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Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football
Concacaf logo.svg
CONCACAF member associations map.svg
Abbreviation CONCACAF
Predecessor
  • NAFC
  • CCCF
Formation September 18, 1961; 63 years ago (1961-09-18)
Founded at Mexico City, Mexico
Type Sports organization
Headquarters 161 NW 6th Street, Suite #1100, Miami, Florida, United States
Region
North America (the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern America)
South America (The Guianas)
Membership
41 member associations
Official language
President
Victor Montagliani
Vice Presidents
  • Rodolfo Villalobos
  • Sunil Gulati
  • Randolph Harris
  • Yon de Luisa
General Secretary
Philippe Moggio
Parent organization
FIFA
Subsidiaries
  • NAFU (North America)
  • UNCAF (Central America)
  • CFU (Caribbean)

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, usually called CONCACAF, is one of FIFA's six main groups for soccer. It includes 41 countries and areas. Most are in North America, like the Caribbean and Central America. It also includes three nations from South America: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

CONCACAF's main jobs are to set up competitions for national teams and clubs. They also run the qualifying tournaments for the Men's World Cup and Women's World Cup.

CONCACAF started on September 18, 1961, in Mexico City, Mexico. It was formed when two older groups, the NAFC and the CCCF, joined together. Some of the first members were Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States.

In men's soccer, Mexico has won the most Gold Cups. The Mexican men's team is the only CONCACAF team to win a FIFA tournament. They won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico and the U.S. have won almost all the Gold Cups. In 2014, Costa Rica reached the World Cup quarterfinals. Panama joined the World Cup for the first time in 2018. The CONCACAF Nations League started in 2018. The United States has won it three times.

The U.S. women's team is very successful. They are the only CONCACAF team to win all three major women's soccer events. These are the World Cup (4 times), the Olympics (5 times), and the Algarve Cup (10 times). The Canadian women's team has won the 2016 Algarve Cup and the 2020 Olympics.

CONCACAF works with Coaches Across Continents (CAC). CAC is a group that uses sports to help people become active citizens.

How CONCACAF is Run

CONCACAF is led by a general secretary, an executive committee, and other groups. The executive committee has eight members. These include a president, three vice-presidents, and four other members. Each of the three main areas in CONCACAF has a vice-president and another member. This committee makes sure all the rules and plans are followed.

Leaders of CONCACAF

CONCACAF logo (2014–18)
Logo used until 2018

The first leader of CONCACAF was Ramón Coll Jaumet from Costa Rica. He helped combine the two older soccer groups. In 1969, Joaquín Soria Terrazas from Mexico took over. He was president for 21 years.

After him, Jack Warner was president from 1990 to 2011. He also served for 21 years. In 2011, he stepped down from all soccer activities. Alfredo Hawit then became acting president until May 2012.

In May 2012, Jeffrey Webb became president. In May 2015, he was arrested in Switzerland.

Victor Montagliani, who leads the Canadian Soccer Association, became CONCACAF president in May 2016.

CONCACAF Council Members

Name Nation Position
Victor Montagliani  Canada President
Philippe Moggio  France General secretary
Randolph Harris  Barbados Vice President (Male, Caribbean)
Nick Bontis  Canada Vice President (Male, North America)
Jorge Salomon  Honduras Vice President (Male, Central America)
Sonia Fulford  Turks and Caicos Islands Member (Female, Caribbean)
Cindy Parlow Cone United States United States of America Member (Female, North America)
Sergio Chuc Belize Belize Member (Male, Central America)

Where CONCACAF Works

CONCACAF is a non-profit group based in Nassau, The Bahamas. Its main office is in Miami, United States. It used to be in the Cayman Islands and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

In 2017, CONCACAF opened new offices. One was in Kingston, Jamaica. Another was in Guatemala City, shared with the Central American Football Union (UNCAF). A third office opened in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Member Countries

