MIAMI, Florida – Women’s football continues to grow in the Concacaf region as evidenced by the success of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, where the United States captured the crown with a dramatic 1-0 win over Canada.
As part of Concacaf’s countdown of the best 22 moments from 2022 in the region, here are the top stories from the past year in Women’s Football, plus the best from Concacaf Development and the Concacaf Gold Cup.
USA win Concacaf W Championship for third straight time
The United States proclaimed themselves champions of the Concacaf region for a third consecutive time thanks to their 1-0 win over Canada in the Final of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, Mexico.
The reigning world champions opened the group stage with a 3-0 win against a tough Haiti side, followed by a 5-0 victory against Jamaica and a narrow 1-0 triumph over hosts Mexico. Not only did those results send the U.S. to the knockout stage, but it also qualified the Stars & Stripes for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.
After downing Costa Rica 3-0 in the semifinal, the U.S. edged their northern neighbors to not only win the CWC, but also clinch a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The U.S. also finished the tournament without conceding a goal.
Jamaica qualify for second straight Women’s World Cup
Four years after making history as the first ever Caribbean side to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, the Reggae Girls were at it again in Monterrey, as they finished second in their group to punch their ticket to Australia/New Zealand 2023.
Leading the way for Jamaica was star FW Khadija Shaw, who scored the winning goal in the opening 1-0 win versus Mexico and then added a brace in the 4-0 victory over Haiti to seal Jamaica’s World Cup berth. Jamaica will also have an opportunity to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics when they face Canada in next September’s Olympic Play-In match.
Dunn and Davies win Player of the Year honors
In early 2022, Concacaf announced its winners of the 2021 Player of the Year honors for Crystal Dunn of the United States and Alphonso Davies of Canada.
The 29-year-old left winger also started two games for the U.S. at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, the 1-0 win over Canada and the 2-0 victory over Brazil, helping the U.S. win their fourth SheBelieves title.
As a member of the Portland Thorns, Dunn helped her side win the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup and the 2021 International Champions Cup.
As for Davies, he enjoyed another top season with club side Bayern Munich, appearing in 23 matches and scoring a goal over the course of the 2020-21 season to lead Bayern to yet another Bundesliga title, his third with the German giants.
Davies was just as important at the international level for Canada. During 2021, no player played more matches in all rounds of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 than Davies, who accumulated 976 minutes played.
SoFi Stadium announced as venue for 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Final
In October, Concacaf announced that SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California will be the venue for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Final, as the tournament’s biggest game returns to the Southern California area for a seventh time.
The 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2000 Finals were all held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, while the Finals of the 2002 and 2011 editions took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Now, SoFi Stadium, which opened in September 2020, will etch its name into the Gold Cup Final history books.
Generation Amazing launches in 10 countries across Concacaf region
The Generation Amazing Foundation (GAF), the flagship human and social legacy program of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Concacaf, launched in 10 countries across the Concacaf region this past July.
It marked the first year of the program and was kicked off in a virtual launch in which Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio gave remarks to the technical directors, heads of coaching and master instructors of the 10 Member Associations.
The program enables Concacaf member associations to optimize their own grassroots coach education curriculums and will provide more local coaches with the skills they need to deliver fun, safe, and engaging football sessions for young people in their comm. The co-developed coach’s education package includes several courses, including, the importance of their coach’s role, safeguarding, sport for development and how to use football as a tool to support social change.
Costa Rica and Guatemala host first edition of Concacaf Access
This past year the countries of Costa Rica and Guatemala hosted the first edition of Concacaf Access, a program designed to help promote the football industry in the region. The goal of Concacaf Access is to generate a new space for important conversations around the business of football in countries across the region.
Various leaders from the world of football convened in both San Jose and Guatemala City to discuss the development, challenges and opportunities facing the sport across the region, while engaging with the region’s stakeholders to ensure the continued collaboration on the many Concacaf initiatives being undertaken to develop the game.
