1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, CONCACAF zone ran from March 1996 to November 1997 in order to determine the three CONCACAF representatives at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 30 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. Mexico, the USA, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Canada, the six highest-ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the semi-finals directly. The remaining 24 teams were divided into two zones, based on geographical locations, as follows:
- Caribbean Zone: The 20 teams played in three rounds of knockout matches on a home-and-away basis to determine four winners advancing to the semi-finals.
- Central American Zone: The four teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, the 12 teams were divided into three groups of four teams each. They played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners and runners-up would advance to the final round.
In the final round, the six teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top three teams would qualify.
Preliminary round
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dominican Republic | 6–3 | Aruba | 3–2 | 3–1 |
Guyana | 1–8 | Grenada | 1–2 | 0–6 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | w/o | Bahamas | — | — |
Dominica | 6–4 | Antigua and Barbuda | 3–3 | 3–1 |
Group A
March 24, 1996 |
Dominican Republic | 3 – 2 | Aruba |
---|---|---|
Rodríguez 28' Mariano 50' Peña 73' |
(report) | Davelaar 60' Malmberg 84' |
March 31, 1996 |
Aruba | 1 – 3 | Dominican Republic |
---|---|---|
Davelaar 38' (pen.) | (report) | Rodríguez 5' (pen.) Aquino 62' Queliz 87' |
Dominican Republic won 6-3 on aggregate.
Group B
Grenada won 8-1 on aggregate.
Group C
The Bahamas withdrew, so Saint Kitts and Nevis advanced to the first round automatically.
Group D
March 10, 1996 |
Dominica | 3 – 3 | Antigua and Barbuda |
---|---|---|
Dominique 8' Dangler 42' Marshall 89' |
(report) | Clarke 15' Edwards 28', 75' |
March 31, 1996 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 1 – 3 | Dominica |
---|---|---|
Edwards 59' | (report) | Greenaway 23' Morancie 60' Edmond 66' |
Dominica won 6-4 on aggregate.
First round
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dominican Republic | 2–1 | Netherlands Antilles | 2–1 | 0–0 |
Haiti | 7–1 | Grenada | 6–1 | 1–0 |
Cayman Islands | 0–6 | Cuba | 0–1 | 0–5 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 6–1 | Saint Lucia | 5–1 | 1–0 |
Puerto Rico | 1–9 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1–2 | 0–7 |
Dominica | 0–2 | Barbados | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Suriname | 0–2 | Jamaica | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Trinidad and Tobago | w/o | Bermuda | — | — |
Group 1
May 4, 1996 |
Dominican Republic | 2 – 1 | Netherlands Antilles |
---|---|---|
Jiménez 35' Zapata 68' |
(report) | Gersley 40' |
Dominican Republic won 2-1 on aggregate.
Group 2
May 12, 1996 |
Haiti | 6 – 1 | Grenada |
---|---|---|
Wilson Chevalier 11' Golman Pierre 35', 58' Isaac Chauvet 62', 64', 73' |
(report) | Patrick Modeste 85' |
Haiti won 7-1 on aggregate.
Group 3
May 14, 1996 |
Cuba | 5 – 0 | Cayman Islands |
---|---|---|
Alexander Cruzata 19' Eduardo Sebrango 63' Lázaro Dalcourt 68', 81' Lester Moré 83' |
(report) |
Note:Both matches were played in Cayman Islands.
Cuba won 6-0 on aggregate.
Group 4
May 5, 1996 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5 – 1 | Saint Lucia |
---|---|---|
Dwight Allers Kelley 5', 86' Vernon Sargeant 22', 44' Keith Gumbs 41' |
(report) | Earl Jean 51' |
Saint Kitts and Nevis won 6-1 on aggregate.
Group 5
May 4, 1996 |
Puerto Rico | 1 – 2 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
---|---|---|
Lugris 70' (pen.) | (report) | Huggins 18' Hinds 58' |
May 12, 1996 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7 – 0 | Puerto Rico |
---|---|---|
Jack 3', 13', 25' Mussenden 35' (o.g.) Hinds 37', 59' Charles 64' |
(report) |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won 9-1 on aggregate.
