North, Central American and Caribbean nations at the FIFA World Cup
Association football is the most popular sport in almost all North, Central American and Caribbean countries, and eleven members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, CONCACAF, have competed at the sport's biggest event – the men's FIFA World Cup.
Overview
1930 (13) |
1934 (16) |
1938 (15) |
1950 (13) |
1954 (16) |
1958 (16) |
1962 (16) |
1966 (16) |
1970 (16) |
1974 (16) |
1978 (16) |
1982 (24) |
1986 (24) |
1990 (24) |
1994 (24) |
1998 (32) |
2002 (32) |
2006 (32) |
2010 (32) |
2014 (32) |
2018 (32) |
2022 (32) |
2026 (48) |
2030 (48) |
2034 (48) |
Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Teams | 49 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0[a] | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |||
Top 8 | — | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||||
Top 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
Top 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
1st | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
4th | 0 |
- ^ In 1982, the second round has 12 teams of which 4 progressed to the semi-finals.
Team | No. | Years | Best result |
---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 17 |
1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 | QF |
United States | 11 |
1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022 | 3rd |
Costa Rica | 6 |
1990, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 | QF |
Honduras | 3 |
1982, 2010, 2014 | R1 |
El Salvador | 2 |
1970, 1982 | R1 |
Canada | 2 |
1986, 2022 | R1 |
Cuba | 1 |
1938 | QF |
Haiti | 1 |
1974 | R1 |
Jamaica | 1 |
1998 | R1 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1 |
2006 | R1 |
Panama | 1 |
2018 | R1 |
- Bold indicates year(s) of best finish
Results
Most finishes in the top four
Team | No. | Top four finishes |
---|---|---|
United States | 1 | 1930 |
Team results by tournament
The team ranking in each tournament is according to FIFA.[1][2][3] The rankings, apart from the top four positions (top two in 1930), are not a result of direct competition between the teams; instead, teams eliminated in the same round are ranked by their full results in the tournament.
For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.
Team | 1930 (13) |
1934 (16) |
1938 (15) |
1950 (13) |
1954 (16) |
1958 (16) |
1962 (16) |
1966 (16) |
1970 (16) |
1974 (16) |
1978 (16) |
1982 (24) |
1986 (24) |
1990 (24) |
1994 (24) |
1998 (32) |
2002 (32) |
2006 (32) |
2010 (32) |
2014 (32) |
2018 (32) |
2022 (32) |
2026 (48) |
2030 (48) |
2034 (48) |
Total | Qual. Comp. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | • | × | • | • | • | • | R1 24th |
• | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R1 31st |
Q | TBD | TBD | 3 | 16 | ||||||
Costa Rica | × | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R2 13th |
• | • | R1 19th |
R1 31st |
• | QF 8th |
R1 29th |
R1 27th |
TBD | TBD | TBD | 6 | 17 | |||
Cuba | — | • | QF 8th |
• | × | • | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 1 | 14 | ||||
El Salvador | — | × | R1 16th |
• | • | R1 24th |
• | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 2 | 14 | ||||||
Haiti | — | • | • | • | R1 15th |
• | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 1 | 15 | ||||||
Honduras | — | • | • | • | • | × | R1 18th |
• | • | • | • | • | • | R1 30th |
R1 31st |
• | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 3 | 15 | |||||
Jamaica | — | • | • | × | • | • | × | • | • | R1 22nd |
• | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 1 | 12 | ||||||
Mexico | R1 13th |
• | × | R1 12th |
R1 13th |
R1 16th |
R1 11th |
R1 12th |
QF 6th |
• | R1 16th |
• | QF 6th |
× | R2 13th |
R2 13th |
R2 11th |
R2 15th |
R2 14th |
R2 10th |
R2 12th |
R1 22nd |
Q | TBD | TBD | 18 | 21 |
Panama | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R1 32nd |
• | TBD | TBD | TBD | 1 | 12 | |||||||||
Trinidad and Tobago | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R1 27th |
• | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | 1 | 15 | ||||||
United States | 3rd | R1 16th |
× | R1 10th |
• | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | R1 23rd |
R2 14th |
R1 32nd |
QF 8th |
R1 25th |
R2 12th |
R2 15th |
• | R2 14th |
Q | TBD | TBD | 12 | 22 |
- Legend
|
|
Tournament standings
Team | Champions | Final | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Second round |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
Costa Rica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Cuba | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
- Quarter-finals = knockout round of 8: 1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present; second group stage, top 8: 1974–1978
- Second round = second group stage, top 12: 1982; knockout round of 16: 1986–present
Overall team records
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by a penalty shoot-out are counted as draws. 3 points per win, 1 point per draw and 0 points per loss.
