CONCACAF
Abbreviation | CONCACAF |
---|---|
Predecessor | |
Formation | 18 September 1961 |
Founded at | Mexico City, Mexico |
Type | Sports organization |
Headquarters | 161 NW 6th Street, Suite #1100, Miami, Florida, United States |
Coordinates | 25°46′23″N 80°08′17″W / 25.773°N 80.138°W |
Region | North America (the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern America) South America (The Guianas) |
Membership | 41 member associations |
Official language | |
Victor Montagliani | |
Vice Presidents | |
General Secretary | Philippe Moggio |
Parent organization | FIFA |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | concacaf |
FIFA confederations |
---|
AFC, CAF, CONCACAF |
CONMEBOL, OFC, UEFA |
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,[1][a] abbreviated as CONCACAF (/ˈkɒŋkəkæf/ KONG-kə-kaf; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf),[2] is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 41 member associations represent countries and territories mainly in North America, including the Caribbean and Central America, and, for geopolitical reasons, 3 nations from the Guianas subregion of South America-Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana (an overseas region of France).[3] The CONCACAF's primary functions are to organize competitions for national teams and clubs, and to conduct the World Cup and Women's World Cup qualifying tournaments.
The CONCACAF was founded in its current form on 18 September 1961 in Mexico City, Mexico, with the merger of the NAFC and the CCCF, which made it one of the then five, now six, continental confederations affiliated with FIFA. Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao, Aruba), Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname and the United States were founding members.[4]
Mexico dominated CONCACAF men's competitions early on and has won the most Gold Cups. The Mexico national football team is the only men's CONCACAF team to win an official FIFA tournament by winning the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico and the U.S. have won all but one of the editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In 2014, Costa Rica became the 4th CONCACAF country after the United States, Cuba, and Mexico to make the World Cup quarterfinals, while Panama became the eleventh country from the confederation to participate in the World Cup in 2018. The CONCACAF Nations League was established in 2018, with the United States winning all three editions.
The United States has been the most successful team in the world in the women's game, being the only CONCACAF member to win all three major worldwide competitions in women's football—the World Cup (4), the Olympics (5), and the Algarve Cup (10). Canada is the only other member to win at least two of the major competitions, winning the 2016 Algarve Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
According to the Coaches Across Continents (CAC) annual report for 2021,[5] CONCACAF is a partner of CAC. CAC is a worldwide partnership of over 100 organizations that seeks to create active citizens and achieve social impact through sport.
Governance
[edit]The CONCACAF is led by a general secretary, executive committee, congress, and several standing committees. The executive committee is composed of eight members — one president, three vice-presidents, three members, and one female member.[6] Each of the three geographic zones in CONCACAF is represented by one vice-president and one member. The executive committee carries out the various statutes, regulations, and resolutions.
Leadership
[edit]The first leader of CONCACAF was Costa Rican Ramón Coll Jaumet; he had overseen the merger between the North American Football Confederation (NAFC) and the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF). In 1969, he was succeeded in the role by Mexican Joaquín Soria Terrazas, who served as president for 21 years.
His successor Jack Warner was the CONCACAF president from 1990 to 2011, also for 21 years. Warner was suspended as president on 30 May 2011 due to his temporary suspension from football-related activity by FIFA following corruption allegations.[7] Chuck Blazer was the general secretary during the same period.[8]
On 20 June 2011, Jack Warner resigned from the presidency of CONCACAF, and removed himself from all participation in football, in the wake of the corruption investigation resulting from 10 May 2011 meeting of the Caribbean Football Union.[9] The vice-president of CONCACAF, Alfredo Hawit, acted as president until May 2012.[10]
In May 2012, Cayman Islands banker Jeffrey Webb was installed as president of CONCACAF. On 27 May 2015, Webb was arrested in Zurich, Switzerland on corruption charges in the U.S.
