The World Cup Qualifiers for CONCACAF – North, Central American and Caribbean – is in the final round and here’s how the standings look after matchday 8.
Qualification Scenario
Last year, CONCACAF announced that there would be a new format for the Qualifiers, comprising three rounds.
Teams ranked between 6 and 35 will be separated into six groups, with winners of each group moving to the second round.
The six winners of the first round will play home and away games in the second round and the three winners will advance to the final round.
The three teams then will join the top five ranked teams in the final round. They will play home and away legged games in a round-robin format and the top three teams will qualify for the World Cup. The fourth-ranked team will have to play in the Inter-Confederation playoffs.
Current standings of the teams in the third round
| Teams | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points |
| Canada | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| United States | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| Mexico | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Panama | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Costa Rica | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Jamaica | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| El Salvador | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Honduras | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Canada and USMNT – the favourites to secure World Cup spots
Canada are the clear favourites to seal their spot in the World Cup, having been exceptional in the Qualifiers so far. They are yet to lose a game in the final round and will be facing relatively lower-ranked opponents like Honduras, El Salvador and Jamaica in the forthcoming games. The strike force of Cyle Larin and Jonathan David is the reason behind the Canadians’ success, with the duo combinedly scoring a total of 18 goals in the Qualifiers.
USMNT are the second favourite to qualify for the World Cup and they have suffered only one defeat in eight games. There are high expectations on Gregg Berhalter’s side due to their immense quality in the squad.
USMNT’s remaining fixtures in the final round
- Vs El Salvador
- Vs Canada
- Vs Honduras
- Vs Mexico
- Vs Panama
- Vs Costa Rica
Canada’s remaining fixtures
- Vs Honduras
- Vs USA
- Vs El Salvador
- Vs Costa Rica
- Vs Jamaica
- Vs Panama
Mexico and Panama facing a tight battle
Panama have made great progress in the Qualifier so far, currently sitting fourth on the table. Sharing the same points (14) as third-placed Mexico, Panama will look to secure their place in the World Cup for the second consecutive time. Mexicans, on the other hand, will try to avoid the inter-confederation playoffs.
Mexico’s remaining fixtures
- Vs Jamaica
- Vs Costa Rica
- Vs Panama
- Vs USA
- Vs Honduras
- Vs El Salvador
Panama’s remaining fixtures in the final round
- Vs Costa Rica
- Vs Jamaica
- Vs Mexico
- Vs Honduras
- Vs USA
- Vs Canada