CONCACAF has 41 member countries and territories. They are divided into three zones: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Code Association National teams Founded FIFA
affiliation
CONCACAF
affiliation
IOC
member
North American Zone (NAFU) (3)
CAN  Canada (M, W) 1912 1913 1961 Yes
MEX  Mexico (M, W) 1922 1929 1961 Yes
USA  United States (M, W) 1913 1914 1961 Yes
Central American Zone (UNCAF) (7)
BLZ  Belize (M, W) 1980 1986 1986 Yes
CRC  Costa Rica (M, W) 1921 1927 1961 Yes
SLV  El Salvador (M, W) 1935 1938 1961 Yes
GUA  Guatemala (M, W) 1919 1946 1961 Yes
HON  Honduras (M, W) 1935 1946 1961 Yes
NCA  Nicaragua (M, W) 1931 1950 1961 Yes
PAN  Panama (M, W) 1937 1938 1961 Yes
Caribbean Zone (CFU) (31)
AIA  Anguilla (M, W) 1990 1996 1996 Yes
ATG  Antigua and Barbuda (M, W) 1928 1972 between 1961 and 1973 Yes
ARU  Aruba (M, W) 1932 1988 1986 Yes
BAH  Bahamas (M, W) 1967 1968 between 1961 and 1973 Yes
BRB  Barbados (M, W) 1910 1968 1967 Yes
BER  Bermuda (M, W) 1928 1962 1967 Yes
BOE  Bonaire (M, W) 1960 N/A 2014 Yes
VGB  British Virgin Islands (M, W) 1974 1996 1996 Yes
CAY  Cayman Islands (M, W) 1966 1992 1990 Yes
CUB  Cuba (M, W) 1924 1929 1961 Yes
CUW  Curaçao (M, W) 1921 1932 1961 Yes
DMA  Dominica (M, W) 1970 1994 1994 Yes
DOM  Dominican Republic (M, W) 1953 1958 1964 Yes
GUF  French Guiana (M, W) 1962 N/A 2013 Yes
GRN  Grenada (M, W) 1924 1978 1978 Yes
GLP  Guadeloupe (M, W) 1958 N/A 2013 Yes
GUY  Guyana (M, W) 1902 1970 between 1969 and 1971 Yes
HAI  Haiti (M, W) 1904 1934 1961 Yes
JAM  Jamaica (M, W) 1910 1962 1963 Yes
MTQ  Martinique (M, W) 1953 N/A 2013 No
MSR  Montserrat (M, W) 1994 1996 1996 No
PUR  Puerto Rico (M, W) 1940 1960 1964 Yes
SKN  Saint Kitts and Nevis (M, W) 1932 1992 1992 Yes
LCA  Saint Lucia (M, W) 1979 1988 1986 Yes
SMN  Saint Martin (M, W) 1999 N/A 2013 No
VIN  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (M, W) 1979 1988 1986 Yes
SMA  Sint Maarten (M, W) 1986 N/A 2013 No
SUR  Suriname (M, W) 1920 1929 1961 Yes
TRI  Trinidad and Tobago (M, W) 1908 1964 1964 Yes
TCA  Turks and Caicos Islands (M, W) 1996 1998 1996 No
VIR  U.S. Virgin Islands (M, W) 1992 1998 1987 Yes

M = Men's National Team. W = Women's National Team

Bonaire became a full member in June 2014. Teams not part of the IOC cannot play in the Summer Olympics football tournament.

Future Members

Some areas want to join CONCACAF. Greenland officially applied to join CONCACAF on May 28, 2024. However, in June 2025, CONCACAF decided not to accept Greenland's application.

CONCACAF Competitions

CONCACAF organizes many exciting soccer tournaments. These include competitions for both national teams and clubs.

Current Competitions

Past Competitions

CONCACAF used to have other tournaments. These included the CFU Championship and the CONCACAF Championship. Club competitions like the CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup and CONCACAF League are also no longer played.