Victor Montagliani, leader of the Canadian Soccer Association, was elected as president of CONCACAF in May 2016.[11]
CONCACAF Council
[edit]Name[12] | Nation | Position |
---|---|---|
Victor Montagliani | Canada | President |
Philippe Moggio | France | General secretary |
Randolph Harris | Barbados | Vice President (Caribbean) |
Nick Bontis | Canada | Vice President (North America) |
Jorge Salomon | Honduras | Vice President (Central America) |
Sonia Fulford | Turks and Caicos Islands | Member (Female,Caribbean) |
Cindy Parlow Cone | United States of America | Member (North America) |
Sergio Chuc | Belize | Member (Central America) |
Corporate structure
[edit]CONCACAF is a non-profit company registered in Nassau, The Bahamas.
The headquarters of the CONCACAF are located in Miami, United States. Previously it had been the Admiral Financial Center, George Town, Cayman Islands—the home city of former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and prior to that, they were based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago under the presidency of Jack Warner. The administration office of CONCACAF was previously located in Trump Tower, New York, when Chuck Blazer was the general secretary.
In February 2017, a satellite office was opened in Kingston, Jamaica.[13] In July 2017, a second satellite office was opened in Guatemala City, which is shared with the Central American Football Union (UNCAF),[14] and most recently another satellite office for the FIFA Caribbean Development Office[15][16] was opened in the suburb of Welches, in Bridgetown, Barbados.[17][18]
Members
[edit]CONCACAF has 41 member associations:[19]
Code | Association | National teams | Founded | FIFA affiliation | CONCACAF affiliation | IOC member | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North American Zone (NAFU) (3) | |||||||
CAN | Canada | (M, W) | 1912 | 1913 | 1961 | Yes | |
MEX | Mexico | (M, W) | 1922 | 1929 | 1961 | Yes | |
USA | United States | (M, W) | 1913 | 1914 | 1961 | Yes | |
Central American Zone (UNCAF) (7) | |||||||
BLZ | Belize | (M, W) | 1980 | 1986 | 1986 | Yes | |
CRC | Costa Rica | (M, W) | 1921 | 1927 | 1961 | Yes | |
SLV | El Salvador | (M, W) | 1935 | 1938 | 1961 | Yes | |
GUA | Guatemala | (M, W) | 1919 | 1946 | 1961 | Yes | |
HON | Honduras | (M, W) | 1935 | 1946 | 1961 | Yes | |
NCA | Nicaragua | (M, W) | 1931 | 1950 | 1961 | Yes | |
PAN | Panama | (M, W) | 1937 | 1938 | 1961 | Yes | |
Caribbean Zone (CFU) (31) | |||||||
AIA | Anguilla | (M, W) | 1990 | 1996 | 1996 | No | |
ATG | Antigua and Barbuda | (M, W) | 1928 | 1972 | between 1961 and 1973 | Yes | |
ARU | Aruba | (M, W) | 1932 | 1988 | 1986 | Yes | |
BAH | Bahamas | (M, W) | 1967 | 1968 | between 1961 and 1973 | Yes | |
BRB | Barbados | (M, W) | 1910 | 1968 | 1967 | Yes | |
BER | Bermuda | (M, W) | 1928 | 1962 | 1967 | Yes | |
BOE | Bonaire[m 1] | (M, W) | 1960 | — | 2014 | No | |
VGB | British Virgin Islands | (M, W) | 1974 | 1996 | 1996 | Yes | |
CAY | Cayman Islands | (M, W) | 1966 | 1992 | 1990 | Yes | |
CUB | Cuba | (M, W) | 1924 | 1929 | 1961 | Yes | |
CUW | Curaçao | (M, W) | 1921 | 1932 | 1961 | No | |
DMA | Dominica | (M, W) | 1970 | 1994 | 1994 | Yes | |
DOM | Dominican Republic | (M, W) | 1953 | 1958 | 1964 | Yes | |
GUF | French Guiana[m 1] | (M, W) | 1962 | — | 2013 | No | |
GRN | Grenada | (M, W) | 1924 | 1978 | 1978 | Yes | |
GLP | Guadeloupe[m 1] | (M, W) | 1958 | — | 2013 | No | |
GUY | Guyana | (M, W) | 1902 | 1970 | between 1969 and 1971 | Yes | |
HAI | Haiti | (M, W) | 1904 | 1934 | 1961 | Yes | |
JAM | Jamaica | (M, W) | 1910 | 1962 | 1963 | Yes | |
MTQ | Martinique[m 1] | (M, W) | 1953 | — | 2013 | No | |
MSR | Montserrat | (M, W) | 1994 | 1996 | 1996 | No | |
PUR | Puerto Rico | (M, W) | 1940 | 1960 | 1964 | Yes | |
SKN | Saint Kitts and Nevis | (M, W) | 1932 | 1992 | 1992 | Yes | |
LCA | Saint Lucia | (M, W) | 1979 | 1988 | 1986 | Yes | |
SMN | Saint Martin[m 1] | (M, W) | 1999 | — | 2013 | No | |
