Seven Teams Vie for World Cup Spot in Dramatic Concacaf Qualifying Finale | OneFootball

Seven teams from Concacaf will fight this Tuesday for three direct spots in the 2026 World Cup, in the last round of a qualifier that could end in "tragedy" for Costa Rica, the Central American team with the most World Cup appearances. Suriname, Panama, Jamaica, Curaçao, Honduras, Haiti, and Costa Rica are competing for direct access to the biggest event in football. Two will be left behind this Tuesday and will join the already eliminated Guatemala, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, and Nicaragua.

The Concacaf Qualifiers offer three spots to the leaders of each group and two additional spots, allocated to the two best runners-up, for the intercontinental playoffs. It is the end of a qualifying round that generated hope among fans of more modest teams, who saw in the absence of Mexico, United States, and Canada—already qualified as hosts—a historic opportunity to go to the World Cup.

"I hope Panama qualifies, it is a dream that all of us Panamanians share. It would be a great advancement for our football," said to AFP Adrián Cedeño, a 33-year-old Panamanian lawyer.

Suriname seeks its first World Cup

In Group A, Suriname and Panama, tied at the top, compete for the direct spot. The Caribbean team visits Guatemala, while the Panamanians host the bottom team El Salvador. Suriname has the advantage of having 3 more goal difference than Panama, which needs to hope for a slip by their rivals in Guatemala—already without objectives—or thrash El Salvador to reduce the gap.

Led by former goalkeeper Stanley Menzo from Ajax, and featuring a generation of players trained in the Netherlands, Suriname remains undefeated in this qualifier. Qualifying for the World Cup "is a gift for the country," said Menzo.

Panama, dreaming of its second World Cup appearance despite having a semi-professional league, will have the support of its fans, who fear that Suriname might benefit from a potential lack of intensity from Guatemala. The players "know the dream that the whole country carries to qualify," said Panamanian coach Thomas Christiansen, who "does not doubt" that Guatemala will play seriously and "won't let themselves be beaten."

Drama in Costa Rica

In Group C, Honduras, Haiti, and Costa Rica dream of the spot. Hondurans and Haitians have 8 points, while the Costa Ricans have 6.

The drama unfolds in San José, where Costa Rica hosts Honduras in the Central American classic. The hosts need to win if they don't want to watch the World Cup on TV, after six participations—the last three consecutively.

"The team works, the guys have a great desire to do things well," but "it's a tough, difficult moment, we didn't expect to be in this situation," acknowledged Costa Rica's coach, the Mexican Miguel Herrera.

The fans still cherish the memory of the surprising campaign in the 2014 World Cup, when Costa Rica eliminated England, Italy, and Greece, advancing to the quarter-finals.

With a victory—unless Haiti beats Nicaragua at home—Honduras would reach its fourth World Cup. Even so, Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda reported insults and "offenses" from dissatisfied Honduran fans.

"It's the game of our lives," stated Honduran midfielder Devron García.

Jamaica or Curaçao

In Group B, Curaçao will qualify for the World Cup for the first time if they beat Jamaica, who need to win to return to the World Cup almost three decades later—since France 1998.

Curaçao has 11 points, Jamaica 10. The Reggae Boyz, who lost the lead in the previous round, play at home in Kingston. However, Curaçao arrives undefeated and has already defeated the Jamaicans in this same qualifier.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.