Overview
- CONCACAF’s final day sent Panama, Haiti and Curacao directly to the World Cup, with Jamaica and Suriname earning intercontinental playoff places.
- Iraq reached the intercontinental playoff by beating the UAE 2-1 on a last-minute VAR-reviewed penalty after 10 minutes of added time.
- The six-team intercontinental tournament in March is slated for Mexico (Monterrey and Guadalajara) with Iraq, DR Congo, Bolivia, Jamaica, Suriname and New Caledonia competing for two berths.
- Costa Rica drew 0-0 with Honduras to miss out, and coach Miguel Herrera said he intends to step down after the elimination.
- Curacao qualified for its first World Cup with a largely Netherlands-born squad, and Haiti returned to the tournament for the first time since 1974 after playing ‘home’ matches in Curacao and Aruba due to security concerns.