VIN | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | (M, W) | 1979 | 1988 | 1986 | Yes | |
SMA | Sint Maarten[m 1] | (M, W) | 1986 | — | 2013 | No | |
SUR | Suriname | (M, W) | 1920 | 1929 | 1961 | Yes | |
TRI | Trinidad and Tobago | (M, W) | 1908 | 1964 | 1964 | Yes | |
TCA | Turks and Caicos Islands | (M, W) | 1996 | 1998 | 1996 | No | |
VIR | U.S. Virgin Islands | (M, W) | 1992 | 1998 | 1987 | Yes |
M = Men's National Team. W = Women's National Team
Bonaire were promoted from an association member to a full member at the XXIX Ordinary CONCACAF Congress in São Paulo on 10 June 2014.
Teams not affiliated to the IOC are not eligible to participate in the Summer Olympics football tournament, as a result, they do not participate in the CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament or the CONCACAF Women's Pre-Olympic Tournament.
Prospective members
[edit]- Greenland — The Football Association of Greenland announced in May 2022 that they had officially begun the process of becoming a member of CONCACAF and were expected to attend the body's next congress with observer status. Greenland was not officially able to apply to join UEFA, even with political links with Denmark, due to UEFA applicants being required to apply as sovereign states. It was anticipated that the association would submit its formal application by 2024 or 2025, Kenneth Kleist was elected new president of the KAK in October 2023. At that time, he announced the association's intentions to apply for full CONCACAF membership in 2024. The plan was to hopefully submit the application on 21 June, Greenland National Day. At that time, he also stated that the association had been informed that it was "quite close to admission" in the confederation.[20][21] On 28 May 2024, Greenland officially applied for full CONCACAF membership.[22][23]
Aspiring future members
[edit]- Saint Barthélemy, announced in 2019 that the Comité Territorial de Football de Saint-Barthélemy began the process of joining the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF for the first time.[24]
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon, announced in September 2019 that The Football Association of Saint Pierre and Miquelon is expected to build a suitable venue with the goal of becoming a member of CONCACAF in the near future.[25][26]
- Jersey were rumored by Greenland Manager Morten Rutjkær, to be interested in joining CONCACAF. This follows a failed bid to join the European confederation UEFA in 2020. Jersey would geographically be closest to the North American Football Union were they to join, although located over 2,200 miles from Canada.
Other non-members
[edit]- Quebec, announced in May 2014 that they were working to become a member of CONCACAF and play against other national teams. The team is not a member of FIFA, but were a member of Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA). In May 2014, the team withdrew from the ConIFA World Championship after associating with the Québec Soccer Federation. The team and association decided to take part in only "federated" soccer in hopes of one day being recognized as a CONCACAF member.[27][28] There has not been any further conversation and players from this Canadian province qualify for, as well as the province being formally represented by, the Canadian national soccer team.
Some territories in the Northern, Central America and the Caribbean region have national teams with no affiliation. All play infrequently and/or are in the early stages of being founded.
Although one of the three special municipalities of the Netherlands in the region is a member of CONCACAF ( Bonaire), the other two are not:
Membership relation
[edit]Elections at the CONCACAF Congress are mandated with a one-member, one-vote rule. The North American Football Union is the smallest association union in the region with only three members, but its nations have strong commercial and marketing support from sponsors and they are the most populous nations in the region.
