Concacaf has announced a revamped youth national team competitions calendar for events from 2026 to 2029.

This announcement follows the release of the region’s men’s senior national team calendar for the next four years, together with the earlier confirmation of the women’s expanded ecosystem.

Concacaf will continue arranging youth tournaments for men and women across three age groups, creating valuable opportunities for young players to gain international experience while serving as the region’s qualification pathway to their respective Fifa youth World Cups.

As part of the revamped calendar, Concacaf will replace its biennial under-15 competitions with annual under-16 tournaments, which will serve as the qualification pathway to the newly redesigned Under-17 Qualifiers.

Victor Montagliani, the Concacaf president, expressed his commitment to assisting the region’s budding stars with the ideal conditions for their growth in the sport.

“Concacaf is committed to providing the youngest talent in our region with the best possible opportunities to reach their full potential through official, meaningful matches,” Montagliani said.

“By expanding access to high-quality competitions and creating more structured pathways for player development, we are strengthening the foundation of the game across all our member associations.

“We are confident that this evolution, together with Fifa’s new Under-15 Festival, open to all Fifa member associations, and its Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, will ensure that our region continues to produce world-class players.

With 2026 serving as a transition year for the annual under-16 tournament, the men’s and women’s competitions are scheduled for August-September. They will feature Concacaf member associations ranked 9-41, divided into eight groups of up to five teams each.

Following round-robin play, the winner of each group (eight teams in total) will advance to the Concacaf Under-17 Qualifiers, where they will join the member Associations ranked one to eight.

Launching in 2027, the revamped Concacaf Under-17 Qualifiers will feature a streamlined 16-team format for both men and women, set for February of each year.

In 2027, the competitions will include the Confederation’s top 16 teams based on their performance in the 2026 Under-17 Qualifiers. Starting in 2028, the top eight-ranked member associations and the eight group winners from the new Under-16 Qualifiers will form the Under-17 Qualifiers.

The 16 teams will be split into four groups of four, competing in round-robin play. On the men’s side, the group winners and runners-up (eight teams total) will qualify for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup. On the women’s side, the four group winners will earn their place at the Fifa Women’s Under-17 World Cup.

For the under-20, the region’s competitions will continue to be held every two years for both men and women as presently scheduled and constructed.

On the men’s end, the next editions will be held in February and July-August of 2026 and 2028, with those matches serving as the regional qualifiers for the Under-20 World Cup.

The 2026 tournament will also used as the qualifying event for the men’s football tournament at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

On the women’s side, the next editions will be held in February and April of 2027 and 2029. They will act as the regional qualifiers for their respective Under-20 Women’s World Cups.