The Concacaf standings have thawed a bit, one World Cup qualifying window remains, and it’s looking very much like the three nations who won’t have to qualify in 2026 will be the ones occupying the region’s automatic berths in Qatar this fall.
Canada, the United States and Mexico remain the top-three teams in the Octagonal table after a unique winter window that featured a bit of everything. There were the much-discussed subzero temperatures in Minnesota on Wednesday night, there was one of the more bizarre goals you'll see scored by a 38-year-old Canadian veteran in El Salvador and there were allegations of COVID-19-positive players featuring for Costa Rica in Jamaica. There was a subpar Mexico side eking its way to three points on a dodgy penalty and there were eliminations of two sides, leaving six still in the mix for places at the World Cup.
Realistically speaking, though, it’s down to five, with El Salvador, at best, able to finish in fourth place, whose prize is an intercontinental playoff against Oceania's champion in Qatar in June.
