A total of 16 CONCACAF teams entered the competition, but FIFA rejected the entry of Belize due to outstanding debt.
There would be two rounds of play:
- First Round: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, United States and Mexico, the five best ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the Second Round directly. The remaining 10 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Second Round.
- Second Round: The 10 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the tournament.
CONCACAF first round edit
Summary edit
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Guyana 
|
0–5 |  Trinidad and Tobago
|
0–4 | 0–1 |
Cuba 
|
1–2 |  Guatemala
|
0–1 | 1–1 |
Jamaica 
|
3–1 |  Puerto Rico
|
1–0 | 2–1 |
Antigua and Barbuda 
|
1–4 |  Netherlands Antilles
|
0–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
Costa Rica 
|
3–1 |  Panama
|
1–1 | 2–0 |
Matches edit
| Guyana | 0–4 | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
Elliot-Allen  41'Faustin 71'Lake 77'Skeene 85' |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | Guyana |
|---|---|---|
| Corneal 68' |
Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the Second Round, 5–0 on aggregate score.
Guatemala advanced to the Second Round, 2–1 on aggregate score.
| Jamaica | 1–0 | Puerto Rico |
|---|---|---|
| Brooks 10' (pen.) |
| Puerto Rico | 1–2 | Jamaica |
|---|---|---|
| de la Campa 52' |
Anglin 32', 78' |
Jamaica advanced to the Second Round, 3–1 on aggregate score.
| Antigua and Barbuda | 0–1 | Netherlands Antilles |
|---|---|---|
| Rovina 54' |
| Netherlands Antilles | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Antigua and Barbuda |
|---|---|---|
| Rovina 104', 118' Rosina 120' |
Edwards 38' |
Netherlands Antilles advanced to the Second Round, 4–1 on aggregate score.
| Costa Rica | 1–1 | Panama |
|---|---|---|
| Jara 26' |
Mendieta 17' |
| Panama | 0–2 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Cayasso 1' Medford 71' |
Costa Rica advanced to the Second Round, 3–1 on aggregate score.
CONCACAF second round edit
Summary edit
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands Antilles
|
0–6 |  El Salvador
|
0–1 | 0–5 |
| Jamaica
|
1–5 |  United States
|
0–0 | 1–5 |
| Trinidad and Tobago
|
1–1 (a) |  Honduras
|
0–0 | 1–1 |
| Costa Rica
|
w/o |  Mexico
|
n/a | n/a |
| Guatemala
|
3–3 (a) |  Canada
|
1–0 | 2–3 |
Matches edit
| Netherlands Antilles | 0–1 | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|
| García 53' |
| El Salvador | 5–0 | Netherlands Antilles |
|---|---|---|
| Coreas 5' Garcia 35'Francisca 62' (o.g.)L. Zapata 58', 68' |
El Salvador qualified, 6–0 on aggregate score.
| Jamaica | 0–0 | United States |
|---|---|---|
United States qualified, 5–1 on aggregate score.
| Honduras | 1–1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
| Flores 20' |
Charles 56' |
The aggregate score was tied at 1–1, however Trinidad and Tobago qualified on away goals.
| Costa Rica | w/o 1 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
1 The tie was scratched and Costa Rica advanced to the final round as Mexico were disqualified after being suspended for fielding overaged players during the 1988 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament.
| Guatemala | 1–0 | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| B. Pérez 20' (pen.) |
The aggregate score was tied at 3–3, however Guatemala qualified on away goals.
Goalscorers edit
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
Ian Bridge
Juan Cayasso- Claudio Jara
- Hernán Medford
Salvador Coreas Privado
Carlos Castañeda- Juan Manuel López
- Adán Paniagua
Juan Alberto Flores
Dave Brooks- Alton Sterling
Shurbi Rosina
Hutson Charles- Anton Corneal
- Paul Elliot-Allen
- Marvin Faustin
- Geoffrey Lake
- Dexter Skeene
Brian Bliss- Paul Krumpe
- Hugo Pérez
Víctor René Mendieta Ocampo
Derrick Edwards