CONCACAF Gold Cup Explained

The Gold Cup is the biggest men's national team soccer competition in CONCACAF. It started in 1991 and happens every two years. The winner is crowned the champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Since 2019, 16 teams play in the Gold Cup.

CONCACAF Nations League Explained

All men's national teams in CONCACAF play in the Nations League. This competition began in 2017. Teams are put into different levels and play against others in their level. Teams can move up or down a level based on their results.

CONCACAF Champions Cup Explained

The CONCACAF Champions Cup is an annual club soccer competition. It started in 1962 and is for the best clubs in the region. The team that wins the Champions Cup gets to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament runs from February to April.

Starting in 2024, 27 teams play in the Champions Cup. Mexican clubs have won the most titles, with 36 wins. Club América and Cruz Azul from Mexico have won seven titles each.

Current Champions

Competition Year Champions Title Runners-up Next edition
National teams (men)
Gold Cup 2025 (final)  Mexico 10th  United States 2027 (final)
Nations League 2024–25 (final)  Mexico 1st  Panama 2026–27 (final)
U-20 Championship 2024  Mexico 14th  United States 2026
U-17 Championship 2023  Mexico 9th  United States 2025
U-15 Championship 2023  United States 1st  Mexico 2025
Futsal Championship 2024  Panama 1st  Cuba 2028
Beach Soccer Championship 2025  El Salvador 3rd  Guatemala 2027
National teams (women)
W Championship 2022 (final) Flag of the United States.svg United States 9th Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 2026 (final)
W Gold Cup 2024 (final)  United States 1st  Brazil 2028 (final)
Women's U-20 Championship 2025  Canada 3rd  Mexico 2027
Women's U-17 Championship 2024  United States 6th  Mexico 2026
Girls' U-15 Championship 2024  United States 4th  Mexico 2026
W Futsal Championship 2025  Canada 1st  Panama 2029
Club teams (men)
Champions Cup 2025 (final) Mexico Cruz Azul 7th Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2026 (final)
Leagues Cup 2024 (final) United States Columbus Crew 1st United States Los Angeles FC 2025 (final)
Central American Cup 2024 Costa Rica Alajuelense 2nd Nicaragua Real Estelí 2025
Caribbean Cup 2024 Jamaica Cavalier 1st Dominican Republic Cibao 2025
Under-13 Champions League 2019 United States Philadelphia Union 1st El Salvador ADFA Santa Ana TBC
Futsal Club Championship 2017 Costa Rica Grupo Line Futsal 1st United States Elite Futsal TBC
Club teams (women)
W Champions Cup 2024–25 United States Gotham FC 1st Mexico UANL 2025–26

Titles by Nation

Nation Men Women Futsal Beach Total
Gold League U20 U17 U15 Champ Gold U20 U17 U15 Men's Women's Men's
 United States 7 3 3 3 1 9 1 7 6 4 2 3 49
 Mexico 13 1 14 9 1 2 1 4 45
 Canada 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 11
 Costa Rica 3 2 1 4 10
 Honduras 1 2 1 4
 El Salvador 1 3 4
 Guatemala 1 1 2
 Panama 1 1 2
 Cuba 1 1
 Haiti 1 1

CONMEBOL Tournaments

CONCACAF teams have also played in some tournaments organized by CONMEBOL, the South American soccer group. These include the Copa América for national teams. Clubs have played in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

CONCACAF Hall of Fame

The CONCACAF Hall of Fame honors important people in soccer from the region. It includes players and leaders who have made a big impact.

