The Caribbean (CONCACAF) has unveiled key details of the Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Nations (CONCACAF) U-17 Champions League Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The men's regional qualifiers will take place from February 3 to 12 at six venues and will feature 34 member associations.

The men's U-17 tournament will follow the same format as the 2025 edition, with a single round. Participating teams will be divided into eight groups, with each team playing each of the other teams in its group once. Following these matches, the eight group winners will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The matches will be held at six venues : Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

The 34 participating Concacaf member associations are (in alphabetical order) : Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States.

The official draw for the competition will take place on October 21 at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). Fans can follow the event on CONCACAF's official YouTube channel.

In accordance with the competition regulations, participating teams will be divided into five seeding pots based on their CONCACAF U-17 Men's rankings as of April 2025. The highest-ranked teams will be placed in Pot 1, and the lowest-ranked teams in Pot 5.

Pot 1 :

Mexico, United States, Canada, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Haiti, and El Salvador.

Pot 2 :

Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago.

Pot 3 :

Cuba, Guyana, Aruba, Barbados, Guadeloupe, British Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Pot 4:

Belize, Cayman Islands, Saint Martin, Suriname, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.

Pot 5 :

Dominica and Saint Martin.

Following the draw, the teams will be divided into six groups of four teams and two groups of five teams.

For the U-17 Women, the first round of the competition will take place from January 24 to February 2nd, 2026, with matches held in Aruba, Bermuda, Curaçao, and Nicaragua. Thirty nations will attempt to secure their place in the second round : Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands. However, only the top six teams in the group and the two best runners-up will advance to the finals. The qualifiers will join the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, who have a bye in the first round.

The women's draw will take place on October 15, 2025, live on the official CONCACAF YouTube channel.

HL/ BF/ HaitiLibre