The final round of Concacaf qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™ has not disappointed, with each of the three groups offering twists and turns through the first four matchdays. The November window remains, with each of the 12 teams playing their final two matches. Outside of Group B’s Bermuda, who are eliminated, everyone’s dreams of reaching next year’s global showcase are intact.
A storyline that has emerged is the Caribbean going toe-to-toe with their Central American opposition. That is no small feat, considering the historical dominance of Central American teams over Caribbean sides in qualifying for the World Cup.
In their history, the islands have produced just four teams to have made the big dance: Cuba in 1938, Haiti in 1974, Jamaica in 1998 and Trinidad and Tobago in 2006. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama have combined for 12 World Cup appearances.
The Caribbean number will for sure be changed for 2026. The aforementioned Gombey Warriors of Bermuda are no longer in the running, but one of Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao and Jamaica can automatically qualify from Group B, with the Reggae Boyz best positioned currently as leaders of the group.
Perhaps most eye-catching of all is what has occurred in Group A. For a team that have never reached the final stage of Concacaf qualifying, Suriname have not looked out of their depth against El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. While 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and 2024 Nations League finalists Panama were considered the favourites to capture first place, it is the Natio who sit atop the group with six points.
Suriname have been unfazed going to El Salvador’s Estadio Cuscatlan and Panama’s Estadio Rommel Fernandez, grounds where Concacaf giants like USA and Mexico have struggled in the last decade. The Surinamese stunned the home fans in San Salvador by taking all three points, while Panama needed a second-half stoppage time equaliser to avoid the same fate in their capital.
Haiti have also thrived in these qualifiers in Group C, and despite sitting in third at present, qualification is definitely a possibility. Having to play their home matches in a neutral setting in Curaçao, Les Grenadiers have stared down adversity. They rallied from a two-goal second half deficit to earn a point in Costa Rica thanks to a Duckens Nazon hat-trick, and also rolled to a comfortable victory at Nicaragua.
They will close their qualifying campaign in Curaçao against Costa Rica and Nicaragua, knowing that two victories will be enough, at bare minimum, to get them into the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
When it is all said and done, it is possible that four teams from the Caribbean will participate at World Cup 26, which would be a rich reward for the great efforts the region has made in recent years to improve its football.
Expanding the player pool
Recruitment has played a major role in this. Curaçao qualified for three successive Concacaf Gold Cups from 2017-21 thanks to the infusion of Dutch-born players with Curacaoan heritage, setting in motion a plan for 2026, knowing that co-hosts Canada, Mexico and USA were qualified. The arrival to the touchline of a high-profile name like Dick Advocaat has led to more players of stature joining The Blue Wave, such as former Manchester United product Tahith Chong.
“The idea was always there for years because that is ‘home’ home. Curaçao needed to fix some things in the organisation and I feel like they have made those steps over the years which is brilliant to see. I felt it was the right time now,” said Chong.
The same could be said for Suriname, who in 2021 allowed players who weren’t born in the country to acquire a passport via their Surinamese heritage. A spike in player interest followed, like Osasuna’s Sheraldo Becker and Antalyaspor’s Kenneth Paal, and now they find themselves on the precipice of history.
“In the past, not every player [with dual nationality] thought about playing for Suriname,” said Suriname coach Stanley Menzo. “Now, players have seen that we have made big steps. The team is improving and our organisation is improving. They have got excited by that and they want to join the team.
“I must give credit to Brian [Tevreden], our general manager, who is doing so much great work in the background to get these players to Suriname. These guys have the Surinamese background: they want to be here and they are proud to be here. They are not coming here for fun – they are coming because they want to achieve something.”
The dawn of the Concacaf Nations League in 2019 also fuelled growth not only for the teams still in the World Cup 26 hunt, but the Caribbean as a whole. Gone are the days when just once every four years small Caribbean teams would reunite for an early round two-legged World Cup qualifying tie.
The Nations League fixtures have brought continuity for teams and a regular cycle of competition, making it no coincidence that up-and-coming sides like Puerto Rico, Grenada and Dominican Republic were only a victory away from reaching this final phase.
It remains to be seen how things take shape in the run-up for the FIFA World Cup 2030™ when next year’s three co-hosts return to the qualifying fold, but there is a good bet that the history books will look back on the 2026 qualifying cycle as an inflection point for the Caribbean.
