2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship

2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship
Name	2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship
Other titles	2014 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying
Country	United States
Dates	October 15–26
Champion	USA
Second	CRC
Third	MEX
Fourth	TRI
Matches	16
Goals	75
Top scorer	USA Abby Wambach, USA Carli Lloyd, USA Christen Press, (5 goals each)
Player	USA Carli Lloyd
Prevseason	2010
Nextseason	2018

2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship. The tournament served as the regional qualification competition for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. Hosted across three cities in the United States, the event culminated with the United States defeating Costa Rica in the final to claim its sixth confederation title. The top three finishers—the U.S., Costa Rica, and Mexico—secured direct berths to the global finals in Canada.

Background and qualification

The championship was organized by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and doubled as the official qualifying tournament for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The format expanded from the previous edition, with eight teams competing instead of six. The four highest-ranked CONCACAF nations—the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica—received automatic qualification. The remaining four spots were determined through a series of regional preliminary tournaments held across the Caribbean Football Union and the Central American Football Union. Nations like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, and Guatemala successfully navigated these qualifiers to reach the final tournament.

Participating teams

The eight finalists were drawn into two groups of four teams each. Group A featured the host United States, alongside Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Guatemala. Group B consisted of regional powerhouses Costa Rica, Mexico, and Jamaica, along with the automatically qualified Canada. The Canadian team, having already qualified as host of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, participated but its results did not impact World Cup qualification for other teams.

Venues and schedule

All matches were played in the United States across three stadiums in the Midwestern United States. The primary venues were PPL Park in Chester, Soldier Field in Chicago, and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.. The tournament opened on October 15, 2014, with the group stage concluding on October 21. The semifinal matches and the third place match were held on October 24, leading to the championship final on October 26 at PPL Park.

Group stage

In Group A, the United States dominated, winning all three matches while scoring 12 goals and conceding none. Key victories included a 1–0 win over Trinidad and Tobago and a 5–0 rout of Haiti. Trinidad and Tobago finished second in the group after defeating both Guatemala and Haiti. In Group B, Costa Rica emerged as the surprise group winner, notably defeating Canada 1–0. Mexico finished second, with Jamaica and Canada failing to advance to the knockout stage.

Knockout stage

The semifinals saw the United States defeat Mexico 3–0, with goals from Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, and Christen Press. In the other semifinal, Costa Rica continued its historic run by beating Trinidad and Tobago 3–0. The third place match was a tense affair where Mexico edged Trinidad and Tobago 4–2 in extra time, securing the final direct World Cup berth. The final at PPL Park was a decisive 6–0 victory for the United States over Costa Rica, with Carli Lloyd scoring a first-half hat-trick.

Final standings and qualification

The United States won the championship, with Costa Rica as runner-up and Mexico in third. These top three teams earned direct qualification to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. The fourth-place finisher, Trinidad and Tobago, advanced to a inter-confederation play-off against Ecuador from CONMEBOL, but ultimately lost and failed to qualify. The tournament's success solidified the growing competitiveness of women's soccer within CONCACAF, highlighted by Costa Rica's first-ever trip to a FIFA Women's World Cup.

Category:CONCACAF Women's Championship Category:2014 in women's association football Category:International women's association football competitions hosted by the United States