2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)#Original format
{{short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox international football competition
| year = 2022
| tourney_name = FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
| image = CONCACAF qualifiers - Road to Qatar - Logo.svg
| alt =
| caption =
| host countries =
| dates = {{nowrap|24 March 2021 – 30 March 2022}}
| num_teams = 34
| confederations = 1
| matches = 118
| goals = 345
| attendance = {{#expr: + 25459 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 7000 + 2760 + 963801 }}
| top_scorer = {{fbicon|CAN}} Cyle Larin
(13 goals)
| prevseason = 2018
| nextseason = 2026
}}
{{Qualification for men's championships (CONCACAF)|expanded=FIFA}}
The North, Central American and Caribbean section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "CONCACAF Qualifiers Road to Qatar". acted as the 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 were available for CONCACAF teams.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=5/news=current-allocation-of-fifa-world-cuptm-confederation-slots-maintained-2610611.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530211217/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=5/news=current-allocation-of-fifa-world-cuptm-confederation-slots-maintained-2610611.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 May 2015|title=Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained|work=FIFA.com|publisher=FIFA|date=30 May 2015}}
Format
=Original format=
On 10 July 2019, CONCACAF announced a restructured qualifying format for the World Cup.{{cite web |title=Concacaf Announces Format for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Confederation Qualifiers |url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/concacaf-announces-format-for-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-confederation-qualifiers |website=Concacaf |access-date=10 July 2019}} 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,{{cite web |title=Concacaf Nations League |website=Concacaf |access-date=12 July 2019 |url = https://mailchi.mp/0af1ed6ff900/concacaf-nations-league-to-kickoff-in-september-with-qualifiers-featuring-34-national-teams}} 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.
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+{{nowrap|Original qualifying schedule (pre-format change)}} |
| Stage
! colspan="2" | Matchday |
|---|
| colspan="4" | Top-seeded round |
| rowspan="10" | Hexagonal
| colspan="2" | Matchday 1 | rowspan="2" | 31 August – 8 September 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 2 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 3
| rowspan="2" | 5–13 October 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 4 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 5
| rowspan="2" | 9–17 November 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 6 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 7
| rowspan="2" | 22–30 March 2021 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 8 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 9
| rowspan="2" | 30 August – 7 September 2021 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 10 |
| colspan="4" | Lower-seeded round |
| rowspan="6" | Group stage
| colspan="2" | Matchday 1 | rowspan="2" | 31 August – 8 September 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 2 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 3
| rowspan="2" | 5–13 October 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 4 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 5
| rowspan="2" | 9–17 November 2020 |
| colspan="2" | Matchday 6 |
| rowspan="6" | Knockout stage
| rowspan="2" | Quarter-finals | First leg | rowspan="2" | 22–30 March 2021 |
| Second leg |
| rowspan="2" | Semi-finals
| First leg | rowspan="2" | 31 May – 8 June 2021 |
| Second leg |
| rowspan="2" | Final
| First leg | rowspan="2" | 30 August – 7 September 2021 |
| Second leg |
| colspan="4" | Play-off round |
| rowspan="2" | Play-off
| colspan="2" | First leg | rowspan="2" | 4–12 October 2021 |
| colspan="2" | Second leg |
However, on 25 June 2020, following FIFA's decision to postpone the September 2020 international window because of 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."{{cite web |title=CONCACAF confirms 2022 World Cup qualifying will change |website=TSN |access-date=30 June 2020 |url = https://www.tsn.ca/concacaf-confirms-that-2022-world-cup-qualifying-is-to-change-but-no-details-yet-1.1489562 |agency=Canadian Press |date=25 June 2020}}
=New format=
On 27 July 2020, CONCACAF announced a new qualifying format for the World Cup.{{cite web |title=New Concacaf Qualifiers announced for regional qualification to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 |url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/article/new-concacaf-qualifiers-announced-for-regional-qualification-to-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022 |website=Concacaf |access-date=27 July 2020 |date=27 July 2020}}
- First round: 30 CONCACAF teams, ranked 6 to 35 based on the FIFA rankings of July 2020, were drawn into six groups of five and played single round-robin matches (two home and two away), with group winners qualifying for the second round.
- Second round: Six first round group winners played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The three winners advanced to the third round.