The Caribbean Football Union has the ability to outvote NAFU and UNCAF with less than half of its membership. Consequently, there is a fractious relationship between members of CFU, UNCAF and NAFU.[citation needed] This provoked former Acting-President Alfredo Hawit to lobby for the CONCACAF Presidency to be rotated between the three unions in CONCACAF in 2011.
Trinidad's Jack Warner presided over CONCACAF for 21 years, and there was little that non-Caribbean nations could do to elect an alternative. Under Warner, the CFU members voted together as a unit with Warner acting as a party whip. It happened with such regularity that sports political commentators referred to the CFU votes as the "Caribbean bloc" vote.[citation needed] Warner rejected the idea in 1993 of merging several smaller nations' national teams into a Pan-Caribbean team. His reasoning was that the nations were more powerful politically when separate than when together. He commented that "being small is never a liability in this sport".[29]
Competitions
[edit]CONCACAF active competitions
[edit]CONCACAF defunct competitions
[edit]National teams:
- CFU Championship (1978–1988)
- NAFC Championship (1947, 1949)
- CCCF Championship (1941–1961)
- CONCACAF Championship (1963–1989)
- North American Nations Cup (1990, 1991)
- CONCACAF Cup (2015)
- CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship (1964–2020)
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (2004–2020)
Clubs:
- CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup (1991–1998)
- CONCACAF Giants Cup (2001)
- CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship (1997–2022)
- CONCACAF League (2017–2022)
- North American SuperLiga – North America regional championship (2007–2010)
- Copa Interclubes UNCAF – Central America regional championship (1971–2007)
- Interamerican Cup – intercontinental with CONMEBOL region (1969–1998)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
[edit]The CONCACAF Gold Cup, held since 1991, is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF. The Gold Cup is CONCACAF's flagship competition, and generates a significant part of CONCACAF's revenue.[30]
The Gold Cup determines the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and is held every two years. Starting with the 2019 edition, 16 teams compete for the Gold Cup (up from 12).
CONCACAF Nations League
[edit]All men's national teams of member associations take part in the CONCACAF Nations League, a competition created in 2017. National teams are placed into tiers and play matches against teams in the same tier. At the end of each season, teams can be promoted to the tier above or relegated to the tier below depending upon their results.
CONCACAF Champions Cup
[edit]The CONCACAF Champions Cup, originally known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and later the CONCACAF Champions League, is an annual continental club association football competition organized by CONCACAF since 1962 for the top football clubs in the region. It is the most prestigious international club competition in North American football. The winner of the Champions Cup qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. The knockout tournament spans February through April.[31]
From 2024, 27 teams compete in each Champions Cup; 18 from North America, 6 from Central America and 3 from the Caribbean. North American teams qualify via either their domestic leagues and cups or the Leagues Cup competition between American and Mexican clubs, while Central American and Caribbean clubs qualify via the CONCACAF Central American Cup and CONCACAF Caribbean Cup respectively
The title has been won by 28 clubs, 13 of which have won the title more than once. Mexican clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, with 36 titles. The second most successful league has been Costa Rica's Primera División with six titles in total. The most successful club is Club América from Mexico, with seven titles; fellow Mexico side Cruz Azul is just behind with six.
Current title holders
[edit]Titles by nation
[edit]Nation | Men | Women | Futsal | Beach | Total | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gold | League | U20 | U17 | U15 | Champ | Gold | U20 | U17 | U15 | Men's | Men's | ||
United States | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 48 |
Mexico | 12 | – | 14 | 9 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 43 |
Canada | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 10 |
Costa Rica | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | – | 10 |
Honduras | 1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 |
El Salvador | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 |
Guatemala | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 2 |
Panama | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Cuba | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
Haiti | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
CONMEBOL tournaments
[edit]The following CONMEBOL tournaments have had CONCACAF competitors:
National teams
[edit]Clubs
[edit]- Copa Libertadores – (1998–2017)
- Copa Sudamericana – (2005–2008)
- Copa Merconorte – (2000–2001) (defunct)
CONCACAF club competition winners
[edit]Continental
[edit]By club
[edit]Club América is the most titled club in the continent with a record of 7 CONCACAF Champions League titles, a continental record of 2 Copa Interamericana titles and a record of 1 CONCACAF Giants Cup title, 10 titles overall.
