WC Qualification North & Central America (CONCACAF)
› All results, tables and qualified teams of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in North & Central America
CONCACAF has officially announced its 2030 qualifying format: 35 member associations play three rounds plus a play-in for six direct places and one place in the intercontinental play-offs.
| Spots | Teams in qualifying | Format |
|---|
| 6+1* | 35 | 3 rounds + play-in |
Qualifying rounds
| Round | Teams | Format | Period |
|---|
| Round 1 | 22 teams (ranked 14–35) | Home and away, knockout | September 2027 |
| Round 2 | 24 teams (11 winners + top 13) | 6 groups of 4, 6 matches each | Oct–Nov 2027, March 2028 |
| Final round | 12 teams (top 2 per group) | 3 groups of 4, 6 matches each; top 2 qualify directly | June 2028, Sept–Oct 2029 |
| Play-in | 2 teams (best third-placed) | Home and away | November 2029 |
* The play-in winner goes to the intercontinental play-offs | USA, Mexico and Canada may be seeded as 2026 World Cup hosts
Schedule
The key dates up to the 2030 World Cup – officially confirmed, planned or expected based on the 2026 cycle:
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|
| September 2027 | Concacaf Round 1: 22 teams (ranked 14–35) home and away, 11 winners advance | official |
| Sep 2027 – Mar 2028 | Concacaf Round 2: 24 teams in six groups of four, group winners and runners-up reach the final round | official |
| June 2028 – Oct 2029 | Concacaf final round: 12 teams in three groups of four, group winners and runners-up (6 teams) qualify directly | official |
| November 2029 | Concacaf Play-In between the two best third-placed teams – the winner goes to the intercontinental play-offs | official |
| late 2029 | Final draw for the World Cup (for 2026 it was held on 5 December 2025) | expected |
| March 2030 | European play-offs and intercontinental play-offs for the last World Cup tickets | expected |
| 8 June – 21 July 2030 | 2030 World Cup: centenary matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, then the tournament in Spain, Portugal and Morocco up to the final on 21 July | official |
Still open: the start dates in Africa, Asia and Oceania, and whether the 2030 World Cup will have 48 or 64 teams – which also decides the number of places. We update this schedule as soon as the confederations confirm dates.