The Cuban women’s national soccer team will participate in qualifying for the 2026 Concacaf World Championship, the top women’s soccer competition in that confederation, starting in November.
The Cubans were placed in Group E and will share the group with Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Curaçao, and Aruba.
At first glance, this pool doesn’t seem overly complex; however, considering that only the winners of the group advance to the main tournament, the margin for error is drastically reduced.
Panama appears to be the opponent to beat for Elizabeth Cuff’s team, given that the Isthmus team is ranked sixth in the Concacaf rankings and the Cubans are ranked 13th. Therefore, the clash between the two teams is expected to decide qualification.
Reaching the Concacaf World Championship is of significant importance, not only because it represents the competition among the top eight teams in the region, but also because it also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The six group leaders will join the United States and Canada (champion and runner-up of the previous tournament held in 2022) and will face off in quarterfinal matches determined by ranking: first versus eighth, second versus seventh, third versus sixth, and fourth versus fifth.
The winners will not only advance to the semifinals but will also qualify directly for the World Cup. The losers will enter a play-in tournament, from which the two teams will compete for a spot in the intercontinental qualifier.
The finalists will also have earned a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. If the United States makes it to the 2028 Olympic Games, based on its host country, that spot will go to the bronze medal-winning team.
The competition schedule is not yet known, but it has been announced that matches will be played during the FIFA women’s international windows in November 2025 and February and April 2026.
