MIAMI, Florida – This Saturday the 2023 FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup kicks off in Argentina with four teams from the Concacaf region hoping to deliver top performances.
2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship winners United States, CWU20 runners-up Honduras, Guatemala and U20 Men’s World Cup debutants Dominican Republic will take to the field in search of glory.
Concacaf has a long and rich history in the U20 Men’s World Cup, dating back to the first ever tournament in 1977 when it was known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, a name that held until 2005.
In the first ever edition in 1977 in Tunisia, Mexico achieved the best ever finish of a Concacaf nation at a U20 Men’s World Cup when they were runners-up after winning their group and eliminating Brazil in a penalty shootout in the semifinals.
Mexico were also the first Concacaf country to host the tournament, doing so in 1983. Two years later at Soviet Union 1985, Mexico’s Alberto Garcia Aspe became the first Concacaf player to win an individual accolade, as he finished as the joint-top scorer with three goals.
Costa Rica became the first Central American nation to compete in a U20 Men’s World Cup at Saudi Arabia 1989, where they defeated Colombia in their debut, 1-0. The United States achieved a fourth-place finish on the strength of three goals from Steve Snow.
Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean nation to qualify for a U20 Men’s World Cup in 1991, while two years later at Australia 1993 two teams from Concacaf reached the knockout stage for the first time when Mexico and the U.S. reached the quarterfinals.
Qatar 1995 was the first time that Concacaf were represented by two Central American teams in Costa Rica and Honduras, the latter making their debut. Malaysia 1997 saw an expansion, with four teams from Concacaf appearing in the tournament for the first time (Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, USA). It was also the firsttime that three Concacaf teams qualified for the knockout round (Canada, Mexico, USA).
Jamaica made their U20 Men’s World Cup debut at Argentina 2001, while Costa Rica won their group for the first time. Two years later at UAE 2003, Panama made their debut, and the U.S. won their group for the first time, helped by Eddie Johnson’s four goals, making him the tournament’s joint-top scorer.
Costa Rica had their best ever finish at Egypt 2009 when they came in Fourth Place after narrowly losing to Brazil in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Guatemala’s only previous U20 Men’s World Cup appearance came at Colombia 2011 where Mexico finished in Third Place after defeating France in the Third Place Match.
Henrique Almeda, scorer of both goals for Brazil, clashes with Néstor Araujo of Mexico in the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Pereira, Colombia, on August 17, 2011.
The 2013 tournament in Turkey served as a milestone for two more Concacaf nations, Cuba and El Salvador, who made their U20 Men’s World Cup debuts. El Salvador beat Australia 2-1 for a first ever U20 Men’s World Cup win.
Players of El Salvador celebrate after the FIFA U-20 World Cup Group C match between Australia and El Salvado at Yeni Sehir Stadium on June 25, 2013 in Rize, Turkey. (Photo by FIFA)
Beginning in 2015, the U.S. have enjoyed an impressive run of three straight quarterfinal finishes, the last one at Poland 2019 highlighted by a comeback 3-2 Round of 16 win over France, while Panama reached the knockout round for the first time ever.
Now, a new edition waits for the U.S., Honduras, Guatemala and Dominican Republic and a chance to make even more history for Concacaf at the U20 Men’s World Cup level.