- As of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Team | Part | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 17 | 60 | 17 | 15 | 28 | 62 | 101 | −39 | 66 |
United States | 11 | 37 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 40 | 66 | −26 | 35 |
Costa Rica | 6 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 39 | −16 | 23 |
Cuba | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 4 |
Jamaica | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 3 |
Honduras | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 3 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 |
Panama | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 |
Canada | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 0 |
Haiti | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 0 |
El Salvador | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 22 | −21 | 0 |
Appearances
Ranking of teams by number of appearances
Team | Appearances | Record streak | Active streak | Debut | Most recent | Best result (* = hosts) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1930 | 2026 | Quarter-finals (1970*, 1986*) |
United States | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1930 | 2026 | Third place (1930) |
Costa Rica | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1990 | 2022 | Quarter-finals (2014) |
Canada | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1986 | 2026 | Group stage |
Honduras | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1982 | 2014 | Group stage |
El Salvador | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1970 | 1982 | Group stage |
Cuba | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1938 | 1938 | Quarter-finals (1938) |
Haiti | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1974 | 1974 | First round |
Jamaica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1998 | 1998 | Group stage |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2006 | 2006 | Group stage |
Panama | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2018 | 2018 | Group stage |
Team debuts
Year | Debutants | Total |
---|---|---|
1930 | Mexico, United States | 2 |
1938 | Cuba | 1 |
1970 | El Salvador | 1 |
1974 | Haiti | 1 |
1982 | Honduras | 1 |
1986 | Canada | 1 |
1990 | Costa Rica | 1 |
1998 | Jamaica | 1 |
2006 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 |
2018 | Panama | 1 |
Total | 11 |
Not qualified
24 of the 35 active FIFA and CONCACAF members have never qualified for the final tournament.[4]
Team | Number of Qualifying attempts |
1930 |
1934 |
1938 |
1950 |
1954 |
1958 |
1962 |
1966 |
1970 |
1974 |
1978 |
1982 |
1986 |
1990 |
1994 |
1998 |
2002 |
2006 |
2010 |
2014 |
2018 |
2022 |
2026 |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Curaçao[a] | 17 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||
Guatemala | 16 | — | • | •× | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||
Suriname[b] | 15 | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||
Antigua and Barbuda | 11 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||
Guyana | 11 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||
Puerto Rico | 10 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||
Barbados | 9 | — | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||
Dominican Republic | 9 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||
Bermuda | 8 | — | • | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||
Grenada | 8 | — | • | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||
Nicaragua | 8 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||
Aruba | 7 | Part of Territory of Curaçao | Part of Netherlands Antilles | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||
Belize | 7 | — | × | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||
Cayman Islands | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||||
Dominica | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||||
Saint Lucia | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | × | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||
Turks and Caicos Islands | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||||
U.S. Virgin Islands | 7 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||||
Anguilla | 6 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||||
British Virgin Islands | 6 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||||
Montserrat | 6 | — | • | • | • | • | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||||||
Bahamas | 5 | — | × | • | • | • | × | • | • | TBD | TBD | TBD |
- Legend
TBD | To be determined (may still qualify for upcoming tournament) |
• | Did not qualify |
•× | Withdrew or disqualified during qualification (after playing matches) |
× | Withdrew before qualification / Banned / Entry not accepted by FIFA |
Did not enter | |
— | Not a FIFA member |
Summary of performance
This table shows for each world cup the number of countries at the World Cup, the number of entries (No.) from around the world including any rejections and withdrawals, the number of North, Central American and Caribbean entries (#A), how many of those North, Central American and Caribbean entries withdrew (#A-) before/during qualification or were rejected by FIFA, the North, Central American and Caribbean representatives at the World Cup finals, the number of World Cup Qualifiers each North, Central American and Caribbean representative had to play to get to the World Cup (#WCQ), the furthest stage they reached, their results, and their coaches.
