CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

This page is a summary of the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification, the process that CONCACAF-affiliated national association football teams go through in order to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is an international association football competition held every two years between countries in North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. There have been several formats of qualifying which determine the countries that will participate in the final tournament.

1991–2017

From the tournament's inception in 1991 until 2017, similar qualification processes were used. Spots in the Gold Cup were allocated to each of the sub-confederations: the North American Football Union (NAFU), the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), and the Central American Football Union (UNCAF). Typically the NAFU would receive three berths in the tournament, and the remaining berths were divided between CFU and UNCAF. Because the NAFU only has three members, each country (Canada, Mexico, United States) would qualify automatically. The CFU and UNCAF would use the results of the Caribbean Cup and Copa Centroamericana to determine its entrants to the Gold Cup.

From 1996 to 2005, some nations from outside the CONCACAF region received invitations to the Gold Cup and did not need to qualify. From 1998 to 2003 and again from 2015 to 2017, specific qualifying tournaments were held to determine the final one or two spots in the Gold Cup.[1]

1998

For the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the two berths allocated to the Caribbean Football Union were to be awarded to the winners of the 1996 and 1997 Caribbean Cups. Because Trinidad and Tobago won both tournaments, a one match playoff between the two runners-up was played.

Cuba 2–0 Saint Kitts and Nevis
Report

2000

For the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Canada did not qualify automatically and competed in a round-robin playoff along with two Caribbean and one Central American nation. The top two teams would qualify for the Gold Cup.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Canada 321042+27
 Haiti 31113304
 Cuba 311132+14
 El Salvador 301236–31
Canada 0–0 Cuba
Report
Attendance: 6,583
Referee: Argelio Sabillón (Honduras)
El Salvador 1–1 Haiti
Montes  3' Report Descolines  80'
Attendance: 6,583
Cuba 0–1 Haiti
Report Descolines  75'
Attendance: 6,507
Referee: Mario Ramirez (Guatemala)
Canada 2–1 El Salvador
Corazzin  9'
Fletcher  59'		 Report Arce  47' (pen.)
Cienfuegos  38'
Attendance: 6,507
Canada 2–1 Haiti
Corazzin  9', 43' Report Descolines  48'
Thélusma  75'
Attendance: 3,605
Referee: Argelio Sabillón (Honduras)
Cuba 3–1 El Salvador
Bobadilla  43'
Prado  75'
Roldán  90'		 Report Arce  63' (pen.)
Attendance: 3,605

2002

The final spot in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was determined by a two-leg playoff between the fourth place team at the 2001 Caribbean Cup and the fourth place team at the 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup. This format would be re-used in 2015 and 2017.

Panama 0–0 Cuba
Attendance: 10.000
Cuba 1–0 Panama
Serguei Prado  79'
Attendance: 6.000

Cuba won 1–0 on aggregate.

2003
Main article: 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

There was not a Caribbean Cup held before the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup to determine the CFU's entrants. Instead, a one-off CFU Qualifying Tournament was held to determine the two Gold Cup participants and the two playoff participants. The two Caribbean teams were joined by the fourth place team in the 2003 UNCAF Nations Cup in a round-robin playoff for two spots in the Gold Cup.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Honduras 220062+46
 Martinique 210156−13
 Trinidad and Tobago 200225−30
Martinique 3–2 Trinidad and Tobago
Goron  66'
Dufournier  68'
Reyal  83'		 Dwarika  13'
Scotland  41'
Trinidad and Tobago 0–2 Honduras
Report Velásquez  50'
Ramírez  89'
Honduras 4–2 Martinique
Velásquez  31'
Ramírez  63'
Turcios  73'
Hernández  89'		 Report Goron  48'
Padoly  67'

2007 to 2017

From 2007 to 2017, no nations from outside the CONCACAF region participated in the Gold Cup. The 12-team tournament consisted of three North American, five Central American, and four Caribbean teams. For the 2015 and 2017 tournaments, the fifth Central American spot was awarded to the winner of a two-leg playoff featuring the 5th place teams from the Copa Centroamericana and the Caribbean Cup.[2][3] The Central American team won the playoff on both occasions.

Year Winner Score Runner-up Venue Location Report
2015  Honduras (UNCAF) 1–3 French Guiana  (CFU) Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama Cayenne, French Guiana Report
3–0 Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano San Pedro Sula, Honduras Report
2017  Nicaragua (UNCAF) 1–3 Haiti  (CFU) Stade Sylvio Cator Port-au-Prince, Haiti Report
3–0 Estadio Nacional de Fútbol Managua, Nicaragua Report

2019–present

Beginning with the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, qualification has been linked to the CONCACAF Nations League. Held in 2018–19, the one-off CONCACAF Nations League qualifying tournament determined 10 of the 16 Gold Cup participants. For the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 12 spots will be awarded based on the results of the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League and the final four being determined from a two-round playoff qualifier.[4]

References
  1. "CONCACAF Gold Cup: Qualifying Play-In Glance". CONCACAF.com. 3 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. CONCACAF Free Kick. CONCACAF.com. June–July 2014. p. 7.
  3. Williams, Sean (18 March 2014). "Jamaica to host 2014 Caribbean Cup". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  4. "Concacaf Nations League to Serve as Pathway for 2021 Gold Cup". concacafnationsleague.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
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