- Third round: Eight teams, three second round winners and top five CONCACAF teams based on those FIFA rankings, played home-and-away round-robin matches in one single group. The top three teams qualified for the World Cup, and the fourth-placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Entrants
All 35 FIFA-affiliated national teams from CONCACAF originally entered qualification. Teams were seeded based on their July 2020 FIFA rankings. However, Saint Lucia later withdrew, reducing the total number of teams to 34.
| class="wikitable"
|+From the July 2020 FIFA World Rankings{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank/id12884/#CONCACAF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716135132/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank/id12884/#CONCACAF|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2020|title=FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2020 (CONCACAF)|publisher=FIFA.com|date=16 July 2020}} |
| Bye to third round (ranked 1st to 5th) !colspan="2"|Competing in first round |
|---|
| valign=top
|{{ordered list|start=1 |{{fb|MEX}} (11) |{{fb|USA}} (22) |{{fb|CRC}} (46) |{{fb|JAM}} (48) |{{fb|HON|1949}} (62) }} |{{ordered list|start=6 |{{fb|SLV}} (69) |{{fb|CAN}} (73) |{{fb|CUW}} (80) |{{fb|PAN}} (81) |{{fb|HAI}} (86) |{{fb|TRI}} (105) |{{fb|ATG}} (126) |{{fb|GUA}} (130) |{{fb|SKN}} (139) |{{fb|SUR}} (141) |{{fb|NCA}} (151) |{{fb|DOM}} (158) |{{fb|GRN}} (159) |{{fb|BRB}} (162) |{{fb|GUY}} (166) }} |{{ordered list|start=21 |{{fb|VIN}} (167) |{{fb|BER}} (168) |{{fb|BLZ}} (170) |{{fb|LCA}} (176)W |{{fb|PUR}} (178) |{{fb|CUB}} (179) |{{fb|MSR}} (183) |{{fb|DMA}} (184) |{{fb|CAY}} (193) |{{fb|BAH}} (195) |{{fb|ARU}} (200) |{{fb|TCA}} (203) |{{fb|VIR}} (207) |{{fb|VGB}} (208) |{{fb|AIA}} (210) }} |
W Later withdrew
Schedule
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/fifa-council-unanimously-approves-covid-19-relief-plan|title=FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan|publisher=FIFA.com|date=25 June 2020}} On 8 September 2020, CONCACAF announced that the matches scheduled for October and November 2020 would be rescheduled to 2021.{{cite news |url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/update-on-the-concacaf-qualifiers-for-the-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022 |title=Update on the CONCACAF Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 |work=CONCACAF |date=8 September 2020 |access-date=8 September 2020}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/fifa-council-passes-landmark-reforms-for-female-players-and-coaches-agrees-furth |title=FIFA Council passes landmark reforms for female players and coaches, agrees further steps in COVID-19 response |work=FIFA |date=4 December 2020 |access-date=4 December 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/11f7fa1dc502361/original/Enclosure_Circular-1766_Updates-to-the-Men-s-International-Match-Calendar_EN.pdf |title=Men's International Match Calendar 2020-2024 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=1 November 2021 |archive-date=3 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103155126/https://img.fifa.com/image/upload/wt4ycd2y7awqfslrf8wi.pdf |url-status=live}} On the same day, CONCACAF announced the revised qualification schedule, which was updated on 16 June 2021.{{cite news |url=https://stconcacafwp001.blob.core.windows.net/media/wjqaorzj/concacaf-qualifiers-final-round-match-schedule.png |title=Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 |work=FIFA |date=16 June 2021 |access-date=17 June 2021}}
| class="wikitable"
! Round ! Matchday ! Dates |
| rowspan="2" | First round
| Window 1 | 24–30 March 2021 |
| Window 2
| 2–8 June 2021 |
| rowspan="2" | Second round
| First leg | 12 June 2021 |
| Second leg
| 15 June 2021 |
| rowspan="14" | Third round
| Matchday 1 | 2 September 2021 |
| Matchday 2
| 5 September 2021 |
| Matchday 3
| 8 September 2021 |
| Matchday 4
| 7 October 2021 |
| Matchday 5
| 10 October 2021 |
| Matchday 6
| 13 October 2021 |
| Matchday 7
| 12 November 2021 |
| Matchday 8
| 16 November 2021 |
| Matchday 9
| 27 January 2022 |
| Matchday 10
| 30 January 2022 |
| Matchday 11
| 2 February 2022 |
| Matchday 12
| 24 March 2022 |
| Matchday 13
| 27 March 2022 |
| Matchday 14
| 30 March 2022 |
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+{{nowrap|Original qualifying schedule (revised format)}} |
| Stage
! Matchday ! FIFA international dates |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | First round
| Window 1 | 7, 8, 10, 11 & 13 October 2020 |
| Window 2
| 11, 13, 14 & 17 November 2020 |
| rowspan="2" | Second round
| First leg | rowspan="2" | 22–30 March 2021 |
| Second leg |
| rowspan="14" | Third round
| Matchday 1 | rowspan="4" | 31 May – 15 June 2021 |
| Matchday 2 |
| Matchday 3 |
| Matchday 4 |
| Matchday 5
| rowspan="2" | 30 August – 7 September 2021 |
| Matchday 6 |
| Matchday 7
| rowspan="2" | 4–12 October 2021 |
| Matchday 8 |
| Matchday 9
| rowspan="2" | 8–16 November 2021 |
| Matchday 10 |
| Matchday 11
| rowspan="2" | 24 January – 1 February 2022 |
| Matchday 12 |
| Matchday 13
| rowspan="2" | 21–29 March 2022 |
| Matchday 14 |
First round
{{main|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 played 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 Zürich, Switzerland.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/concacaf-preliminary-draw-set-to-map-qualification-pathway-towards-fifa-world-cu|title=Concacaf preliminary draw for FIFA World Cup 2022 to take place on 19 August|publisher=FIFA.com|date=12 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/draw-procedures-confirmed-for-first-round-of-concacaf-qualifiers-for-the-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022|title=Draw procedures confirmed for First Round of Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022|publisher=CONCACAF.com|date=12 August 2020}} The top team from each group advanced to the second round. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many "home" games to be played at neutral venues.
