Wrapped: 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers | OneFootball

MIAMI – The 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers confirmed the teams set to join the six top-ranked nations that pre-qualified directly to the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

Below we review the road to securing their spot in the competition for each of the six group winners in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers. 

El Salvador 

El Salvador finished in command of Group A to advance to the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. La Selecta put together a record of four wins and a loss to win the group with 12 points, ultimately finishing level on points with Suriname to advance with a better goal differential. 

El Salvador opened with four consecutive victories: overcoming French Guiana 3-nil, Saint Martin 4-1, Grenada 2-nil, and Belize 7-nil. The last match presented its only defeat of the U-20 Qualifiers, falling 2-nil to Suriname.  

Goalkeeper Peter Cornejo was one of the main men for El Salvador, keeping three clean sheets in five appearances. Christian Coreas was the top contributor in attack with two goals and two assists.  

Jamaica 

Jamaica claimed the top spot in Group B with a perfect 5-0-0 record and 15 points. The Reggae Boyz dominant performances saw the Caribbeans score 28 goals and concede none. The result also pushed Jamaica to 183 total goals in Qualifiers history, the most of any nation.

Jamaica defeated Bonaire 3-nil, Turks and Caicos 7-nil, the Cayman Islands 9-nil, Saint Kitts and Nevis 8-nil, and Puerto Rico 1-nil. 

Jahmarie Nolan, one of five players who made the leap to the U-20 level in the tournament after starring in the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Championship, led Jamaica in attack with five goals and an assist. Goalkeeper Joshua Grant was a wall at the back with five clean sheets. 

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda made history with a perfect campaign in Group C, winning all four of matches to secure a berth in the Concacaf U-20 Championship for the sixth time in history.

The Benna Boys came out on top 1-nil against Saint Lucia, 2-nil against the British Virgin Islands, and closed out with 1-nil wins both against Dominica and the Dominican Republic. 

Goalkeeper Tegan Gumbs played a pivotal role throughout the campaign with clean sheets in each of his four appearances. 

Haiti 

Haiti displayed dominance in Group D and advanced to the U-20 Championship for a 12th time in it is history with a perfect 4-0-0 record. A 7-nil result over Anguilla, a 4-nil rout of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a 3-nil victory against Guyana, and a dramatic last-gasp 2-1 victory over Curaçao sealed the group lead for Les Grenadiers.

Nikolai Pierre, with four goals in three games, and Franco Celestin, with two goals and three assists in three appearances, stood out in attack. Goalkeeper Carlos Bre led the backline with two clean sheets in three appearances. 

Costa Rica  

Costa Rica claimed the top spot in Group E and advanced to the 2026 U-20 Championship for a 25th time, as the Central Americans continue their journey in search of qualifying to a FIFA U-20 World Cup for a 10th time. 

Los Ticos put together a record of three wins and a draw to advance with 10 points: securing a 12-nil result over Sint Maarten, and defeating both Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago with 3-nil scorelines, while also playing out a 3-3 stalemate against Bermuda. 

Dax Palmer was the leading man in attack as he scored four goals in four appearances, while goalkeeper Ian O’rourke stood out between the three posts and kept two clean sheets in three appearances. 

Canada

Canada won Group F and will be making its 26th appearance in the U-20 Championship with the goal of qualifying for a FIFA U-20 World Cup for a ninth time. 

The Reds posted a 3-0-1 record, winning its first three fixtures and falling in its last. Canada opened with a convincing 14-nil win over the U.S. Virgin Islands, followed by 8-nil and 2-nil victories against Martinique and Aruba, respectively, before a 1-nil loss to Nicaragua. 

Marsel Bibishkov was clinical with six goals in four appearances, including a four-goal performance against the U.S.V.I. Owen Graham-Roache also enjoyed a successful scoring run with five goals, including a hat-trick against the U.S.V.I.