January 26 – Panama grouped with Nicaragua and Jamaica paired with Guatemala were the highlights of the first round group draw for the Conacacaf 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The draw, held in Zurich, saw 28 nations and two play-off qualifiers, placed in six groups of five.
Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches (two at home, and two away). The group winners and runners-up (12 teams) will progress to the final round, when a separate draw for three groups of four will be held.
In Round 2 each team will play every other team in their group home and away. The final round matches will be played during the international match windows of September, October, and November 2025.
The three group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup 26, joining hosts Canada, Mexico, and the USA. The best two runners-up will enter the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
Concacaf Preliminary Draw (Round Two) – FIFA World Cup 26™
Group A
Honduras, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands
Group B
Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Bahamas
Group C
Haiti, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba
Group D
Panama, Nicaragua, Guyana, Montserrat, Belize
Group E
Jamaica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Winner play-off 2 (British Virgin Islands or US Virgin Islands)
Group F
El Salvador, Suriname, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Winner play-off 1 (Turks and Caicos Islands or Anguilla)
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