About CONCACAF U17 Championship

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The CONCACAF U17 Championship is a regional men’s football tournament for the under-17 teams of CONCACAF member countries. Founded in 1983, it serves as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and for this reason, it is also known as the CONCACAF U-17 World Cup qualification.

The CONCACAF U17 Championship is a biennial event and is held during the first five months of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the number of participants has steadily increased, reaching 12 teams in 2011, 20 in 2019, and hitting 35 by 2025.

The tournament has alternated between being a qualifying event and a championship, resulting in various formats over the years. At times, the top-performing teams from each group qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, while in other instances, they progressed to the knockout stage in a single-elimination format.

From 2009 to 2023, the tournament featured a championship format, where the four semifinalists qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the winner was determined among them. However, by the 2025 edition, organizers opted to scrap that for a round-robin format with eight groups, where the group winners will qualify for the U-17 World Cup.

Historically, Mexico has been a powerhouse in the CONCACAF U17 Championship, winning all but five of the first 14 titles, with the USA also achieving notable success.