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  5. "CONCACAF confirms 2022 World Cup qualifying will change". TSN. Canadian Press. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. "New Concacaf Qualifiers announced for regional qualification to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Concacaf. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2020 (CONCACAF)". FIFA.com. 16 July 2020.
  8. "INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR 2020-2024" (PDF). FIFA.
  9. "FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan". FIFA.com. 25 June 2020.
  10. "Update on the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". CONCACAF. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  11. "FIFA Council passes landmark reforms for female players and coaches, agrees further steps in COVID-19 response". FIFA. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  12. "CONCACAF confirms schedule for Concacaf Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". CONCACAF. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  13. "Concacaf preliminary draw for FIFA World Cup 2022™ to take place on 19 August". FIFA.com. 12 August 2020.
  14. "Draw procedures confirmed for First Round of Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". CONCACAF.com. 12 August 2020.
  15. "Concacaf preliminary draw for FIFA World Cup 2022™ to take place on 19 August". FIFA.com. 12 August 2020.
  16. "Draw to determine schedule for Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". CONCACAF.com. 12 August 2020.
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