CONCACAF Proposes New World Cup Qualifying Format: United States Would Enter In Semis

The top two teams from each of those groups would then advance to a final six-team group where the top three teams would earn automatic berths in the World Cup and the fourth-place team would participate in a playoff for a chance to qualify. The final round of qualifying would be played from February to October of 2013. This new proposal would be quite similar to the previously scrapped “Hexagonal,” but would require top teams to play two fewer qualifying matches.

CONCACAF had previously planned a significantly different qualifying format that would have featured two final groups of four teams, but that was under the assumption they would have four automatic World Cup berths. That format was criticized largely because top teams -- such as the U.S. and Mexico -- would be unlikely to meet in qualifying.