Curacao, Haiti, and Panama all secured automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, leaving familiar CONCACAF faces out in the cold.
MORE — CONCACAF World Cup qualifying hub
Jamaica and Suriname will participate in the inter-confederation playoffs, meaning Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Honduras all will be absent from the tournament proper.
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying was always going to be look different with tri-hosts Canada, the United States, and Mexico getting automatic berths at the 2026 World Cup, but few saw this coming.
Curacao qualify for first World Cup
Curacao and Jamaica were in Kingston in search of the goal that would seal their spot in the World Cup. When one did not arrive, that meant Curacao made history.
There would not be a breakthrough despite 29 combined shots, and Jonathan Russell’s 89th red card sent the Reggae Boyz down a man.
They competed as Territory of Curacao in 1958 and Netherlands Antilles from 1962-2010. Now led by well-traveled 78-year-old Dick Advocaat and former Premier League player Leandro Bacuna, Curacao are in the big show.
Haiti qualify for first World Cup since 1974
Louicius Deedson and Ruben Providence scored before halftime as Haiti beat Nicaragua 2-0 to leapfrog Honduras following Los Catrachos’ 0-0 draw with 10-man Costa Rica.
Sebastien Migne, a former Leyton Orient player who’s done most of his management in Africa, is the boss who pushed Haiti to its first World Cup in more than a half-century.
Haiti have not played in a World Cup since 1974, where they did not secure a single point across losses to Poland, Argentina, and Italy.
Panama return to World Cup
Los Canaleros cruised past El Salvador 3-0 via goals by Cesar Blackman, Eric Davis, and Jose Luis Rodriguez and Suriname’s 3-1 loss at Guatemala took any drama out of potential tiebreakers.
Panama have not lost since their Nations League Final defeat to Mexico in March and will ride an 12-match unbeaten run into 2026.
Former Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen remains at the helm and will lead Panama into its second World Cup and first since 2018.