Group 6
Barbados won 2-0 on aggregate.
Group 7
Jamaica won 2-0 on aggregate.
Group 8
Bermuda withdrew, so Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the second round automatically.
Second round
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caribbean Zone | |||||
Cuba | 7–2 | Haiti | 6–1 | 1–1 | |
Dominican Republic | 1–12 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1–4 | 0–8 | |
Barbados | 0–3 | Jamaica | 0–1 | 0–2 | |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–2 (a) | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2–2 | 0–0 | |
Central American Zone | |||||
Nicaragua | 1–3 | Guatemala | 0–1 | 1–2 | |
Belize | 2–6 | Panama | 1–2 | 1–4 |
Caribbean Zone
Group A
June 23, 1996 |
Cuba | 6 – 1 | Haiti |
---|---|---|
Eduardo Sebrango 18' Mario Pedraza 44' Lazaro Dalcourt 61', 70', 71' Lester More 81' |
(report) | Rosemond Pierre 84' |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Mario Efrain Escobar |
This match was played on neutral ground instead of in Cuba.
Cuba won 7-2 on aggregate.
Group B
June 15, 1996 |
Dominican Republic | 1 – 4 | Trinidad and Tobago |
---|---|---|
Alberto Jimenez 59' | (report) | Russell Latapy 37' 67' Pedro Aquino 39' (o.g.) Angus Eve 84' |
June 23, 1996 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 8 – 0 | Dominican Republic |
---|---|---|
Stern John 1' 23' 80' Dwight Yorke 8' Angus Eve 16' 42' Anthony Rougier 19' Russell Latapy 89' |
(report) |
Trinidad and Tobago won 12-1 on aggregate.
Group C
Jamaica won 3-0 on aggregate.
Group D
June 23, 1996 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 – 2 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
---|---|---|
Keith Gumbs 38' Larrymore Bedford 88' |
(report) | Andre Hinds 12' Kendall Velox 35' |
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2-2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on aggregate. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won on the away goals rule.
Central American Zone
Group E
Guatemala won 3-1 on aggregate.
Group F
June 2, 1996 |
Belize | 1 – 2 | Panama |
---|---|---|
David McCauley 28' | (report) | Rubén Guevara 57' Julio Dely Valdes 61' |
June 9, 1996 |
Panama | 4 – 1 | Belize |
---|---|---|
Julio Dely Valdes 14' 46' 61' Víctor Mendieta 88' |
(report) | Denmark Casey 60' |
Panama won 6-2 on aggregate.
Third round
Group 1
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
2 | Costa Rica | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
3 | Guatemala | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 |
4 | Trinidad and Tobago | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 |
The United States and Costa Rica advanced to the final round. Guatemala played their home games in Los Angeles and San Salvador instead of at home due to FIFA stadium standards.
November 10, 1996 |
United States | 2 – 0 | Trinidad and Tobago |
---|---|---|
Thomas Dooley 53' Eric Wynalda 84' |
(report) |
November 10, 1996 |
Costa Rica | 3 – 0 | Guatemala |
---|---|---|
Javier Delgado 53' Hernan Medford 74' Ronald Gomez 78' |
(report) |
December 1, 1996 |
Costa Rica | 2 – 1 | United States |
---|---|---|
Paulo Wanchope 39' Wilmer Lopez 84' |
(report) | Cobi Jones 89' |
December 14, 1996 |
United States | 2 – 1 | Costa Rica |
---|---|---|
Brian McBride 16' Roy Lassiter 60' |
(report) | Ronald Gomez 74' |
December 21, 1996 |
Costa Rica | 2 – 1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
---|---|---|
Paulo Wanchope 44' 60' | (report) | Jerren Nixon 7' |
Estadio José Rafael Fello Meza Ivankovich, Cartago, Costa Rica Attendance: 0 Referee: Pascual Rebolledo Cárdenas |
December 21, 1996 |
Guatemala | 2 – 2 | United States |
---|---|---|
Juan Funes 9' Juan Carlos Plata 44' |
(report) | Predrag Radosavljević 7' Frankie Hejduk 48' |
Group 2
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Canada | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
2 | El Salvador | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
3 | Panama | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 5 |
4 | Cuba | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | -12 | 3 |
Canada and El Salvador advanced to the final round.