Year | Host | Size | No. | #A | #A- | North, Central American and Caribbean finalists | #WCQ | Stage | Results | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | Uruguay | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0 | Mexico | 0 | Group stage | lost 1–4 France, lost 0–3 Chile, lost 3–6 Argentina | Juan Luque de Serralonga
|
United States | 0 | Semi-finals (3rd place) |
won 3–0 Belgium, won 3–0 Paraguay SF: lost 1–6 Argentina |
Robert Millar | ||||||
1934 | Italy | 16 | 32 | 4 | 0 | United States | 1 | Round of 16 | lost 1–7 Italy | David Gould |
1938 | France | 15 | 37 | 6 | 5[5] | Cuba | 0 | Quarter-finals | drew 3–3 ( | José Tapia |
1950 | Brazil | 13 | 34 | 3 | 0 | Mexico | 4 | Group stage | lost 0–4 Brazil, lost 1–4 Yugoslavia, lost 1–2 Switzerland | Octavio Vial |
United States | 4 | Group stage | lost 1–3 Spain, won 1–0 England, lost 2–5 Chile | William Jeffrey
| ||||||
1954 | Switzerland | 16 | 45 | 3 | 0 | Mexico | 4 | Group stage | lost 0–5 Brazil, lost 2–3 France | Antonio López Herranz |
1958 | Sweden | 16 | 55 | 6 | 0 | Mexico | 6 | Group stage | lost 0–3 Sweden, drew 1–1 Wales, lost 0–4 Hungary | Antonio López Herranz |
1962 | Chile | 16 | 56 | 8 | 1[6] | Mexico | 6 | Group stage | lost 0–2 Brazil, lost 0–1 Spain, won 3–1 Czechoslovakia | Ignacio Tréllez
|
1966 | England | 16 | 74 | 9 | 0 | Mexico | 4 | Group stage | drew 1–1 France, lost 0–2 England, drew 0–0 Uruguay | Ignacio Tréllez
|
1970 | Mexico | 16 | 75 | 12 | 0 | Mexico | 0 | Quarter-finals | drew 0–0 Soviet Union, won 4–0 El Salvador, won 1–0 Belgium QF: lost 1–4 Italy |
Raúl Cárdenas |
El Salvador | 8 | Group stage | lost 0–3 Belgium, lost 0–4 Mexico, lost 0–2 Soviet Union | Hernán Carrasco Vivanco
| ||||||
1974 | West Germany | 16 | 99 | 14 |
1[7] | Haiti | 7 | First round | lost 1–3 Italy, lost 0–7 Poland, lost 1–4 Argentina | Antoine Tassy |
1978 | Argentina | 16 | 107 | 16 |
0 | Mexico | 9 | First round | lost 1–3 Tunisia, lost 0–6 West Germany, lost 1–3 Poland | José Antonio Roca |
1982 | Spain | 24 | 109 | 15 |
0 | Honduras | 13 | First round | drew 1–1 Spain, drew 1–1 Northern Ireland, lost 0–1 Yugoslavia | José de la Paz Herrera
|
El Salvador | 13 | First round | lost 1–10 Hungary, lost 0–1 Belgium, lost 0–2 Argentina | Pipo Rodríguez | ||||||
1986 | Mexico | 24 | 121 | 16 |
3[8] | Mexico | 0 | Quarter-finals | won 2–1 Belgium, drew 1–1 Paraguay, won 1–0 Iraq R16: won 2–0 Bulgaria QF: lost 0–0 (1-4 p) West Germany |
Bora Milutinović |
Canada | 8 | Group stage | lost 0–1 France, lost 0–2 Hungary, lost 0–2 Soviet Union | Tony Waiters | ||||||
1990 | Italy | 24 | 116 | 16 |
2[9] | Costa Rica | 10 | Round of 16 | won 1–0 Scotland, lost 0–1 Brazil, won 2–1 Sweden R16: lost 1–4 Czechoslovakia |
Bora Milutinović |
United States | 10 | Group stage | lost 1–5 Czechoslovakia, lost 0–1 Italy, lost 1–2 Austria | Bob Gansler | ||||||
1994 | USA | 24 | 147 | 23 | 1[10] | Mexico | 12 | Round of 16 | lost 0–1 Norway, won 2–1 Republic of Ireland, drew 1–1 Italy R16: lost 1–1 (1-3 p) Bulgaria |
Miguel Mejía Barón |
United States | 0 | Round of 16 | drew 1–1 Switzerland, won 2–1 Colombia, lost 0–1 Romania R16: lost 0–1 Brazil |
Bora Milutinović | ||||||
1998 | France | 32 | 174 | 30 | 1[11] | Mexico | 16 | Round of 16 | won 3–1 South Korea, drew 2–2 Belgium, drew 2–2 Netherlands R16: lost 1–2 Germany |
