Curacao and Haiti are into the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League, with Haiti a potential opponent for the U.S. men's national team or Mexico in November.
Both Caribbean countries qualified for
the 2026 World Cup and backed their standing in the region by finishing in the top two of CNL League A, Group A. Each team went into the final matchday having won three matches and not suffered defeat, not meeting directly because of the "Swiss style" system deployed by Concacaf to create the fixtures.
While Curacao managed a draw Sunday, Oct. 4 against Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti fell 2-0 to Costa Rica, the nations had enough points to finish in the top two and set up home-and-home series in the quarterfinals.
Those series are against the top four teams in the Concacaf rankings: Mexico, the United States, Canada and Panama, who played friendlies in this international break thanks to the bye they received to the quarterfinal stage.
The competition's rules specify that the winners of each group earn games against the lower-seeded teams, meaning Curacao likely will face Panama, the lowest-ranked seeded team – though Canada remains a potential opponent. Haiti would play either Mexico or the U.S. depending on the Concacaf ranking of the team that qualifies from the other group.
Group B play concludes Monday, Oct. 5. Suriname currently tops the group with seven points, but faces off with a Guatemala team that has four points and could leapfrog the Natio with a win in Guatemala City. Jamaica is currently second with six points ahead of a match with Honduras.
Martinique and El Salvador also remain in contention for the quarterfinals, though they would need a lot to break their way to secure a spot in the next round.
Should the group finish the way it is set up today, the matchups would see Mexico face Jamaica, the U.S. match up against Haiti, Canada playing Suirname and Panama squaring off with Curacao.
History is made and the Blue Wave moves on! 🇨🇼 pic.twitter.com/C3XgeYIFp4
— Concacaf Nations League (@CNationsLeague) October 4, 2026
The U.S., Mexico and Canada have announced when and where they will host the second legs of the quarterfinals, with the Americans set to host in Cincinnati, Mexico heading to Monterrey and Canada playing in Toronto. Panama typically plays at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.
Haiti has been unable to host on Haitian soil since 2021 because of the political crisis and gang violence in the country.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will USMNT, Mexico play in Concacaf Nations League?
