Concacaf W Qualifiers April Window Set to Kick Off Thursday

2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers April Window Set to Kick Off Thursday

• April will serve as the competition’s third and final match window 

• 29 Member Associations competing across six groups from April 9-18

• Decisive matches will see six group winners advance to the eight-team 2026 Concacaf W Championship

Miami, FL (Thursday, April 9, 2026) – The 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers April Window is set to kick off today, Thursday, April 9.

These decisive matches represent the third and final FIFA Women’s International Match Window during which the tournament will be played, running from November 2025 through April 2026. The event serves as the preliminary stage of the Confederation’s women’s national team competition ecosystem, leading into the 2026 Concacaf W Championship. 

Competition Format

The competition features 29 Member Associations – excluding the region’s two highest-ranked nations (the United States and Canada) – split into six groups for Group Stage play.

At the conclusion of the Group Stage round, the six group winners will advance to the Concacaf W Championship. 

Qualification Pathway

The Concacaf W Qualifiers serve as the first stage in the Confederation’s women’s national team competition pathway. The six group winners will join the region’s two top-ranked national teams, the United States and Canada, which received direct byes to the Concacaf W Championship.

The Concacaf W Championship will serve as the Confederation’s qualifier for both the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament, and will be the first of three major centralized tournaments in the Confederation’s revamped women’s national team calendar, unveiled in September 2024. 

Participating Teams

A total of 29 Concacaf Member Associations are participating in the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers, representing North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The teams are divided into six groups (five groups of five teams and one group of four) as follows:

Group A: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, U.S. Virgin Islands 

Group B: Jamaica, Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda

Group C: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Bermuda, Grenada, Cayman Islands

Group D: Haiti, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Belize, Anguilla

Group E: Panama, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Curaçao, Aruba

Group F: Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador, Honduras, Barbados

State of Play

With the competition entering its decisive window, several groups remain tightly contested, with multiple teams still in contention to secure top spot and qualification to the Concacaf W Championship.

Live standings for the Concacaf W Qualifiers are available here. 

A full breakdown of qualification scenarios and potential outcomes for the April matches is also available here.

Where to Watch

Fans will be able to follow the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers through the Confederation’s broadcast partner networks, including the CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+ (USA – English), ESPN and Disney+ (USA - Spanish, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and South America), OneSoccer (Canada), and the Concacaf Official Platforms for all other territories (subject to territory restrictions). 

Schedule

The final matches of the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers will be played between April 9–18, 2026, during the FIFA Women’s International Match Window.

For the full April window match schedule, click here.

2026 Concacaf W Championship 

The W Championship will be played in November 2026. The eight teams participating in the competition will include the region’s two top-ranked teams (United States and Canada) and the six group winners of the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers.   

The competition will begin with the Quarterfinals, followed by a Play-In, Semifinals, Third-Place Match, and Final. To determine the Quarterfinal pairings and each team's path to the Final, Concacaf will rank teams 1-8, with the highest-ranked team facing the lowest-ranked team.   

At the conclusion of the Quarterfinals, the four matchup winners will qualify for the Semifinals and guarantee their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027, while the four losers will progress to a Play-In, from where the 2 winning teams will each battle for a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Intercontinental Play Off.  

As confirmed by FIFA following the decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the two Concacaf W Championship finalists and the third-place finisher will secure a berth in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament. Should the United States—already qualified as host of the Olympics—finish as one of top three teams, Concacaf's final Olympic berth will be awarded to the fourth-place finisher.

Further details on next year’s W Championship will be announced at a later date.  

The United States is the current champion of the Concacaf W Championship, having secured the 2022 title with a 1–0 win over Canada in the final held in Monterrey, Mexico. The tournament also served as the regional qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama, and Haiti joined the United States in the global event, marking the first time six nations from the Confederation qualified for a FIFA Women’s World Cup.