2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Fourth Round
In the CONCACAF Fourth Round of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the United States, Costa Rica, and Honduras finished in the top three places and qualified directly for the 2014 World Cup. Mexico finished in fourth place and defeated New Zealand in the CONCACAF – OFC play-off to gain a spot in the World Cup. Mexico finished in fourth place ahead of Panama after the United States scored two goals against Panama in stoppage time in the final match of qualifying; had Panama retained its 2-1 lead, they would have finished in fourth place and eliminated Mexico on goals scored, who had qualified for the previous five World Cups.[1]
Format
The fourth round saw the three group winners and the three group runners-up from the third round compete in a single group of six teams.[2] This stage is referred to as the Hexagonal or Hex, and has been used by CONCACAF to determine its World Cup finals entrants since the qualification tournament for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The matches were played from 6 February to 15 October 2013. The top three teams advanced to the World Cup finals tournament in Brazil, and the fourth-placed team advanced to a play-off against New Zealand, the winner of the Oceania qualifiers.
Qualified teams
The qualifiers for this round were determined by 16 October 2012.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Standings
|
|
Matches
The representative from the six national associations met together on 19 October 2012, but could not agree on the schedule for the fourth round.[3] The draw for the fixtures was conducted by CONCACAF and FIFA on 7 November 2012, in Miami Beach, Florida.[4][5]
Honduras  |
2–1 |  United States |
|---|---|---|
J. García  40'Bengtson 79' |
Report | Dempsey 36' |
Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Wálter Quesada (Costa Rica) |
| Honduras |
2–2 |  Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Costly 77' Bengtson 80' |
Report | Hernández 28', 54' |
Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula Attendance: 38,500 Referee: Courtney Campbell (Jamaica) |
| Honduras |
1–0 |  Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Bengtson 64' |
Report |
Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula Attendance: 38,500 Referee: Jair Marrufo (United States) |
Goalscorers
There were 63 goals scored in 30 games, for an average of 2.10 goals per game.
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- 1 own goal
|
Notes
- ↑ The fixture Jamaica v Mexico on 18 June was moved to 4 June to allow Mexico to participate in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.[5]
References
- ↑ Steven Goff (16 October 2013). "Wild finish to CONCACAF World Cup qualifying: U.S. late goals at Panama rescue Mexico". Washington Post.
- ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil – Preliminary Competition Format and Draw Procedure – North, Central and Caribbean Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com.
- ↑ "Draw to decide CONCACAF hexagonal schedule". CONCACAF.com. 19 October 2012.
- ↑ "CONCACAF to Hold Draw for the Hexagonal Round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers". CONCACAF.com. 5 November 2012.
- 1 2 "Hexagonal fixtures confirmed in CONCACAF". FIFA.com. 8 November 2012.