Organizing body | CONCACAF |
---|---|
Founded | 1961[1] |
Abolished | 1989 |
Region | North America, Central America and the Caribbean |
Number of teams | 9 (1963 and 1985) 6 (1965–1983) 5 (1989) |
Related competitions | CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Last champion(s) | Costa Rica (3rd title) |
Most successful team(s) | Costa Rica Mexico (3 titles each) |
The CONCACAF Championship, also known as CONCACAF Nations Championship, was the top continental football tournament organized by CONCACAF for senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament was held from 1963 to 1989, it is the direct predecessor of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Prior to the founding of CONCACAF in 1961, the predecessor confederations (NAFC and CCCF) organized their top senior national team tournaments, NAFC Championship for North America (1947 and 1949), and CCCF Championship for Central America and the Caribbean (1941–1961) before the merged to form CONCACAF.
The inaugural edition was held in 1963 and was CONCACAF's first tournament for national teams. The competition retained its tournament format and was played on a biennial basis for a decade.
In 1973 the tournament became the qualifying tournament for the FIFA World Cup and was played on a quadrennial basis. The CONCACAF trophy was given to the team that ranked highest in the qualifying group. In 1985 and 1989, there was no host nation for the competition.