The Road to World Cup 2018: North America Qualifying
The journey to the FIFA World Cup is an electrifying adventure that sows seeds of passion, determination, and national pride across the globe. In the North America, Central America, and Caribbean region, collectively governed by CONCACAF, the path to the World Cup 2018 was lined with fierce competition, surprising outcomes, and landmark achievements. Understanding this thrilling qualifying phase provides a comprehensive view of how teams from this region battled their way to Russia.
Qualification Structure and Format
The CONCACAF qualification process for the 2018 World Cup consisted of several rounds, each designed to gradually filter out the best teams to represent the region on the world stage. This began with 35 FIFA-affiliated national teams from the region.
The initial rounds featured lower-ranked teams according to the FIFA World Rankings. These early stages included the first round, where the 14 lowest-ranked teams played home-and-away fixtures to advance. The winners moved on to the second round, where they faced higher-ranked teams in another knockout phase. In the third round, the 12 advancing teams were joined by the strongest teams from the second round, continuing the elimination process.
The fourth round saw a more structured competition