Manuel Lapuente |
Jamaica | 20 | Group stage | lost 0–1 Croatia, lost 0–5 Argentina, won 2–1 Japan | Renê Simões
| ||||||
United States | 16 | Group stage | lost 0–2 Germany, lost 1–2 Iran, lost 0–1 Yugoslavia | Steve Sampson | ||||||
2002 | South Korea & Japan |
32 | 199 | 35 | 1[12] | Costa Rica | 17 | Group stage | won 2–0 China, drew 1–1 Turkey, lost 2–5 Brazil | Alexandre Guimarães |
Mexico | 16 | Round of 16 | won 1–0 Croatia, won 2–1 Ecuador, drew 1–1 Italy R16: lost 0–2 United States |
Javier Aguirre | ||||||
United States | 16 | Quarter-finals | won 3–2 Portugal, drew 1–1 South Korea, lost 1–3 Poland R16: won 2–0 Mexico QF: lost 0–1 Germany |
Bruce Arena | ||||||
2006 | Germany | 32 | 197 | 35 | 1[13] | Costa Rica | 18 | Group stage | lost 2–4 Germany, lost 0–3 Ecuador, lost 1–2 Poland | Alexandre Guimarães |
Trinidad and Tobago | 20 | Group stage | drew 0–0 Sweden, lost 0–2 England, lost 0–2 Paraguay | Leo Beenhakker | ||||||
Mexico | 18 | Round of 16 | won 3–1 a.e.t.) Argentina |
Ricardo Lavolpe
| ||||||
United States | 18 | Group stage | lost 0–3 Czech Republic, drew 1–1 Italy, lost 1–2 Ghana | Bruce Arena | ||||||
2010 | South Africa | 32 | 205 | 35 | 0 | Honduras | 18 | Group stage | lost 0–1 Chile, lost 0–2 Spain, drew 0–0 Switzerland | Reinaldo Rueda |
Mexico | 18 | Round of 16 | drew 1–1 South Africa, won 2–0 France, lost 0–1 Uruguay R16: lost 1–3 Argentina |
Javier Aguirre | ||||||
United States | 18 | Round of 16 | drew 1–1 a.e.t.) Ghana |
Bob Bradley | ||||||
2014 | Brazil | 32 | 203 | 35 | 1[14] | Costa Rica | 16 | Quarter-finals | won 3–1 Uruguay, won 1–0 Italy, drew 0–0 England R16: won 1–1 (5-3 p) Greece QF: lost 0–0 (3-4 p) Netherlands |
Jorge Luis Pinto |
Honduras | 16 | Group stage | lost 0–3 France, lost 1–2 Ecuador, lost 0–3 Switzerland | Luis Fernando Suárez | ||||||
United States | 16 | Round of 16 | won 2–0 a.e.t.) Belgium |
Jürgen Klinsmann | ||||||
Mexico | 18 | Round of 16 | won 1–0 Cameroon, drew 0–0 Brazil, won 3–1 Croatia R16: lost 1–2 Netherlands |
Miguel Herrera | ||||||
2018 | Russia | 32 | 210 | 35 | 0 | Costa Rica | 16 | Group stage | lost 0–1 Serbia, lost 0–2 Brazil, drew 2–2 Switzerland | Óscar Ramírez |
Mexico | 16 | Round of 16 | won 1–0 Germany, won 2–1 South Korea, lost 0–3 Sweden R16: lost 0–2 Brazil |
Juan Carlos Osorio | ||||||
Panama | 16 | Group stage | lost 0–3 Belgium, lost 1–6 England, lost 1–2 Tunisia | Hernán Darío Gómez | ||||||
2022 | Qatar | 32 | 206 | 35 | 1 | Canada | 20 | Group stage | lost 0–1 Belgium, lost 1–4 Croatia, lost 1–2 Morocco | John Herdman |
Costa Rica | 15 | Group stage | lost 0–7 Spain, won 1–0 Japan, lost 2–4 Germany | Luis Fernando Suárez | ||||||
Mexico | 14 | Group stage | drew 0–0 Poland, lost 0–2 Argentina, won 2–1 Saudi Arabia | Gerardo Martino | ||||||
United States | 14 | Round of 16 | drew 1–1 Wales, drew 0–0 England, won 1–0 Iran R16: lost 1–3 Netherlands |
Gregg Berhalter |
Competitive record
1930s: The best US performance at the FIFA World Cup
Two teams from North America entered the tournament. Mexico was seeded in Group 1, and took part of the first World Cup match ever, losing 4–1 to France. Defeats to Chile and Argentina followed, with Mexico finishing last overall.
