 CONCACAF has unveiled the structure for the 2026 Concacaf U-17 Qualifiers, confirming the tournament will feature 34 Member Associations battling for a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The qualifying competition will take place from February 3rd to 12th, 2026, across six centralized venues in the region.
The qualifying matches will be hosted in Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
Bermuda is among the 34 nations entering the tournament, which will ultimately send eight CONCACAF representatives to the World Cup finals. The team has been placed in Pot 2 for the official draw, reflecting a competitive ranking position alongside several strong Caribbean and Central American sides:
Bermuda is poised in Pot 2 which includes: Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago.
This seeding ensures that Bermuda will avoid regional powerhouses such as Mexico, the United States, and Canada, who are all placed in Pot 1.
Draw Format and Key Dates
The 34 participating teams have been divided into five pots based on their Concacaf Men’s U-17 Ranking as of April 2025.
Pot 1 - Mexico, United States, Canada, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Haiti, 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, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda
Pot 4 - Belize, Cayman Islands, Saint Martin, Suriname, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada
Pot 5 - Dominica and Sint Maarten
The draw will split the teams into six groups of four teams and two groups of five teams.
The composition of these groups will be decided on October 21st at 11 a.m. ET, with fans able to watch the proceedings live on Concacaf’s official YouTube channel. The successful qualification campaign will see the eight group winners automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
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