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What is the Concacaf W Championship? How the USWNT can qualify for the 2027 World Cup

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The United States women's national soccer team can secure its place in the 2027 World Cup with a win in November.

The Americans face El Salvador on Nov. 27 in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals, an eight-team tournament that awards World Cup berths and determines which other teams from the region will join Team USA at the 2028 Olympics.

Here is what to know about the tournament and what's at stake.

What is the Concacaf W Championship?

The Concacaf W Championship is a women's national team tournament that serves as the region's qualifying competition for the World Cup and the Olympics.

Concacaf is the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, the regional governing body that includes the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The United States enters as defending champion after beating Canada 1-0 in the 2022 final in Monterrey, Mexico.

Lily Yohannes of the United States heads the ball in the second half of the international friendly against Spain at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 2026. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

When is the Concacaf W Championship?

The 2026 tournament runs from Nov. 27 through Dec. 5.

Where is the Concacaf W Championship?

The tournament will be held in Texas, with Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield hosting the quarterfinals, semifinals and play-in games. Shell Energy Stadium in Houston will host the third-place game and final on Dec. 5.

How can fans watch the Concacaf W Championship?

Concacaf lists Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network as its U.S. English-language broadcast outlets, with TelevisaUnivision providing Spanish-language coverage.

Which teams are playing in the Concacaf W Championship?

The field consists of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama and El Salvador.

The United States and Canada received byes into the championship as the region's two highest-ranked teams. The other six advanced through the 2025-26 Concacaf W Qualifiers.

The quarterfinal matchups are:

United States vs. El Salvador
Jamaica vs. Costa Rica
Canada vs. Panama
Mexico vs. Haiti

Mallory Swanson of the United States celebrates scoring with teammates in the second half of the international friendly against Spain at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 2026. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

When does the USWNT play?

The USWNT opens against El Salvador at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 27.

If the Americans win, they face Jamaica or Costa Rica in a semifinal at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

How does World Cup qualifying work?

The W Championship begins with quarterfinals rather than a group stage. All four quarterfinal winners qualify directly for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil and advance to the championship semifinals.

That means the USWNT doesn't need to win the tournament to qualify. Defeating El Salvador would secure its World Cup berth.

A quarterfinal loss would leave another path open. The four losing teams enter two play-in games on Dec. 2. The winners advance to FIFA's World Cup playoff tournament, where they must compete for a place in Brazil.

Winning a Concacaf play-in game does not, in itself, guarantee World Cup qualification.

Does the USWNT need to qualify for the Olympics?

No. The United States already has a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as the host nation.

For other teams, the W Championship awards three Olympic berths to the two finalists and third-place finisher. If the USWNT finishes in the top three, the fourth-place team receives the remaining berth.

Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson of the United States inspect the pitch before the international friendly between the United States and Spain at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 2026. (Georgia Soares/USSF/Getty Images)

Is the W Championship the same as the W Gold Cup?

No. The W Championship qualifies teams for the World Cup and Olympics. The W Gold Cup is a separate national team competition, with its next edition scheduled for summer 2029.

Quarterfinal matchups and each team's path to the final have been determined based on the FIFA Women's Rankings as of April 21, with teams seeded 1 through 8 and the highest-ranked team facing the lowest-ranked team in the opening round: