CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

Football tournament

CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

Founded| 1963
Region| North America, Central America, and Caribbean (CONCACAF)
Number of teams| 41 (overall)
Qualifier for| CONCACAF Gold Cup
Related competitions| CONCACAF Nations League
2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

This page is a summary of the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification, the process that CONCACAF-affiliated national association football teams go through in order to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is an international association football competition held every two years between countries in North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. There have been several formats of qualifying which determine the countries that will participate in the final tournament.

## Format evolution

[edit]

### Number of teams entering qualification

[edit]

CONCACAF Championship (1963–1989)  |
1963 |
1965 |
1967 |
1969 |
1971 |
1973 |
1977 |
1981 | 1985 | 1989

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Total entrants[a] | 2 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 10
Qualified through qualification  | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5
Qualified automatically  | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0
Total finalists  | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 5
CONCACAF Gold Cup (1991–present)  |
1991 |

1993 |
1996 |
1998 |
2000 |

2002 |
2003 |
2005 |
2007 |
2009 |
2011 |
2013 |

2015 |
2017 |

2019 |
2021 |

2023 |

2025

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Total entrants[a] | 21 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 38 | 32 | 33 | 37 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 34 | 41 | 41 | 41
Qualified through qualification  | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15
Qualified automatically  | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0
Total finalists  | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16

1. ^ a b Data is about qualifications only (automatic qualifiers are not counted).

### Resume

[edit]

For 1963 to 1989, regional qualifiers were played for each sub-confederation.

From 1991 to 2017, similar qualification processes were used. Spots in the Gold Cup were allocated to each of the sub-confederations: the North American Football Union (NAFU), the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), and the Central American Football Union (UNCAF). Typically the NAFU would receive three berths in the tournament, and the remaining berths were divided between CFU and UNCAF. Because the NAFU only has three members, each country (Canada, Mexico, United States) would qualify automatically. The CFU and UNCAF would use the results of the Caribbean Cup and Copa Centroamericana to determine its entrants to the Gold Cup.

From 1996 to 2005, some nations from outside the CONCACAF region received invitations to the Gold Cup and did not need to qualify. From 1998 to 2003 and again from 2015 to 2017, specific qualifying tournaments were held to determine the final one or two spots in the Gold Cup.[1]

For the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the two berths allocated to the Caribbean Football Union were to be awarded to the winners of the 1996 and 1997 Caribbean Cups. Because Trinidad and Tobago won both tournaments, a one match playoff between the two runners-up was played.

For the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Canada did not qualify automatically and competed in a round-robin playoff along with two Caribbean and one Central American nation. The top two teams would qualify for the Gold Cup.

The final spot in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was determined by a two-leg playoff between the fourth place team at the 2001 Caribbean Cup and the fourth place team at the 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup. This format would be re-used in 2015 and 2017.

There was not a Caribbean Cup held before the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup to determine the CFU's entrants. Instead, a one-off CFU Qualifying Tournament was held to determine the two Gold Cup participants and the two playoff participants. The two Caribbean teams were joined by the fourth place team in the 2003 UNCAF Nations Cup in a round-robin playoff for two spots in the Gold Cup.

From 2007 to 2017, no nations from outside the CONCACAF region participated in the Gold Cup. The 12-team tournament consisted of three North American, five Central American, and four Caribbean teams. For the 2015 and 2017 tournaments, the fifth Central American spot was awarded to the winner of a two-leg playoff featuring the 5th place teams from the Copa Centroamericana and the Caribbean Cup.[2][3] The Central American team won the playoff on both occasions.

Beginning with the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, qualification has been linked to the CONCACAF Nations League. Held in 2018–19, the one-off CONCACAF Nations League qualifying tournament determined ten of the sixteen Gold Cup participants. For the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, twelve spots were awarded based on the results of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League, an invitation was given to Qatar, and the final three berths were determined from a two-round play-off qualifier.[4] For the final round of qualification in 2023, 12 teams competed for 3 berths while in 2025, 14 teams competed for 7 berths.

## Participating teams

[edit]

All national teams that are members of CONCACAF are eligible to enter the qualification for the Gold Cup. A total of 41 distinct entities have made attempts to qualify for the Gold Cup. Due to political changes, one of the entity has appeared under one incarnation (see the footnotes to the below table), the Netherlands Antilles team is now defunct.

