CONCACAF Under-20 Championship 2022, which will be held in North America, is of considerable significance. Because it will determine which teams will compete in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup for men.
Both the two teams that will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The four teams that will advance to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia will be determined by the results of this tournament, which will be hosted by Honduras (the two finalists).
This year’s event features Olympic qualification to eliminate the necessity for a separate Under-23 qualifying competition prior to the Olympics, for which player releases from clubs are even more difficult to get.
After their victory at the 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, the United States are the current champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament had to be postponed.
The Americans will have a formidable opponent in this age group from Mexico, Honduras, Panama, and Costa Rica. All of which are perennial powers in the region. Down below you’ll find the entire bracket along with broadcast and streaming information, as well as final scores and player statistics.
Standings & schedule
On June 23, three teams from each Groups E through H advanced to the knockout round of the CONCACAF U20 tournament. Groups A through D featured the lowest-ranked teams in the region, and their matches were concluded before the end of the year (2021).
All 16 teams were automatically placed into Round of 16 pairings based on their group finishes.
Round of 16
Competing against the teams that advanced from Groups A through D were the champions of Groups E through H in the Round of 16. In the other two Rounds of 16 meetings, the teams who finished second and third respectively met.
The Dominican Republic stunned the world by upsetting El Salvador 5-4, and Guatemala beat Canada in a thrilling penalty kick shootout.
Quarterfinals
The four qualifying spots for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup will go to the victors of the quarterfinal matches. The Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, will host all remaining matches beginning with the quarterfinals.
Semifinals
The two available spots for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will go to the semifinalists.
- USA/Costa Rica vs. Panama/Honduras
- Dominican Rep/Jamaica vs. Guatemala/Mexico
Finals
The 2024 Summer Olympics are open to both finalists.
- SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner
Group Stage
Groups E-H included the best Under-20 squads from the region, with the top three teams advancing to the knockout stage. Each of the lower-ranked nations competed in Groups A through D in 2021, with the winner advancing to the next round.
CONCACAF U20 Championship TV
- Dates: June 18 through July 3
- Matches: 39 total matches
- Streams: fuboTV (in USA for TUDN matches), OneSoccer YouTube (in Canada), ViX (in USA), Concacaf YouTube (USA & Canada),
Stake
Both the 2023 FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics will have CONCACAF qualifiers, hence this competition serves a dual purpose.
In 2023, four CONCACAF athletes will compete in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and in 2024, two will represent the region at the Summer Olympics.
The number of teams that qualify for each tournament is clearly stated: the four teams that make the finals at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship will compete in the 2023 World Cup. The two teams that make the finals the following year will be the only two teams to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Getting into the Olympics is all about winning the U-20 title, and here’s why.
It used to be that in March, before the opening of the Summer Olympics, CONCACAF hosted a separate U-23 competition specifically to determine Olympic qualification. Because the Olympic soccer tournament is for players under the age of 23. This competition featured youth players (so as not to compete with the popular FIFA World Cup).
Due to the fact that the competition was held outside of a FIFA international window, many of the best players were unable to participate due to club commitments. Even if a player wasn’t outright banned from representing their national team by their club. They still might have to decide between their club and their country.
There were players that were featured in leagues that played through the summer, like MLS, which plays from February to November. Therefore the tournament couldn’t be shifted to the summer after the European season.
CONCACAF canceled the Under-23 Olympic qualifying tournament and merged it with the Under-20 Championship to resolve the scheduling conflict. As players in the Under-20 tournament tend to see less action than their counterparts in the Under-23 tournament, they are more likely to be granted permission to participate by their clubs.