Olympics Men - Qualification Concacaf 2020/21

The CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship was a standalone continental tournament organized by CONCACAF to determine qualification for the Summer Olympics Men's Football Tournament. It was first held in 1964, following the formation of CONCACAF in 1961, and was contested 15 times until its discontinuation after the 2020 edition (played in March 2021). Historically, the tournament served as the primary path for CONCACAF nations to reach the Olympics, distinct from the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, which primarily qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Olympic qualifier featured Under-23 teams (with three overage players allowed in later editions), whereas the U-20 Championship featured players under 20. The most successful nation in the tournament's history is Mexico, which won eight titles (1964, 1972, 1976, 1996, 2004, 2012, 2015, 2020). Honduras won twice (2000, 2008), Costa Rica twice (1980, 1984), and the United States once (1992). The final edition in 2020 featured eight teams divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to semi-finals; the two finalists qualified for the Olympics. In September 2021, CONCACAF announced the discontinuation of this specific standalone championship. For the 2024 Paris Olympics, the qualification mechanism was changed: the top two finishers of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualified directly for the Games. Consequently, Honduras and the United States qualified for the 2024 Olympics via this new path, while Mexico, despite being a traditional powerhouse in the old format, did not qualify for the 2024 Olympics as they finished third in the 2022 U-20 Championship. The tournament had no direct link to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is a senior competition. The primary distinction between the two former pathways was the age group and the specific continental goal: one for the Olympics (U-23) and one for the World Cup (U-20), until the consolidation of qualification routes.