close
Jump to content

1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
Tournament details
Dates2 April – 29 December 1976
Teams16 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played36
Goals scored103 (2.86 per match)
← 1973
1981 →

The 1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification competition was the qualifying contest to decide the finalists for the 1977 CONCACAF Championship – the seventh international association football championship for members of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Qualifying ran from 2 April – 29 December 1976 and was contested by the national teams of 16 CONCACAF member associations. The competition doubled as the qualification competition for the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

As with the previous edition, no teams qualified automatically. The qualifying competition was split into three zones – a Caribbean zone, a Central American zone and a North American zone. Two teams from each zone – Suriname and Haiti from the Caribbean zone, Guatemala and El Salvador from the Central American zone and Mexico and Canada from the North American zone – qualified for the final tournament.

Background

[edit]

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) was founded as a merger of the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) and North American Football Confederation (NAFC) in 1961.[1] The first CONCACAF Championship, in which all the competing nations qualified automatically, was held in 1963.[2] A qualifying competition was introduced from the second edition in 1965.[3] From 1973, the competition doubled as the qualifying competition for the FIFA World Cup for teams in North, Central America and the Caribbean. Only the winner of each edition would qualify for the World Cup.[1]

Format

[edit]

Qualification for the 1977 CONCACAF Championship was split into a Caribbean zone, a Central American zone and a North American zone.[4]

In the Caribbean zone, the nine teams were split into a group of four teams and a group of five teams. A preliminary round was held for the group of five teams in which two of the teams would contest a two-legged tie. The team scoring more goals on aggregate would advance to the first round. For both groups, the four teams were drawn into two two-legged ties in which the team scoring more goals on aggregate in each tie would advance to the second round. The two remaining teams in each group would contest a final two-legged tie in which the team scoring more goals on aggregate would qualify for the final tournament.[4]

In both the North and Central American zones, the competing teams would contest a double round-robin where each team would play all of the others twice. The winners and runners-up from both sections would qualify for the final tournament.[4]

Participants

[edit]

North American zone

[edit]

The North American zone began on 24 September when Canada and the United States drew 1–1. On 3 October, the United States and Mexico played out a goalless draw. A week later, Canada defeated Mexico 1–0 to go top of the table. At the halfway stage, Canada led the group with three points, one ahead of the United States and two above Mexico.[4]

On 15 October, Mexico defeated the United States 3–0 to lead frog them in the table. Five days later, the United States defeated Canada 2–0 to go top of the table by one point with one match left to play. The United States, who had played all their matches, would qualify for the final tournament unless Canada drew with Mexico. On 27 October, Mexico and Canada played out a goalless draw which meant all three teams finished level on four points. Mexico qualified for the final tournament on goal difference but Canada and the United States were also tied on goal difference and there was no other tiebreaker in use at the time. As a result, a play-off was held to decide the second team to qualify.[4]

Table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 4 1 2 1 3 1 +2 4 Qualification for 1977 CONCACAF Championship
2  Canada (O) 4 1 2 1 2 3 −1 4[a] Play-off
2  United States 4 1 2 1 3 4 −1 4[a]
Source: [4]
(O) Play-off winners
Notes:
  1. 1 2 A play-off match was organised as both teams were tied on points and goal difference.

Results

[edit]
Canada 1–1 United States
Bolitho 77' [5] Bandov 8'
Attendance: 15,453
Referee: Dorantes García (Mexico)
United States 0–0 Mexico
[6]
Attendance: 33,171
Referee: Dante Maglio (Canada)
Canada 1–0 Mexico
Parsons 32' [7]
Attendance: 17,939
Referee: Toros Kibritjian (United States)
Mexico 3–0 United States
 [4]
Referee: Werner Winsemann (Canada)
United States 2–0 Canada
 [8]
Attendance: 17,675
Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico)
Mexico 0–0 Canada
[4]
Referee: Landauer (United States)

Play-off

[edit]

The play-off took place on 22 December at a neutral venue in Haiti. A trio of Bobs – Budd, Lenarduzzi and Bolitho – scored for Canada as they won 3–0 to qualify for the final tournament.[4]

Canada 3–0 United States
 [9]
Attendance: c. 5,000
Referee: Velasquez Ramírez (Colombia)

Central American zone

[edit]