The
Qualified for the semi-finals, the US played Argentina. A Monti goal halfway through the first half gave Argentina a 1–0 half-time lead. In the second half the strength of the United States team was overwhelmed by the pace of the Argentinian attacks, and lost 6–1.
The now-traditional third place playoff was not established until 1934. A FIFA technical committee report on the 1986 World Cup included full retrospective rankings of all teams at all previous World Cup finals; this report ranked the United States third.
1934: The only one World Cup match
32 countries applied to enter the tournament, so qualifying matches were required to thin the field to 16. Haiti hosted Cuba for three that would send the winner to face Mexico, and Cuba advanced with two wins and one draw. Mexico defeated Cuba thrice at home to contest the sole CONCACAF spot against the United States. The qualifying match happened only three days before the start of the tournament in Rome, which the United States won.[17]
The United States lost their only match to hosts and eventual champions
1938: Cuba reaches the Quarter-final
It was originally intended that the World Cup would be held alternately between the continents of South America and Europe. However Jules Rimet, the creator of the World Cup, convinced FIFA to hold the competition in France, his home country. Because of this controversy, many American countries, including Argentina (the most likely hosts if the event was held in South America), Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Dutch Guyana, Uruguay, and the United States all withdrew or refused to enter so Cuba qualified automatically.
Five of the first round matches required extra time to break the deadlock; two games still went to a replay. In one replay,
1950: The Miracle Match
In the 1950 World Cup qualification, only three countries of CONCACAF took part in the qualifier for two spots. Mexico and the United States qualified over Cuba. Mexico took part in the opening match, losing 4–0 to hosts Brazil, and also lost to Yugoslavia (4–1) and Switzerland (2–1). The United States, with a hastily assembled team of semiprofessional players, lost to Spain 3–1 before defeating England 1–0 in a group match that is largely considered the greatest upset in World Cup history. Another loss by 2–5 to Chile ended the U.S. Team campaign.
1954: Mexico has a short World Cup
In the 1954 World Cup qualification, Mexico, United States and Haiti disputed one qualifying spot. Mexico won. The 1954 tournament used a unique format, where after dividing the sixteen teams in four groups, the seeded teams did not play each other, as did the non-seeds. Thus Mexico did not have to play fellow non-seeded team Yugoslavia, and lost to seeds Brazil and France. Mexico finished thirteenth overall.
1958: Mexico does not host, but plays the World Cup
Mexico expressed interest in hosting the tournament, but Sweden was eventually chosen at the FIFA Congress held in Rio de Janeiro around the opening of the 1950 FIFA World Cup.[19] In the 1958 World Cup qualification, six CONCACAF teams played for one spot, again won by Mexico. For the third time Mexico took part in the opening match, losing 4–0 to hosts Sweden. Afterwards they drew 1–1 Wales to win their first point in World Cup history, and lost 4–0 to Hungary in Sandviken, in what became the northernmost World Cup match in history. Mexico finished last overall among all sixteen teams.