  • Aruba Hubert Tromp
  • Bermuda Gerard Bean
  • Bermuda Matthew Hogan
  • Brazil João Havelange
  • Canada Jim Fleming
  • Canada Rudy Gittens
  • Costa Rica Hiram Sosa López
  • Costa Rica Isaac Sasso
  • Costa Rica Julio Moya
  • Costa Rica Ramón Coll Jaumet
  • Curaçao Andres Avelino Constansia
  • Dominica Patrick John
  • United Kingdom Mavis Derflinger
  • United Kingdom Clive Toye
  • Guatemala Guillermo Cañedo
  • Guatemala Oscar Thamar
  • Guatemala Carlos Carrera
  • Guadeloupe Jacques Rugard
  • Honduras Federico Fortín
  • Honduras Rafael L. Callejas Romero
  • Jamaica Anthony James
  • Jamaica George Abrahams
  • Jamaica Ricardo Gardener
  • Jamaica Lincoln "Happy" Sutherland
  • Mexico Aaron Padilla Gutiérrez
  • Mexico Arturo Yamasaki
  • Mexico Javier Arriaga
  • Mexico Jesús Martínez
  • Mexico Joaquín Soria Terrazas
  • Martinique Joseph Ursulet
  • Nicaragua Júlio Rocha
  • Netherlands Antilles Mordy Maduro
  • Panama Ariel Alvarado
  • Switzerland Sepp Blatter
  • Suriname André Kamperveen
  • United States Gene Edwards
  • United States Kurt Lamm
  • United States Werner Fricker

Team of the Century

The CONCACAF Team of the Century was announced in 1998. It recognized the best players from the region.

  • GK — Antonio Carbajal (Mexico)
  • DF — Marcelo Balboa (United States)
  • DF — Gilberto Yearwood (Honduras)
  • DF — Bruce Wilson (Canada)
  • DF — Gustavo Peña (Mexico)
  • MF — Ramón Ramírez (Mexico)
  • MF — Mágico González (El Salvador)
  • MF — Tab Ramos (United States)
  • FW — Julio César Dely Valdés (Panama)
  • FW — Hugo Sánchez (Mexico)
  • FW — Hernán Medford (Costa Rica)

President's Award

The President's Award honors people who have done great things for soccer.

2013
  • Guatemala Carlos Ruiz for speaking out against unfair practices.
  • Belize Ian Gaynair for reporting an offer of a bribe.
2015

World Cup History

FIFA World Cup for Men

Only eleven CONCACAF countries have played in the FIFA World Cup. Six of them have only played once. No team from CONCACAF has ever reached the final. However, the United States reached the semi-finals in the first World Cup in 1930. They were awarded third place.

CONCACAF teams have reached the quarter-finals five times:

  • Cuba in 1938
  • Mexico as hosts in 1970 and 1986
  • The United States in 2002
  • Costa Rica in 2014

Jamaica is the smallest country to win a World Cup match. They beat Japan 2–1 in 1998.

FIFA World Cup Hosting

CONCACAF nations have hosted the FIFA World Cup three times.

The 1970 FIFA World Cup was in Mexico. It was the first World Cup held in North America. Brazil won this tournament. The 1970 World Cup had many goals and was the first to be shown in color on TV.

In 1986, Mexico became the first country to host the World Cup twice. They stepped in after Colombia could not host due to money problems.

The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. FIFA hoped this would make soccer more popular in the U.S. One condition was to create a professional soccer league, Major League Soccer. The 1994 World Cup had the highest total attendance ever, with almost 3.6 million fans.

Canada, Mexico, and the United States will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup together.

FIFA Women's World Cup

The United States women's team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup four times. Canada has also had strong performances.

Olympic Games Soccer

Men's Olympic Tournament

Several CONCACAF men's teams have played in the Olympics. Mexico won the gold medal in 2012.

Women's Olympic Tournament

The United States women's team has won the Olympic gold medal five times. Canada won gold in 2020.

Other Rankings

Men's CONCACAF Ranking Index

CONCACAF calculates its own ranking for men's national teams.