The Central American zone began on 4 April when Panama defeated Costa Rica 3–2. On 2 May, Panama drew 1–1 with El Salvador. On 11 July, Costa Rica defeated Panama 3–0. On 1 August, Luis Ramírez Zapata scored a hat-trick as El Salvador defeated Panama 4–1. Guatemala played their first match on 17 September when they defeated Panama 4–2. Nine days later, braces from Óscar Enrique Sánchez, Selvin Pennant and Felix McDonald helped Guatemala to a 7–0 win against Panama. With half the matches played, Guatemala were top of the group on four points, one ahead of El Salvador and Panama and two clear of Costa Rica. Panama, who had played all of their matches, were eliminated from the competition.[4]

On 1 December, El Salvador and Costa Rica drew 1–1. Four days later, Costa Rica and Guatemala played out a goalless draw. On 8 December, Guatemala defeated El Salvador 3–1 to put themselves within a point of qualifying. Four days later, Guatemala drew 1–1 with Costa Rica to qualify for the final tournament. On 15 December, El Salvador and Costa Rica drew 1–1 which left Costa Rica second in the group, one point above El Salvador, with one match left to play. Four days later, El Salvador defeated Guatemala 2–0 to leapfrog Costa Rica and qualify for the final tournament.[4]

Table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Guatemala 6 3 2 1 15 6 +9 8 Qualification for 1977 CONCACAF Championship
2  El Salvador 6 2 3 1 10 7 +3 7
3  Costa Rica 6 1 4 1 8 6 +2 6
4  Panama 6 1 1 4 7 21 −14 3
Source: [4]

Results

[edit]
Panama 3–2 Costa Rica
 [4]
Referee: Cedillos (Honduras)
Panama 1–1 El Salvador
Vázquez 50' (pen.) [4] Ramírez 16'
Referee: Rojas Luis (Costa Rica)
Costa Rica 3–0 Panama
 [4]
Referee: Sazo Alvarez (Nicaragua)
El Salvador 4–1 Panama
 [4] Hernández 88'
Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico)
Panama 2–4 Guatemala
 [4]
Referee: Álvarez Morales (Costa Rica)
Guatemala 7–0 Panama
 [4]
Referee: Avendano Ruiz (El Salvador)
El Salvador 1–1 Costa Rica
Cabrera 27' [4] Jiménez 78'
Referee: Méndez Molina (Guatemala)
Costa Rica 0–0 Guatemala
[4]
Referee: Archundia (Mexico)
Guatemala 1–1 Costa Rica
Sandoval 77' [4] Salgado 89'
Referee: Andino Pinel (Honduras)
Costa Rica 1–1 El Salvador
Figueroa 40' [4] Ramírez 75'
Referee: Mollinedo (Guatemala)
El Salvador 2–0 Guatemala
 [4]
Referee: Segura (Mexico)

Caribbean zone

[edit]

Group A

[edit]

On 4 July, Guyana defeated Suriname 2–0 and, on 15 August, Barbados defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2–1 in the first round first legs. On 29 August, Suriname completed a comeback win in the tie after winning 3–0 against Guyana to advance 3–2 on aggregate. Two days later, Trinidad and Tobago defeated Barbados 1–0 to tie the aggregate score at 2–2. A play-off was set up to be played in Barbados on 14 September. Trinidad and Tobago won 3–1 to advance to the second round.[4]

In the second round, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago drew 1–1 in the first leg on 14 November. A fortnight later, they drew 2–2 as the tie finished 3–3 on aggregate. A play-off was set up to be played at a neutral venue in French Guiana on 18 December. Suriname defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3–2 after extra time to qualify for the final tournament.[4]

Caribbean zone group A
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd legPlay-off
First round
Guyana 2–3 Suriname2–00–3
Barbados 2–2 Trinidad and Tobago2–10–11–3
Second round
Suriname 3–3 Trinidad and Tobago1–12–23–2 (a.e.t.)

First round

[edit]
Suriname 3–0 Guyana
 [4]
Referee: Wooding (Trinidad and Tobago)

Suriname won 3–2 on aggregate.

Barbados 2–1 Trinidad and Tobago
Clarke 47', 54' (pen.) [4] David 83'
Referee: Steeman (Suriname)

2–2 on aggregate.