1962: Mexico's first victory at the World Cup
In the 1962 World Cup qualification, seven countries played for the sole CONCACAF spot, again won by Mexico, who then advanced to the CONMEBOL/CCCF/NAFC Intercontinental Play-off. Mexico beat Paraguay 1–0 in Mexico City and qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup. In their group, Mexico lost to defending (and eventual) champions Brazil 0–2, as well as 0–1 to Spain. However, Mexico managed to get their first ever win at the World Cup by beating Czechoslovakia (who wound up being the tournament runners-up) 3–1. In the overall rankings, Mexico was eleventh.
1966: Mexico drew twice but eliminated
In the 1966 World Cup qualification, nine countries of CONCACAF disputed one qualifying spot. Mexico won the qualification and got to their fifth consecutive World Cup. In the group stage, Mexico drew 1–1
1970: North America hosts the World Cup, El Salvador's first World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. Mexico was chosen as the host nation by FIFA in Tokyo, Japan on 8 October 1964, over opposition from Argentina. Along with Mexico, another CONCACAF spot was reserved to the winner of the qualifiers. El Salvador beat 11 other countries to make their debut. Both CONCACAF teams wound up drawn in the same group.
In Group 1, hosts Mexico lived up to the expectations of an entire nation by advancing along with the Soviet Union. This was the first time in seven World Cup tournaments that Mexico had progressed from the initial stage. Mexico drew 0–0
The quarter-finals saw a transformed
1974: Haiti's first World Cup
The North, Central American and Caribbean zone was allocated 1 place (out of 16) in the World Cup. The qualifiers would be concurrent to the 1973 CONCACAF Championship. Host country Haiti won the tournament and the berth to West Germany '74. Haiti did not do particularly well in their first World Cup finals, losing all three games, but they did have one moment of glory. In their opening game against Italy, they managed to take the lead with a goal from Emmanuel Sanon, before eventually losing 3–1. Italy had not conceded a goal in 12 international matches, and it ended Dino Zoff's run of 1142 minutes without conceding a goal. Haiti finished second-to-last at 15th place overall.
1978: Mexico's early exit
The North, Central American and Caribbean zone was allocated 1 place (out of 16) in the World Cup. In the 1978 World Cup qualification participated 16 countries of CONCACAF. Mexico won, qualifying in Argentina '78. Mexico suffered an early exit after three defeats: 1–3 against
1982: Honduras' first World Cup
For the first time, the World Cup finals expanded from 16 to 24 teams. The North, Central American and Caribbean zone was allocated two places (out of 24) in the final tournament. A total of 15 CONCACAF teams entered the qualification. This edition was marked by an upset as Mexico, traditional CONCACAF heavyweights and needing a win to go through, were eliminated by Honduras. The 0–0 tie between Mexico and Honduras qualified El Salvador to participate in the World Cup as the CONCACAF runners-up. El Salvador also became the first Central American team to qualify for more than one World Cup (a record that has been broken by Costa Rica).
El Salvador in their first match on June 15 in Elche, they were defeated 10–1 by Hungary, a scoreline that stands as a World Cup record to this day.[20] One comfort was that Luis Baltazar Ramírez Zapata scored the country's first World Cup goal during the game, albeit at a point when the Salvadorans were already down 5–0.[21] El Salvador managed to regain some pride in their subsequent games: displaying much-improved levels of organisation and commitment, they lost 1–0 to Belgium on June 19 in Elche and 2–0 to the then-reigning world champions, Argentina, in Alicante on June 23.[22][23] At the ranking remained the last 24 place.
Honduras drew against Spain and Northern Ireland 1–1, and while trying to qualify with a third draw against Yugoslavia, a penalty in the final minutes lead to a 0–1 defeat. Honduras finished 18th overall.
1986: The second World Cup in Mexico, Mexican wave, Canada's debut
The 13th FIFA World Cup
In Group B Mexico beat
At the
1990: United States returns to the World Cup, Costa Rica reaches the Round of 16
A total of 16 CONCACAF teams entered the qualification. Mexico was disqualified from the 1990 FIFA World Cup (and any other international competition) after using players over the age limit allowed by FIFA in the qualifying round for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. The punishment originally was only going to be applied to the FIFA World Youth team and not the World Cup or Olympic Games team, but the penalty was applied to all Mexico national representatives of all FIFA sanctioned tournaments. Costa Rica along with the United States, qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Costa Rica qualified the first time. Returning after long absences were the United States, who competed for the first time since 1950. For the 1990 World Cup in Italy, two of the team's more experienced players, Rick Davis and Hugo Perez, were recovering from serious injuries and unavailable for selection, and manager Bob Gansler selected many inexperienced players and recent college graduates. The U.S. lost all three games to Czechoslovakia, Italy and Austria. At the ranking remained the 23 place.
