ABSTRACT
With the possible exception of China, North America is the fastest growing region in world football (which the locals in the USA and Canada call soccer). Major League Soccer (MLS), with teams in the USA and Canada, is now recognized as a quality league though not yet at the consistent performance levels of the “Big 5” in Europe. Governance of soccer/football in the region is in the hands of the Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football, better known by the acronym CONCACAF, one of six regional confederations under the FIFA organizational umbrella. It was established in 1961 as a result of the merger of the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean and the North American Football Confederation. Today, CONCACAF provides governance and oversight for football in 41 countries (3 from North America – Canada, Mexico, and the USA, 7 from Central America and 31 from the Caribbean) and carries out its responsibilities from o ces in cities throughout the region, including New York, Miami, the Cayman Islands, and Guatemala City. As the authority for football in the region, the organization is charged with an array of administrative and developmental duties, including organizing and coordinating competitions for the region’s men’s and women’s national teams across four age divisions (Senior teams, U20s, U17s, and U15s) as well as an annual tournament for men’s club teams similar to the Champions League in Europe. The Confederation also stages men’s futsal and beach soccer tournaments, which serve as the de facto qualifying tournaments for the FIFA World Cup in both sports, and provides technical and administrative training courses to bene t its member national football associations.
