Concacaf Round Up: Suriname leads the group of death, and the favorites to qualify struggle in the first two matches

The last round of World Cup qualifying kicked off on Thursday night, with 12 teams competing for the three direct automatic spots at the World Cup next summer. All 12 teams are set up in three groups of four teams each. The winner of each group automatically qualifies for the next summer’s World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Meanwhile, the best two second-place teams from this round will advance to an international playoff, where they will face off with other teams from other confederations where they will face off in a tournament to determine the final 2 places to next summer's tournament. 

With the first two matchdays in the last round of qualifying in Concacaf, here are some of the biggest takeaways in each group and how all 12 teams have fared in the start of this last round of World Cup Qualifying. 

Suriname's current leaders of Group A. Photo Credit: Concacaf

Three Overall Takeaways:

Homefield advantage was not a factor: One of the biggest pillars in world football is that playing at home will always bring a distinct advantage. This was not the case in this first round of the games in the last stage of World Cup qualification. Only Jamaica, Curacao, and Honduras were the only ones to get victories at home, while most of the teams that played at home were only able to get draws at home, and El Salvador and Guatemala suffered home defeats.

Suriname is making waves and leading the group: Suriname entered this last round as the dark horse in Group A national team that has made great strides in the last couple of years, thanks in part to The Natio, as they are known, qualifying for two of the last three Gold Cups, and the inclusion of dual nationals joining their national team in the last few years. Suriname entered this last stage of qualifying undefeated, drawing only one match in the previous round against El Salvador in June. After a scoreless draw at home to start this final round of qualification, Suriname got a huge road win against El Salvador in front of a packed Cuscatlán Stadium in San Salvador, picking up Suriname's first win over La Selecta since 1968. Suriname will look to continue this run of form and keep 1^st place in Group A as they play host to Guatemala and travel to Panama in October.

The favorites struggled in this first set of matches: Heading into this final round of qualifying, there were two countries touted as favorites to win their groups, those teams being Panama and Costa Rica. Panama, which has emerged as the dominant force in Central American soccer in the last few years, thanks to finals appearances in the 2023 Gold Cup and this past edition of the Nations League, was poised to finish in first place of Group A at the end of the first week of this last round of qualification, has found itself in a precarious situation. After two match days, Panama currently sit in 3^rd place with two points after draws with Suriname and Guatemala, while facing harsh criticisms from fans and media alike, with some asking for the resignation of head coach Thomas Christiansen. Panama will look to get back on track in October, with a visit to San Salvador, where they will face El Salvador in the always difficult Estadio Cuscatlán and then play host to group leaders Suriname in Panama City. The other favorites to qualify to the World Cup, Costa Rica, is also facing similar issues as Panama, as they have also started this last round of qualifying with 2 points, but sit 2nd in Group C behind Honduras. Los Ticos kicked off this stage of qualifying, getting a 1-1 draw on the road in Managua. Costa Rica returned to San Jose to face Haiti at home and had a 

.2-0 lead at half time, however, a Duckens Nazon hat-trick put the visitors back on top, but La Sele were able to score late and rescue a draw at home. Costa Rica will now face an always complicated visit for them as they travel to Honduras and play host to Nicaragua at home. 

Panama currently sits in third place in Group A. Photo Credit: Concacaf

Group standings and upcoming fixtures 

Group A: 

1. Suriname:    4pts 

2. El Salvador: 3pts

3. Panama:      2 pts 

4. Guatemala:  1 pt 

Upcoming fixtures: 

October 10^th: 

Suriname vs Guatemala- Franklin Essed Stadion, Paramaribo

El Salvador vs Panama- Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador

October 14^th: 

El Salvador vs Guatemala- Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador

Panama vs Suriname- Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City 

Group B: 

1. Jamaica: 6pts 

2. Curacao: 4pts

3. Trinidad and Tobago: 1 pts 

4. Bermuda: 0 pts 

 Upcoming fixtures: 

October 10^th: 

Bermuda vs Trinidad and Tobago- Bermuda National Stadium, Devonshire Parish

Curacao vs Jamaica- Ergilio Hato Stadium. Willemstad

October 14^th: 

Curacao vs Trinidad and Tobago- Ergilio Hato Stadium. Willemstad

Jamaica vs Bermuda- Independence Park, Kingston 

Group C: 

1.  Honduras: 4pts 

2. Costa Rica: 2pts

3. Hati: 2 pts 

4. Nicaragua: 1 pt 

Upcoming Fixtures: 

October 9^th: 

Nicaragua vs Hati- Estadio Nacional, Managua

Honduras vs Costa Rica- Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés- Tegucigalpa

October 13^th: 

Honduras vs Hati- Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles- Tegucigalpa

Costa Rica vs Nicaragua- Estadio Nacional, San Jose