1994: United States hosts the World Cup
The
1998: Jamaica's first World Cup
For the first time in the competition, the group-stages were expanded from 24 teams to 32. CONCACAF zone determine the three CONCACAF representatives at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. A total of 30 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. Mexico, the United States, and Jamaica qualified for the World Cup. Jamaica qualified first time for the World Cup. Jamaica ended in
2002: The North American derby
A total of 35 CONCACAF teams entered the qualification. Mexico, the
2006: Mexico moves on again, Trinidad and Tobago debut at the World Cup
A total of 34 teams took part competing for 3.5 places in the World Cup. Mexico, the
2010: Mexico and the United States qualify, Honduras returned to the World Cup
A total of 35 teams took part competing for 3.5 places in the World Cup. Mexico, the United States, and Honduras qualified at once for the World Cup. The fourth-place finisher, Costa Rica, played a two-game playoff with the CONMEBOL fifth-place finisher,[33] Uruguay, for a possible fourth berth. Costa Rica lost 1–2 on aggregate and not qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. United States after tying (drawing) matches against England (1–1) and Slovenia (2–2), the US defeated Algeria through a Landon Donovan stoppage time goal and thus won the game, the first time that the US has won its group since 1930. In the round of 16, the US lost to Ghana, with Ghana once again winning 2–1, thus resulting in the elimination of the US from the World Cup.[34] US finished in 12th place. Mexico was drawn into Group A along with the host
2014: Costa Rica surprises, three CONCACAF teams in the knockout round
In the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the United States, Costa Rica and Honduras qualified directly, while an underwhelming campaign by Mexico sent them to a playoff with New Zealand, the top team from Oceania. Mexico disposed of New Zealand 9–3 on aggregate over 2 games to mark the second tournament with four teams from North and Central America.
For the first time three CONCACAF teams qualified for the knockout rounds. The exception was Honduras, who lost all three games.
Mexico managed to get their sixth consecutive qualification to the knockout rounds under the solid goalkeeping of Guillermo Ochoa, who conceded only one goal in the group stage. In the Round of 16 against the Netherlands, Mexico opened the score with Giovani dos Santos, but conceded two goals in the final minutes for another early exit. Rafael Márquez became both the most capped Mexico player with 16 World Cup matches, and also became the first player to serve as team captain in four different tournaments.
Underdogs Costa Rica had their best tournament performance ever led by goalkeeper Keylor Navas. While experts did not expect the Central American team to survive a "group of death" featuring three former World Cup winners, Costa Rica beat both Uruguay and Italy before drawing England, finishing first on its group. Facing Greece in the round of 16, Bryan Ruiz opened the score, but Sokratis Papastathopoulos tied on injury time. Despite having one less player Los Ticos held the tie on overtime, and Navas saved two of the Greek penalty kicks to send Costa Rica to the quarter-finals. Facing the Netherlands, Navas kept the score 0–0 until the penalties. Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul saved two kicks to eliminate Costa Rica, who still ended undefeated and with the less goals taken.
Facing Ghana for the third consecutive World Cup, the United States finally defeated the African team, with the first goal of the 2–1 victory being scored by Clint Dempsey with less than thirty seconds of playtime. The U.S. team then conceded a 2–2 draw to Portugal on injury time, and qualified despite a 1–0 defeat to Germany. Facing Belgium in the Round of 16, goalkeeper Tim Howard made a record of 16 saves to send the game into overtime, where the Belgians won 2–1.
2018: Panama goes to the World Cup
In the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama qualified directly, while Honduras was forced to enter a playoff against Australia after finishing fourth in the final round. Both Honduras and the United States failed to qualify for the main tournament; the latter country failed to do so for the first time since 1986.
