World Cup qualifying started with a bang, while Liga MX’s Pachuca secured spots in two FIFA tournaments during a memorable year in Concacaf.
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Puerto Rico, Haiti, Nicaragua and Suriname among quick starters in World Cup qualifying
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Pachuca win Champions Cup to earn Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup berths
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USA women capture Olympic gold at Paris 2024
The year 2024 was an eventful one in the Concacaf region both on and off the field. Qualifying for FIFA World Cup 26™ started with teams from around the Caribbean and Central America in hot pursuit of one of the three automatic bids at stake, plus two play-off berths.
Liga MX side Pachuca stood tall among all their peers by capturing the Concacaf Champions Cup to earn spots in both the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™.
The CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 held in the USA brought sour ends for the host nation and neighbors Mexico, however Canada enjoyed a semi-final finish. Meanwhile, in the women’s game, USA returned to the top of the Olympic podium by winning the gold at Paris 2024.
World Cup qualifying
The first round of qualifying in March produced history-making results, as both Anguilla and British Virgin Islands eliminated Turks & Caicos Islands and US Virgin Islands respectively to advance past a round in qualifying for the first time.
Thirty teams split into six groups of five started the second round in June, with each team playing two matches. While it was no surprise to see World Cup stalwarts like Costa Rica and Central American giants Honduras and Panama enjoy strong starts, several teams hoping to reach a first World Cup, or return to the global showpiece for the first time in decades, made emphatic statements.
Curacao and Haiti each flexed their scoring muscles to collect maximum points from Group C, while Nicaragua have their fans dreaming after winning their first two contests in Group D. The same can be said for Guatemala in Group E, as they sit atop the standings. Group F will be intriguing until the end, as hopefuls Suriname and Puerto Rico are poised to do something special.
Continental competitions
The attention in the region shifted to the Concacaf Nations League Finals in March, when 2026 co-hosts USA and Mexico overcame challenges from Jamaica and Panama respectively in the semi-finals to set up a date in the final. In the decider, goals from Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna paved the way for a 2-0 USA victory and a Nations League ‘three-peat’.
In June, the race to secure the final berth from the Concacaf region in the 2025 Club World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup 2024 came down to the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final on 1 June between Liga MX stalwarts Pachuca and 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) champions Columbus Crew. The night belonged to Pachuca, as Venezuela international Salomon Rondon scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 triumph.
Pachuca would then go on to make a spirited run at the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™, defeating CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo of Brazil and African champions Al Ahly of Egypt to reach the final before falling to Spanish titans Real Madrid in the final.
The 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America proved mostly frustrating for the six Concacaf nations involved. USA and Mexico crashed out in the group stage, prompting coaching changes, as USA turned to Mauricio Pochettino and Mexico appointed Javier Aguirre. Jamaica and Costa Rica also fell short of progressing to the knockouts, but that wasn’t the case for Canada and Panama. Under new boss Jesse Marsch, the Canadians reach the semi-finals before finishing fourth, while Panama made the final eight.
Breakout stars
Jacob Shaffelburg – Canada
Shaffelburg started his sparkling year with a goal that sealed Canada’s 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in March and qualified them for the Copa America. The Nova Scotia-born Nashville SC man, known playfully as ‘The Maritime Messi’, contributed the assist on Jonathan David’s winning strike against Peru and then tallied the team’s goal versus Venezuela in the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old put a bow on his year with a two-goal outing in a 3-0 win over Suriname to send Canada to the Nations League Finals.
Dorny Romero – Dominican Republic
Be it World Cup qualifying or Nations League action, Romero was as prolific as it gets. The striker finished the first qualifying window in June with two goals, as the Dominican Republic sit third in their group, just three points behind the leaders. In the Nations League, Romero was unstoppable in recording ten goals, including six in the November window to help Dominican Republic win their League B group and qualify for a first Gold Cup.
Jose Cordoba – Panama
Cordoba has emerged as a top defender in the Concacaf region and is key to Panama’s hopes for a second World Cup. He played every minute of their first two World Cup qualifiers, both ending in victories. He then started all four matches in the Copa America, as Panama stunned hosts USA to ultimately reach the knockout round. In Nations League play, the Norwich City man was immense in Panama’s 3-2 aggregate quarter-final win against Costa Rica, winning every aerial duel he contested.
Jearl Margaritha – Curacao
Margaritha has emerged as the main man in attack for a Curacao team that is in first place in their World Cup qualifying group. Overall in 2024, Margaritha finished the year with four goals and five assists for his country. The Netherlands-born front man was simply sensational in his team’s Nations League matches with Saint Martin and Saint Lucia, with a four-goal haul in a 5-0 victory against the former and two assists in a 4-1 triumph over the latter, which clinched a 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup berth.
What 2025 has in store
The year will begin with the Concacaf Champions Cup in February, with 27 teams in pursuit of lifting the trophy on 1 June. The national teams of USA, Mexico, Panama and Canada will convene in Los Angeles in March for the 2025 Nations League Finals, with USA attempting to win the tournament for a fourth consecutive time.
The focus will return to World Cup qualifying in June for the final two matches for all teams in the second round. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the decisive third round, which kicks off in September and will wrap up in November with the three automatic berths and two play-off spots to be determined.
The summer months in the Concacaf region will also bring about two major tournaments, beginning with the Club World Cup in which five teams from Concacaf – Club Leon (MEX), Inter Miami (USA), Monterrey (MEX), Pachuca (MEX) and Seattle Sounders (USA) – will pit themselves against the best clubs in the world.
The 18th edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup is also set to take place involving 16 teams, including the three 2026 co-hosts. Defending champions Mexico will be seeking their 10th crown.
Other successes
In July, the world’s attention shifted to Paris 2024, as both the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and Women’s Olympic Football Tournament kicked off. The Dominican Republic made history by appearing in their first-ever Olympics in the men’s tournament, but the headline was a return to the top of the podium for the USA women, as they defeated Brazil 1-0 to claim their fifth Olympic title.
Women’s youth national teams then took centre stage at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™. USA took home the bronze in each, while Dominican Republic earned their first-ever World Cup goal and result at any age level, men’s or women’s, when they collected a 1-1 draw with New Zealand.
