2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Last updated

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
Tournament details
Dates22 March 2015 – 10 October 2017
Teams35 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played112
Goals scored319 (2.85 per match)
Attendance1,930,157 (17,234 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Guatemala.svg Carlos Ruiz
(9 goals)
2014
2022

The North, Central American and Caribbean section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). 3.5 slots (3 direct slots and 1 inter-confederation play-off slot) in the final tournament were available for CONCACAF teams. [1]

Contents

In a change to previous qualification tournaments for this confederation, [2] the first three rounds were played as knockout rounds, with both the fourth round and the final round (referred to as the "Hexagonal") played as group stages. The first round was played during the FIFA international dates of 23–31 March 2015. [3] CONCACAF announced the full format details on 12 January 2015. [4] [5]

The United States failed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986 after a surprise defeat by Trinidad and Tobago. As a result, Panama reached the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Format

The qualification structure was as follows: [4] [6]

Entrants

All 35 FIFA-affiliated national teams from CONCACAF entered qualification. [7] The seeding – used to draw the first four rounds of the qualifiers – was based on the FIFA World Rankings of August 2014 (shown in parentheses). [4]

From the August 2014 FIFA World Rankings [8]
Bye to fourth round
(ranked 1st to 6th)
Bye to third round
(ranked 7th to 8th)
Bye to second round
(ranked 9th to 21st)
Competing in first round
(ranked 22nd to 35th)
  1. Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica (15)
  2. Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico (17)
  3. Flag of the United States.svg  United States (18)
  4. Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg  Honduras (43)
  5. Flag of Panama.svg  Panama (63)
  6. Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago (80)
  1. Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica (85)
  2. Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti (117)
  1. Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada (122)
  2. Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba (124)
  3. Flag of Aruba.svg  Aruba (124)
  4. Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic (126)
  5. Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador (127)
  6. Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname (131)
  7. Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala (134)
  8. Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (134)
  9. Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia (138)
  10. Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada (142)
  11. Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda (149)
  12. Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana (153)
  13. Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico (155)
  1. Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis (159)
  2. Flag of Belize (1981-2019).svg  Belize (162)
  3. Flag of Montserrat.svg  Montserrat (165)
  4. Flag of Dominica.svg  Dominica (168)
  5. Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados (169)
  6. Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda (173)
  7. Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua (175)
  8. Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg  Turks and Caicos Islands (181)
  9. Flag of Curacao.svg  Curaçao (182)
  10. Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg  U.S. Virgin Islands (191)
  11. Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas (193)
  12. Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg  Cayman Islands (197)
  13. Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg  British Virgin Islands (201)
  14. Flag of Anguilla.svg  Anguilla (207)

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. [4]

RoundMatchdayDate
First round First leg22–31 March 2015
Second leg
Second round First leg8–16 June 2015
Second leg
Third round First leg31 August – 8 September 2015
Second leg
Fourth round Matchday 19–17 November 2015
Matchday 2
Matchday 321–29 March 2016
Matchday 4
Matchday 529 August – 6 September 2016
Matchday 6
RoundMatchdayDate
Fifth round Matchday 17–15 November 2016
Matchday 2
Matchday 320–28 March 2017
Matchday 4
Matchday 55–13 June 2017
Matchday 6
Matchday 728 August – 5 September 2017
Matchday 8
Matchday 92–10 October 2017
Matchday 10

The inter-confederation play-offs were scheduled to be played between 6–14 November 2017. [9]

First round

The draw for the first round was held on 15 January 2015, 19:40 EST (UTC−5), at the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. [10]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Bahamas  Flag of the Bahamas.svg0–8Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda 0–5 0–3
British Virgin Islands  Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg2–3Flag of Dominica.svg  Dominica 2–3 0–0
Barbados  Flag of Barbados.svg4–1Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg  U.S. Virgin Islands 0–1 4–0
Saint Kitts and Nevis  Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg12–4 [note 1] Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg  Turks and Caicos Islands 6–2 6–2
Nicaragua  Flag of Nicaragua.svg8–0Flag of Anguilla.svg  Anguilla 5–0 3–0
Belize  Flag of Belize (1981-2019).svg1–1 (a)Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg  Cayman Islands 0–0 1–1
Curaçao  Flag of Curacao.svg4–3Flag of Montserrat.svg  Montserrat 2–1 2–2

