2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying took place between 23 February and 2 March 2024 across five countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The teams competed for six of the twelve berths in the 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship final tournament.[1]
The qualifying tournament featured changes in its format from the previous two editions. The number of participating teams in qualifying was increased as only six teams were exempt from this stage. Consequently, the qualifying groups were also increased from four to six, with the six group winners qualifying for the final tournament instead of the four teams that qualified in the previous two editions.[2]
As in the 2020 edition, each qualifying group took place in one of the nations that made it up.
Teams
The 41 CONCACAF teams were ranked based on the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Ranking as of 12 June 2023.[3] A total of 33 teams entered the qualifying or the final tournament. The highest-ranked 6 entrants were exempt from qualifying and advanced directly to the group stage of the final tournament, while the lowest-ranked 27 entrants had to participate in qualifying, with the six group winners joining the six top-ranked teams in the group stage of the final tournament.[4]
^ abcdefNon-FIFA members and thus ineligible to play in World Cup.
Draw
The draw for the qualifying round took place on 11 October 2023, 11:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the CONCACAF Headquarters in Miami.[4] The 27 teams which entered the qualifying stage were drawn into six groups: three groups of five teams and three groups of four teams. Previously, the 27 teams had been allocated into five pots based on the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Ranking as of 12 June 2023.[4]
The draw started with pot 1 and ended with pot 5, with each team selected then allocated into the groups alphabetically. The position of the teams within their group followed the same order, with the teams from pot 1 placed on the first line and so on until the teams from pot 5 were placed on line 5.[4]
The draw resulted in the following groups (host nation marked in bold):[5]
The fixture list was confirmed by CONCACAF on 11 October 2023, after the draw.[6] All match times are local times as listed by CONCACAF (Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5), if different, are in parentheses).[7]
Tiebreakers
The ranking of teams in each group was determined as follows (Regulations Article 12.3):[1]
Points obtained in all group matches (three points for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss);
Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match):
Yellow card: −1 points;
Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
Direct red card: −4 points;
Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Drawing of lots.
Group A
Group A took place in Managua, Nicaragua.[8] All match times are NIT (UTC−6) and the Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) are in parentheses, as listed by CONCACAF.[7]