Rank Team Pts +/-
1  Mexico 1,946 Steady
2  Canada 1,837 Increase 1
3  Panama 1,778 Increase 1
4  United States 1,712 Decrease 2
5  Costa Rica 1,668 Steady
6  Jamaica 1,552 Steady
7  Honduras 1,534 Steady
8  Haiti 1,481 Steady
9  Guatemala 1,377 Steady
10  Trinidad and Tobago 1,360 Steady
11  El Salvador 1,239 Increase 1
12  Suriname 1,223 Increase 4
13  Guadeloupe 1,222 Increase 1
14  Martinique 1,202 Decrease 3
15  Curaçao 1,130 Steady
16  Nicaragua 1,115 Decrease 3
17  Guyana 1,069 Increase 2
18  Cuba 1,057 Decrease 1
19  Dominican Republic 1,050 Decrease 1
20  French Guiana 950 Steady
21  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 892 Increase 1
Rank Team Pts +/-
22  Bermuda 864 Decrease 1
23  Puerto Rico 846 Steady
24  Saint Kitts and Nevis 833 Steady
25  Belize 781 Steady
26  Saint Lucia 774 Steady
27  Grenada 739 Steady
28  Montserrat 690 Steady
29  Dominica 622 Steady
30  Sint Maarten 603 Steady
31  Barbados 591 Steady
32  Saint Martin 584 Steady
33  Antigua and Barbuda 581 Steady
34  Bonaire 558 Steady
35  Aruba 520 Steady
36  Cayman Islands 456 Steady
37  Bahamas 427 Steady
38  Turks and Caicos Islands 272 Steady
39  British Virgin Islands 150 Steady
40  Anguilla 149 Steady
41  U.S. Virgin Islands 110 Steady

Last updated March 26, 2025

Women's CONCACAF Ranking Index

CONCACAF also calculates a ranking for women's national teams.

Rank Team Pts +/-
1 Flag of the United States.svg United States 6,642 Steady
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 4,929 Steady
3 Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica 3,704 Steady
4 Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 3,342 Increase 1
5 Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica 3,177 Decrease 1
6 Flag of Panama.svg Panama 2,351 Steady
7 Flag of Haiti.svg Haiti 2,172 Steady
8 Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador 1,754 Increase 1
9 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 1,644 Decrease 1
10 Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic 1,595 Increase 2
11 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico 1,380 Increase 6
12 Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana 1,338 Decrease 1
13 Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba 1,334 Decrease 3
14 Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda 1,222 Decrease 1
15 Flag of Belize.svg Belize 1,075 Decrease 1
16 Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala 1,028 Decrease 1
17 Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname 960 Decrease 1
18 Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua 877 Steady
19 Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and Barbuda 830 Steady
20 Flag of Curaçao.svg Curaçao 787 Steady
21 Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras 731 Steady
Rank Team Pts +/-
22 Flag of Aruba.svg Aruba 723 Steady
23 Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg Saint Kitts and Nevis 720 Steady
24 Flag-of-Martinique.svg Martinique 700 Steady
25 Flag of Grenada.svg Grenada 673 Steady
26 Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados 617 Steady
27 Flag of Dominica.svg Dominica 553 Steady
28 Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 544 Steady
29 Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia 501 Steady
30 Flag of the United States Virgin Islands.svg U.S. Virgin Islands 476 Steady
31 Flag of Bonaire.svg Bonaire 420 Increase 6
32 Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg Cayman Islands 383 Decrease 1
33 Flag of Anguilla.svg Anguilla 363 Decrease 1
34 Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg Turks and Caicos Islands 271 Decrease 1
35 Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas 152 Decrease 1
36 Flag of Guadeloupe (local).svg Guadeloupe 129 Decrease 1
37 Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg British Virgin Islands 49 Decrease 1
38 Flag of French Guiana.svg French Guiana 0 Steady
39 Flag of Montserrat.svg Montserrat 0 Steady
40 Flag of Sint Maarten.svg Sint Maarten 0 Steady
41 Flag of France.svg Saint Martin 0 Steady

Last updated March 11, 2024

CONCACAF Club Rankings

In May 2023, CONCACAF started a new ranking system for men's clubs. This helps decide which teams play in future club competitions. In June 2025, they also released a ranking for women's clubs.

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See also

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