Second round

The draw for the second round was held on 15 January 2015, 19:40 EST (UTC−5), at the W Hotel at Miami Beach, Florida, United States. [10]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg6–6 (a)Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana 2–2 4–4
Antigua and Barbuda  Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg5–4Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia 1–3 4–1
Puerto Rico  Flag of Puerto Rico.svg1–2Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada 1–0 0–2
Dominica  Flag of Dominica.svg0–6 [note 1] Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 0–2 0–4
Dominican Republic  Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg1–5Flag of Belize (1981-2019).svg  Belize 1–2 0–3
Guatemala  Flag of Guatemala.svg1–0Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda 0–0 1–0
Aruba  Flag of Aruba.svg3–2Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados 0–2 3–0 [note 2]
Saint Kitts and Nevis  Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg3–6Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 2–2 1–4
Curaçao  Flag of Curacao.svg1–1 (a)Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 0–0 1–1
Nicaragua  Flag of Nicaragua.svg4–1Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 1–0 3–1

Third round

The draw for the third round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [12]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Curaçao  Flag of Curacao.svg0–2Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 0–1 0–1
Canada  Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg4–1Flag of Belize (1981-2019).svg  Belize 3–0 1–1
Grenada  Flag of Grenada.svg1–6Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 1–3 0–3
Jamaica  Flag of Jamaica.svg4–3Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 2–3 2–0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg3–2Flag of Aruba.svg  Aruba 2–0 1–2
Antigua and Barbuda  Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg1–2Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 1–0 0–2

Fourth round

The draw for the fourth round was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [12]

Groups

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [13]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Mexico.svgFlag of Honduras (1949-2022).svgFlag of Canada (Pantone).svgFlag of El Salvador.svg
1Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 6510131+1216Advance to fifth round 0–0 2–0 3–0
2Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg  Honduras 62226608 0–2 2–1 2–0
3Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 62135837 0–3 1–0 3–1
4Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 602441392 1–3 2–2 0–0
Source: FIFA

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of Costa Rica.svgFlag of Panama.svgFlag of Haiti.svgFlag of Jamaica.svg
1Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 6510113+816Advance to fifth round 3–1 1–0 3–0
2Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 631275+210 1–2 1–0 2–0
3Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 61142424 0–1 0–0 0–1
4Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 611421084 1–1 0–2 0–2
Source: FIFA

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of the United States.svgFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svgFlag of Guatemala.svgFlag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg
1Flag of the United States.svg  United States 6411203+1713Advance to fifth round 4–0 4–0 6–1
2Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 6321139+411 0–0 2–2 6–0
3Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 63121811+710 2–0 1–2 9–3
4Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6006634280 0–6 2–3 0–4
Source: FIFA

Fifth round

As with every World Cup qualification campaign since 1998, CONCACAF held a six-team, home-and-away round-robin group known as the 'Hexagonal', or 'Hex', as its final and decisive round. As a result of the abolition of the February and August fixtures from the FIFA calendar, the 'Hex' for the first time was not contained within a single calendar year, but instead began in November 2016 and concluded in October 2017. [4] [5]

The draw for the fifth round (to decide the fixtures) was held on 8 July 2016, 10:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach, United States. [14] [15] [16]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [17]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification Flag of Mexico.svg Flag of Costa Rica.svg Flag of Panama.svg Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg Flag of the United States.svg Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg
1Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 10631167+921Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 3–1
2Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 10442148+616 1–1 0–0 1–1 4–0 2–1
3Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 10343910113 0–0 2–1 2–2 1–1 3–0
4Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg  Honduras 103431319613Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 3–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 3–1
5Flag of the United States.svg  United States 103341713+412 1–2 0–2 4–0 6–0 2–0
6Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 10208719126 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–1
Source: FIFA

Inter-confederation play-offs

The draw for the inter-confederation play-offs was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg. [18] The fourth-placed team from CONCACAF was drawn against the fifth-placed team from Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with the CONCACAF team hosting the first leg. [19]

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Honduras  Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg1–3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 0–0 1–3

Qualified teams

The following three teams from CONCACAF qualified for the final tournament.

TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in FIFA World Cup 1
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Fifth round winners1 September 201715 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 , 1978, 1986 , 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica Fifth round runners-up7 October 20174 (1990, 2002, 2006, 2014)
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama Fifth round third place10 October 20170 (debut)
1Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Top goalscorers

There were 319 goals scored in 112 matches, for an average of 2.85 goals per match.

9 goals

8 goals

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for each round:

Notes

  1. 1 2 Order of legs reversed from originally published draw.
  2. FIFA awarded Aruba a 3–0 win as a result of Barbados fielding the ineligible player Hadan Holligan. Holligan failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the competition. [11] The match originally ended 1–0 to Barbados.

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References

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