The road was long, complicated, and full of thorns, but at last, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Qatar 2022 is approaching at an impressive speed and Concacaf already knows who will represent it in the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup.
So far, and after 92 years of history, the World Cup has not yet been won by any Concacaf representative. The best result obtained by a national team from this zone was in Uruguay 1930, in the first edition, in which the USMNT, led by its goal scorer Bert Patenaude, placed third.
However, the gap has narrowed and Concacaf aspires that its representatives can be more than mere entertainers at Qatar 2022 due to the hierarchy, sporting infrastructure, and combative spirit of the three teams that have already been confirmed as its representatives.
The 3 Concacaf representatives already qualified for Qatar 2022
After 14 matchdays held, the Concacaf Qualifiers have already resulted in the 3 teams that won their respective direct places to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. For the first time in history, the three economic powers of the region will be the region's representatives in soccer: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
A fourth contender could join them, but a final hurdle remains to be cleared on the road to Qatar 2022. Costa Rica finished fourth in the Qualifiers Standings and thus advanced to the Inter-Confederation Playoffs, where they will face New Zealand in June for one of the last tickets to the most prestigious tournament in the world.
Canada
John Herdman went down in history as one of the best coaches, if not already the best, in the history of Canadian soccer, after leading the Maple Leafs to Qatar 2022, only their second participation in this tournament. This feat was achieved by qualifying in first place in the Concacaf Qualifiers to break Canada's 36-year fast of not attending a World Cup (Mexico 1986).
Mexico
El Tri went through some unplanned turbulence at the start of the Concacaf Qualifiers, but nevertheless, they achieved their goal of qualifying for Qatar 2022. While there are many doubts in their environment as to whether Gerardo Tata Martino is the ideal coach for them to transcend in their 17th World Cup, it is a fact that Mexico's competitive gene will aim to finally make it past the Round of 16 in which they have been stuck in their last 7 World Cups.
The United States
The Stars and Stripes had a relatively quiet qualification to Qatar 2022. They were only beaten by Canada and by an accident against Panama. With a brilliant but still young generation, led by Chelsea striker Christian Pulisic, the USMNT will be looking to pull off an upset in their 11th World Cup.
