CONCACAF has announced its competition calendar for the next four years, building up to the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
In addition to World Cup Qualifying, the federation’s Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments will also continue over the next few years. Nations League play will next begin in September 2026 while the Gold Cup returns in June-July 2027.
“Over the past four-plus years, our Confederation has had both the privilege and the responsibility of preparing our members to compete in and host the largest FIFA World Cup in history, a tournament in which a record number of our nations will participate,” Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said. “When the World Cup concludes next summer, an extraordinary chapter of growth and achievement for our region will come to a close, ushering in an exciting new period.
“As we look ahead, the four-year calendar we have developed ensures that our members can continue to pursue their next goals through consistent elite competition, whether that means earning promotion in the Concacaf Nations League, qualifying for or winning the Concacaf Gold Cup, or ultimately reaching the pinnacle of our sport: the FIFA World Cup,” Montagliani added.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be joint-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco and CONCACAF will at least have six representatives guaranteed places in that tournament. A seventh CONCACAF nation could also reach the World Cup, should they advance via an intercontinental playoff.
Round One of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying will feature home-and-away knockout matches, beginning in September 2027, followed by Group Stage play in the Second and Final Rounds, and culminating in a home-and-away Play-In.
Should a team run the table from Round One to the intercontinental playoff, they will play matches from September 2027-November 2029.
CONCACAF Nations League resumes in Fall 2026
The next two Concacaf Nations League editions are scheduled for 2026-27 and 2028-29, the federation announced.
They will continue to be played under the existing three-league system (Leagues A-C) and serve as the qualifying pathway to the Gold Cup. The composition of each League will be determined based on the results of the preceding edition.
In addition, the competition will also introduce Finals for Leagues B and C, beginning with the 2026-27 edition. This will add eight additional matches to the overall tournament.
Mexico are the reigning Nations League winners after defeating Panama 2-1 in the tournament final last March.
CONCACAF Gold Cup to return Summer of 2027
The CONCACAF Gold Cup will not occur this summer due to the FIFA World Cup, but will return in June 2027.
The next edition of the bi-annual tournament will take place from June-July 2027, with the preliminary rounds taking place in March of that year. Teams will qualify for the 16-team competition through the 2026-27 Nations League and the 2027 Gold Cup Prelims, with detailed qualification procedures for each edition to be announced at a later date.
Mexico are the reigning winners of the Gold Cup after defeating the USMNT 2-1 in July 2025’s final.