2022: The "Big Three" and Canada
Mexico, the United States, and Costa Rica would go straight to the third round while Canada would compete in the first and second rounds, where they prevailed. In the octogonal, Mexico, the United States, Canada would qualify as the top three teams, making it the first time since 1986 that Canada qualified for the World Cup. Other CONCACAF giant, Costa Rica, would be forced to play against New Zealand in the playoffs, where they would win.
During the group stage, Costa Rica, Canada, and Mexico struggled heavily. Costa Rica lost to Spain on the first day in a 7–0 shutout and managed to get their only win (1–0) against Japan before losing to Germany 4–2. Canada would lose all of their games against Belgium (1–0), Croatia (4–1), and Morocco (2–1), finishing 31st, though they have seen the tournament as successful in reviving soccer in the country. Mexico would start the tournament with a tie against Poland before losing 2–0 to Argentina. They would manage to win 2–1 against Saudi Arabia, but because of a -1 goal differential against Poland, they would be eliminated. The United States managed to have a successful run in the group stage, tying with Wales and England before beating Iran 1–0 in an extremely tense match. During the Round of 16, the United States' run would come to an end as they lost 3–1 to the Netherlands.
Notes
- ^ Competed in WC qualifying as Territory of Curaçao in 1958 and Netherlands Antilles from 1962-2010
- ^ Entered WC qualifying as Dutch Guyana in 1938 and 1962-1974
References
- ^ "FACT Sheet - FIFA World Cup: All-time ranking 1930-2014" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Technical Report - 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Overview of the Participating Member Associations" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA.
- ^ "Overview of the Participating Member Associations" (PDF). FIFA.com. FIFA.
- ^ It was originally intended that the World Cup would be held alternately between the continents of South America and Europe. However Jules Rimet, the creator of the World Cup, convinced FIFA to hold the competition in France, his home country. Because of this controversy, many American countries, including Argentina (the most likely hosts if the event was held in South America), Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Dutch Guiana, Uruguay, and the United States all withdrew or refused to enter.
- ^ Canada withdrew before the qualification matches began.
- ^ Jamaica withdrew.
- ^ Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada withdrew.
- ^ FIFA rejected the entry of Belize due to debts to FIFA.Mexico was disqualified for fielding over-aged players in a youth tournament.
- ^ Cuba withdrew.
- ^ Bermuda withdrew.
- ^ Guyana were suspended by FIFA.
- ^ Puerto Rico declined to participate.
- ^ Bahamas withdrew from the tournament on 19 August 2011 and were not replaced
- ISBN 978-1-4116-7906-1.
- ^ Freddi, p. 9
- ^ "World Cup 1934". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
- ^ Wangerin, Soccer in a Football World, p. 98
- ^ Norlin, pp.24–25
- ^ "Did You Know? table". FIFA. 2010-11-11. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2006-04-12.
- ^ "FIFA Match Report for Hungary-El Salvador on June 15, 1982". FIFA. 2006-04-12. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "FIFA Match Report for Belgium-El Salvador on June 19, 1982". FIFA. 2006-04-12. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ "FIFA Match Report for Argentina-El Salvador on June 23, 1982". FIFA. 2006-04-12. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Andy Jackson (Jun 11 2010) ...Fan Crazes Australian Four Four Two. Retrieved 25 August 2011
- ^ The 100 greatest World Cup moments: 94. THE MEXICAN WAVE The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2011
- CNN Sports Illustrated. July 1, 2000. Retrieved on July 4, 2009. Archived 30 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "CNNSI.com World Cup Hall of Fame – Andrés Escobar". CNN. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
- ^ Palmer, Kevin (June 9, 2006). "ESPNsoccernet – World Cup – 'Winning is the only option'". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ "Sampson destroyed US unity with late changes to lineup". SoccerTimes.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2006. Retrieved June 8, 2006.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (February 3, 2010). "John Harkes Affair? Soccer Captain Allegedly Slept With Teammate's Wife". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ "Match Report: Italy – USA". FIFA. June 17, 2006. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2006.
- ^ "Ghana 2–1 USA". BBC Sport. BBC. June 22, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ FIFA.com
- ^ "U.S. Falls to Ghana (in Soccer)".
- ^ "England enjoy kind World Cup draw". BBC News. December 4, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
External links
- FIFA Fact Sheet: History of the FIFA World Cup (TM) Preliminary Competition (by year)[dead link] (44 page PDF document)