Play-off
[edit]
 Barbados1–3Trinidad and Tobago 
Clarke 26' [4]
Referee: Calderón Castro (Cuba)

Second round

[edit]
Suriname 1–1 Trinidad and Tobago
George 2' [4] David 9'
Referee: Chandler (Barbados)
Trinidad and Tobago 2–2 Suriname
 [4] Olmberg 44'
Referee: Llobregat Vicedo (Venezuela)

3–3 on aggregate.

Play-off
[edit]
Suriname 3–2 (a.e.t.) Trinidad and Tobago
 [4] David 19', 70'
Referee: Llobregat Vicedo (Venezuela)

Group B

[edit]

In the preliminary round first leg on 2 April, Haiti defeated the Dominican Republic 3–0. Pierre Bayonne scored a brace in the second leg as Haiti again won 3–0 against the Dominican Republic to advance 6–0 on aggregate.[4]

On 31 July, Haiti defeated the Netherlands Antilles 2–1 in the first round first leg. A fortnight later, braces from Leintz Domingue and Emmanuel Sanon helped Haiti to a 7–0 win against the Netherlands Antilles in the second leg to advance 9–1 on aggregate. The following day, Cuba defeated Jamaica 3–1 in the first leg. On 29 August, Cuba defeated Jamaica 2–0 in the second leg to advance 5–1 on aggregate.[4]

In the second round, Cuba and Haiti drew 1–1 in the first leg on 28 November. In the second leg on 11 December, they again drew 1–1 to leave the aggregate tied at 2–2. A play-off was organised at a neutral venue in Panama on 29 December which Haiti won 2–0 to qualify for the final tournament.[4]

Caribbean zone group B
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd legPlay-off
Preliminary round
Dominican Republic 0–6 Haiti0–30–3
First round
Netherlands Antilles 1–9 Haiti1–20–7
Jamaica 1–5 Cuba1–30–2
Second round
Cuba 2–2 Haiti1–11–10–2

Preliminary round

[edit]
Haiti 3–0 Dominican Republic
 [4]
Referee: Villarejo Ramírez (Puerto Rico)

Haiti won 6–0 on aggregate.

First round

[edit]
Netherlands Antilles 1–2 Haiti
Ruiz 84' [4] Sanon 27', 39'
Referee: Chaplin (Jamaica)
Haiti 7–0 Netherlands Antilles
 [4]
Referee: Montane Bosch (Puerto Rico)

Haiti won 9–1 on aggregate.

Jamaica 1–3 Cuba
Brown 65' [4]
Referee: De la Puente (Dominican Republic)
Cuba 2–0 Jamaica
 [4]
Referee: Pastor (Dominican Republic)

Cuba won 5–1 on aggregate.

Second round

[edit]
Cuba 1–1 Haiti
Núñez 19' [4] Sanon 54'
Referee: Stewart (Jamaica)
Haiti 1–1 Cuba
Sanon 81' [4] Roldán 79'
Referee: Montane Bosch (Puerto Rico)

2–2 on aggregate.

Play-off
[edit]
Haiti 2–0 Cuba
 [4]

Goalscorers

[edit]

There were 103 goals scored in 36 matches, for an average of 2.86 goals per match.

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel (7 July 2025). "CCCF and Concacaf Championships". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Gandini, Luca; Lugo, Erik Francisco; Reyes, Macario (15 September 2021). "I. CONCACAF NATIONS CUP (NORCECA) 1963". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Gandini, Luca; Lugo, Erik Francisco; Reyes, Macario (19 August 2021). "II. CONCACAF NATIONS CUP 1965". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Stokkermans, Karel; Jarreta, Sergio Henrique (3 January 2000). "World Cup 1978 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Stinson, Dan (25 September 1976). "Canadians forced to settle for tie". Vancouver Sun. p. 25. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Jones, Grahame L. (4 October 1976). "Goalie Saves the Day for U.S." Los Angeles Times. sec. 3, p. 1. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Cross, Jeff (12 October 1976). "Crowd gets quite a Buzz". The Province. p. 17. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Petterson, Joel (9 June 2013). "It's been a long, successful road back to Seattle for U.S. Soccer". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Stinson, Dan (23 December 1976). "Budd blooms on time for Canada". Vancouver Sun. p. 35. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1977_CONCACAF_Championship_qualification&oldid=1361740168"