- Key
CCL | CONCACAF Champions' Cup / CONCACAF Champions League |
CWC | CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup / CONCACAF Giants Cup |
CL | CONCACAF League |
CI | Copa Interamericana |
By country
[edit]The following table lists all the countries whose clubs have won at least one CONCACAF competition. Mexican clubs are the most successful, with a total of 45 titles. Mexican clubs hold a record number of wins in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup/CONCACAF Champions League (38), the CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup/CONCACAF Giants Cup (4) and Copa Interamericana (3). In second place Costa Rican clubs have 9 titles and they have the most victories in the CONCACAF League (3). In third place overall, Selvadoradian and American clubs have secured 4 titles each.
- Key
CCL | CONCACAF Champions' Cup / CONCACAF Champions League |
CWC | CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup / CONCACAF Giants Cup |
CL | CONCACAF League |
CI | Copa Interamericana |
Country | CCL | CWC | CL | CI | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 38 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 45 |
Costa Rica | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
El Salvador | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Honduras | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Guatemala | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Haiti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Suriname | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
By region
[edit]- Key
CCL | CONCACAF Champions' Cup / CONCACAF Champions League |
CWC | CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup / CONCACAF Giants Cup |
CL | CONCACAF League |
CI | Copa Interamericana |
Federation (Region) | CCL | CWC | CL | CI | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAFU (North America) | 41 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 49 |
UNCAF (Central America) | 13 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
CFU (Caribbean) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Regional
[edit]The CONCACAF has also organized many regional-based competitions, which are mostly ran as qualifiers to the continental level competitions. There are three main regions that operates under the CONCACAF banner, the NAFU (North America), the UNCAF (Central America) and the CFU (Caribbeans). Each of which runs their own competitions.
North America
[edit]- Key
SL | SuperLiga |
LC | Leagues Cup |
Team | Country | SL | LC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Morelia | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 |
New England Revolution | United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
C.F Pachuca | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Tigres UANL | Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Cruz Azul | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Inter Miami | United States | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Club León | Mexico | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Country | SL | LC | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Mexico | 3 | 2 | 5 |
USA | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Central America
[edit]- Key
UIC | UNCAF Interclub Cup |
CAC | Central American Cup |
Clubt | Country | UIC | CAC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Saprissa | Costa Rica | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Municipal | Guatemala | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Alajuelense | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Aurora | Guatemala | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Comunicaciones | Guatemala | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Olimpia | Honduras | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Real España | Honduras | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Alianza | El Salvador | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Broncos | Honduras | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Motagua | Honduras | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Platense | El Salvador | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Puntarenas | Costa Rica | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Country | UIC | CAC | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Costa Rica | 9 | 1 | 10 |
Guatemala | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Honduras | 6 | 0 | 6 |
El Salvador | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Caribbeans
[edit]- Key
CCC | Caribbean Club Championship |
CC | Caribbean Cup |
CS | CFU Club Shield |
Club | Country | CCC | CC | CS | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Robinhood | Suriname | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Central | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Harbour View | Jamaica | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Joe Public | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Portmore United | Jamaica | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Puerto Rico Islanders | Puerto Rico | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
W Connection | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Atlético Pantoja | Dominican Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Caledonia AIA | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Cavaly | Haiti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Cibao | Dominican Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
San Juan Jabloteh | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
United Petrotrin | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Violette | Haiti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Bayamón | Puerto Rico | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Club Franciscain | Martinique | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Country | CCC | CC | CS | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Trinidad and Tobago | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Jamaica | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Puerto Rico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Suriname | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Dominican Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Haiti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Martinique | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
FIFA World Rankings
[edit]Overview
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Historical leaders
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