First appearance in qualification by team  Year  | Debuting teams  | Successor teams  | Renamed teams

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Teams  | No. | CT
1963 |  El Salvador[a],  Haiti,  Netherlands Antilles[A] | 3  | 3  |  |
1965 |  Guatemala[b],  Honduras,  Nicaragua | 3  | 6  |  |
1967 |  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Panama,  Trinidad and Tobago | 4  | 10  |  |
1969 |  Bermuda,  Costa Rica,  Mexico,  United States | 4  | 14  |  |
1971 |  Guyana,  Suriname | 2  | 16  |  |
1973 |  Antigua and Barbuda,  Canada,  Puerto Rico | 3  | 19  |  |
1977 |  Barbados,  Dominican Republic | 2  | 21  |  |
1981 |  Grenada | 1  | 22  |  |
1985 |  | 0  | 22  |  |
1989 |  | 0  | 22  |  |
1991 |  Anguilla,  British Virgin Islands,  Cayman Islands,  French Guiana,  Guadeloupe,  Martinique,  Montserrat,  Saint Kitts and Nevis,  Saint Lucia | 9  | 31  |  |
1993 |  Dominica,  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,  Sint Maarten[c] | 3  | 34  |  |
1996 |  Aruba,  Belize | 2  | 36  |  |
1998 |  | 0  | 36  |  |
2000 |  Bahamas,  Turks and Caicos Islands,  U.S. Virgin Islands | 3  | 39  |  |
2002 |  Saint Martin | 1  | 40  |  |
2003 |  | 0  | 40  |  |
2005 |  | 0  | 40  |  |
2007 |  | 0  | 40  |  |
2009 |  | 0  | 40  |  |
2011 |  | 0  | 40  |  |
2013 |  | 0  | 40  |  Curaçao[A] |
2015 |  Bonaire[c] | 1  | 41  |  |
2017 |  | 0  | 41  |  |
2019 |  | 0  | 41  |  |
2021 |  | 0  | 41  |  |
2023 |  | 0  | 41  |  |
2025 |  | 0  | 41  |  |

Successor teams inheriting the records of former teams (as considered by CONCACAF and FIFA)

1. ^ Qualified automatically for the 1963 CONCACAF Championship as host.
2. ^ Qualified automatically for the 1965 CONCACAF Championship as host.
3. ^ a b Bonaire and Sint Maarten previously competed as parts of the Netherlands Antilles (1958–2010).

Teams competing as parts of other teams

1. ^ a b The Netherlands Antilles national football team broke apart after the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

## See also

[edit]

* FIFA World Cup qualification
* AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
* UEFA European Championship qualifying

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "CONCACAF Gold Cup: Qualifying Play-In Glance". CONCACAF.com. 3 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
2. ^ CONCACAF Free Kick. CONCACAF.com. June–July 2014. p. 7.
3. ^ Williams, Sean (18 March 2014). "Jamaica to host 2014 Caribbean Cup". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
4. ^ "Concacaf Nations League to Serve as Pathway for 2021 Gold Cup". CONCACAF. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.

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Club tournaments

Current|

* Champions Cup
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Defunct|

* CONCACAF League
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* v
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CONCACAF Championship

Editions|

* El Salvador 1963
* Guatemala 1965
* Honduras 1967
* Costa Rica 1969
* Trinidad and Tobago 1971
* Haiti 1973
* Mexico 1977
* Honduras 1981
* 1985 (No fixed venue)
* 1989 (No fixed venue)

Qualification|

* 1963
* 1965
* 1967
* 1969
* 1971
* 1973
* 1977
* 1981
* 1985
* 1989

* Successor: CONCACAF Gold Cup (since 1991)

* v
* t
* e

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Tournaments|

* United States 1991
* Mexico–United States 1993
* United States 1996
* United States 1998
* United States 2000
* United States 2002
* Mexico–United States 2003
* United States 2005
* United States 2007
* United States 2009
* United States 2011
* United States 2013
* Canada–United States 2015
* United States 2017
* Costa Rica–Jamaica–United States 2019
* United States 2021
* Canada–United States 2023
* Canada–United States 2025

Qualification|

* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2003
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* NL
* 2023
* NL
* 2025
* NL

Finals|

* 1991
* 1993
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2003
* 2005
* 2007
* 2009
* 2011
* 2013
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* 2023
* 2025

Squads|

* 1991
* 1993
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2003
* 2005
* 2007
* 2009
* 2011
* 2013
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* 2023
* 2025

Overall records|

* Hat-tricks
* Records and statistics

Miscellaneous|

* Awards
* Stadiums
* Balls

Related competitions|

* Caribbean Cup (1989–2017)
* Copa Centroamericana (1991–2017)
* CONCACAF Cup (2015)
* CONCACAF Nations League (2018–present)

* Predecessor: CONCACAF Championship (1963–1989)

*[No.]: Number
*[CT]: Cumulative total
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