The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) was founded in 1961 and serves as the organizing body for 41 national associations, including the United States, and spans from Canada in the north to Suriname in the south. CONCACAF organizes international competition in a number of events, including the Champions League, qualifying tournaments for all FIFA competitions and the Gold Cup.
In 2016, the Confederation will host the Copa America Centenario in honor of the 100th anniversary of the world’s oldest international football tournament. Staged outside of South America for the first time, the tournament features six teams from CONCACAF and all 10 teams from CONMEBOL as the two American Confederations partner for the historic competition, setting a new standard for inter-confederation cooperation in the Americas and worldwide.
2015 began CONCACAF’s current run of hosting the world’s largest football tournaments when it held the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada - its first World Cup at the full international level since the United States hosted the Women’s World Cup in 2003. In recent history, CONCACAF has hosted the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada, the 2011 U-17 World Cup in Mexico and the 2010 U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago.
2014 saw the U.S., Costa Rica and Mexico shock the world at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The U.S. escaped the proverbial ‘Group of Death,’ while Mexico was seconds away from advancing to the quarterfinals only to fall to the Netherlands. Costa Rica went a step further, reaching the quarters but ultimately bowed out of the competition after a penalty kick loss to Holland.
The 2012 London Olympic Games proved to be landmark tournament for the confederation as U.S. Women’s National Team and Mexico U-23 Men’s National Team captured gold, making it the first time in the competition’s history that teams from the same confederation stood at the top of the podium.
CONCACAF sent three teams to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the U.S., Mexico and Honduras won the three automatic berths allotted to the region, and both the U.S. and Mexico advanced to the Round of 16. In 2006, the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago represented the confederation in the FIFA World Cup in Germany. The 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan saw the U.S. advance to the quarterfinals, while Mexico won their group in earning a second round berth.
In 2005, CONCACAF saw one of its men’s teams win the first-ever outdoor world championship in the confederation’s history as Mexico swept through the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru.
In 2000, Guatemala hosted the FIFA Futsal World Cup and in doing so became the first Central American country to host a FIFA world championship. And in 2001, Trinidad & Tobago hosted the spectacular Under-17 World Cup, becoming the first Caribbean country to host a world championship. A year later, the first-ever FIFA Women’s Under-19 World Cup was staged in Canada in 2002 and won by the United States. After Trinidad & Tobago hosted the U-17 Women in 2010, Mexico welcomed the 2011 U-17 World Cup for men and triumphed as tournament champions.
As the Confederation’s premier event, the Gold Cup is traditionally played every two years by the national teams within CONCACAF. It rotated to an odd-year, summer schedule in 2003. Mexico, seven-time winner of the Gold Cup, defeated the U.S. in the 1993, 1998, 2009 and 2011 finals, downed Brazil in ’96 and 2003 and most recently defeated Jamaica in 2015. The U.S. has won five Gold Cups, the inaugural 1991 event, and again in 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2013. The 2000 Gold Cup was perhaps the most surprising, with Canada taking home their first major international title as the U.S. and Mexico failed to qualify for the semifinals. In 2015, the Confederation’s entrant to the FIFA Confederations Cup shifted to a system whereby one nation must win the two Gold Cups held before the Confederations Cup or, if it does not win both editions, enter a one-game playoff against the nation that also won wither of the Gold Cup tournaments in advance of a Confederations Cup.
The Women’s Gold Cup lasted for three events, with the U.S. winning all three events in 2000, 2002, 2006. In 2002, it took a golden goal from Mia Hamm for the U.S. to dispatch Canada in the final, 2-1, and in 2000 the U.S. downed guest-team Brazil 1-0 to claim the championship. In the most recent edition of the tournament, the U.S. again prevailed in extra time, this time courtesy of a Kristine Lilly penalty kick in the 120th minute. The Women’s Gold Cup is now known as the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
CONCACAF competed in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in 2000, when Mexico’s Necaxa impressed with a third place finish in the 2000 tournament in Brazil. The CONACACAF club tournament, which is contested amongst 38 nations’ domestic league champions, was won by D.C. United in 1998 and 2001. In 2008, CONCACAF unveiled the Champions League to replace the Champions Cup and decide the region's annual club title.
In 1994, CONCACAF joined Europe and South America as the only confederations to host three or more World Cup finals. Mexico welcomed the world twice, in 1970 and 1986, while the United States staged the event for the first time in 1994.
Headquarters: CONCACAF – 1000 5th Street, Suite 304 – Miami Beach, FL 33139 – USA
Phone: 305-704-3232 – Fax: 305-763-8073 – Website: www.concacaf.com
President
To be confirmed
General Secretary
Ted Howard (acting)
Media Officer
Alvaro Urrutia
The Office of the President
CONCACAF
Edward & Oxford St.
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Phone: 868 / 625-9611
Fax: 868 / 625-9609