Cuba played all their matches away from home.
August 30, 1996 |
Canada | 3 – 1 | Panama |
---|---|---|
Geoff Aunger 40' Paul Peschisolido 42' Carlo Corazzin 87' |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés 49' |
September 8, 1996 |
Cuba | 0 – 5 | El Salvador |
---|---|---|
(report) | José Carlos Rivera 22' 80' Raúl Díaz Arce 49' 72' Mauricio Cienfuegos 83' |
September 22, 1996 |
Cuba | 3 – 1 | Panama |
---|---|---|
Eduardo Sebrango 42' 70' Manuel Bobadilla 88' |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés 55' |
November 10, 1996 |
El Salvador | 3 – 2 | Panama |
---|---|---|
Raúl Díaz Arce 43' Wilfredo Iraheta 68' Giovanni Trigueros 88' |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés 11' 86' |
December 1, 1996 |
El Salvador | 3 – 0 | Cuba |
---|---|---|
William Renderos Iraheta 3' Raúl Díaz Arce 30' Jorge Rodríguez 49' |
(report) |
December 15, 1996 |
Panama | 3 – 1 | Cuba |
---|---|---|
Víctor Mendieta 15' Rubén Guevara 55' Jorge Dely Valdés 58' |
(report) | Lester Moré 67' |
Group 3
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jamaica | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
2 | Mexico | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
3 | Honduras | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
4 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 30 | -24 | 0 |
Jamaica and Mexico advanced to the final round.
September 15, 1996 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 – 3 | Mexico |
---|---|---|
(report) | Ricardo Peláez 15' 51' Damián Álvarez 89' |
September 21, 1996 |
Honduras | 2 – 1 | Mexico |
---|---|---|
Carlos Pavón 50' Eduardo Bennett 82' |
(report) | Ramón Ramírez 63' |
September 23, 1996 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 – 2 | Jamaica |
---|---|---|
Christopher Harry 82' | (report) | Paul Young 20' 41' |
October 13, 1996 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 – 4 | Honduras |
---|---|---|
James Chewitt 62' | (report) | Suazo Velázquez 7' 62' Christian Santamaria 23' 42' |
October 30, 1996 |
Mexico | 5 – 1 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
---|---|---|
Benjamín Galindo 20' 29' Zague 48' Carlos Hermosillo 70' Dexter Walker 88' (o.g.) |
(report) | Kendall Velox 88' |
November 6, 1996 |
Mexico | 3 – 1 | Honduras |
---|---|---|
Benjamín Galindo 32' Carlos Hermosillo 35' Zague 45' |
(report) | Enrique Reneau 69' |
November 10, 1996 |
Jamaica | 5 – 0 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
---|---|---|
Theodore Whitmore 10' 13' Paul Young 64' Peter Cargill 66' Stephen Malcolm 84' |
(report) |
November 17, 1996 |
Honduras | 11 – 3 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
---|---|---|
Barrios Zapata 3' Suazo Velázquez 11' 38' 50' Arnold Cruz 19' Carlos Pavón 30' Enrique Reneau 48' Merlyn Membreño 65' Milton Núñez 67' 84' Eduardo Bennett 77' |
(report) | Rodney Jack 37' Alwyn Guy 62' Everad Sam 75' |
Fourth round
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mexico | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 18 |
2 | United States | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 17 |
3 | Jamaica | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 | –5 | 14 |
4 | Costa Rica | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
5 | El Salvador | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 16 | –5 | 10 |
6 | Canada | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 20 | –15 | 6 |
- Mexico, the United States, and Jamaica qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
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