=Group A=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group A|show_matches=y}}
=Group B=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group B|show_matches=y}}
=Group C=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group C|show_matches=y}}
=Group D=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group D|show_matches=y}}
=Group E=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group E|show_matches=y}}
=Group F=
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF first round|transcludesection=Group F|show_matches=y}}
Second round
{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF second round}}
The second round saw the six group winners from the first round playing in three home-and-away ties of predetermined pairings. The winners advanced to the third round.
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF second round}}
Third round
{{main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round}}
As a result of CONCACAF's revision to their World Cup qualifying format, the traditional Hexagonal with six teams and ten games per team was expanded to eight teams and fourteen games per team for the final and decisive round. The top five CONCACAF teams in the July 2020 FIFA rankings entered in the third round, joining 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 Zürich, Switzerland.{{cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/concacaf-preliminary-draw-set-to-map-qualification-pathway-towards-fifa-world-cu|title=Concacaf preliminary draw for FIFA World Cup 2022 to take place on 19 August|publisher=FIFA.com|date=12 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/article/draw-to-determine-schedule-for-final-round-of-concacaf-qualifiers-to-the-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022|title=Draw to determine schedule for Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022|publisher=CONCACAF.com|date=12 August 2020}}
{{:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round}}
Inter-confederation play-off
{{Main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–OFC play-off)}}
The inter-confederation play-offs was determined by a draw held on 26 November 2021. The fourth-placed team from CONCACAF qualification third round was drawn against the representative team from the OFC.{{cite news |url=https://www.fifa.com/news/european-and-intercontinental-play-off-draw-results-and-reaction |title=European and intercontinental play-off draw results and reaction |work=FIFA |date=26 November 2021 |access-date=26 November 2021}} The play-off was played as a single match in Qatar (host country of the World Cup) on 14 June 2022.{{cite news |url=https://en.as.com/en/2021/11/26/soccer/1637955253_226019.html |title=2022 World Cup inter-confederation play-off draw: fixtures and format |last=Allen |first=William |work=as.com |date=26 November 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021}}
{{#lst:2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff2}}
Qualified teams
File:2022 World Cup CONCACAF qualification.svg
The following four teams from CONCACAF qualified for the final tournament.
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Team
! Qualified as ! Qualified on ! data-sort-type="number"|Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| {{fb|CAN}} | {{sort|1|Third round winners}} | {{dts|27 March 2022}} | 1 (1986) |
| {{fb|MEX}} | {{sort|2|Third round runners-up}} | {{dts|30 March 2022}} | 16 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) |
| {{fb|USA}} | {{sort|3|Third round third place}} | {{dts|30 March 2022}} | 10 (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) |
| {{fb|CRC}} | {{sort|PO|CONCACAF v OFC play-off winners}} | {{dts|14 June 2022}} | 5 (1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018) |
:
{{Clear}}
Top goalscorers
{{#invoke:Goalscorers|main|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|minimum=4}}
Links to the lists of goalscorers for each round are below:
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
{{div col end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers|Official FIFA World Cup website}}
- [https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers/concacaf Qualifiers – North, Central America and Caribbean], FIFA.com
- [https://www.concacaf.com/en/world-cup-qualifying-men/ Men's World Cup Qualifying], CONCACAF.com
{{2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifa World Cup qualification 2022}}