Hexagonal (CONCACAF)

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Costa Rica facing Honduras during the first matchday of the Hexagonal for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

In association football, the term Hexagonal (known in English as The Hex[1]) was often used to refer to the final round of FIFA World Cup qualification among the six remaining teams in CONCACAF.[2] The six-team round robin format was used by CONCACAF since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification process, up until the 2018 tournament. For 2022, this round was expanded to eight teams or an octagonal. It was modeled after the CONCACAF Championship which used the format ever since its second edition in 1965, and served as the World Cup qualifying tournament from 1974 to 1990.

The United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica were present in every Hexagonal.[3] Mexico was the only national team that qualified for the FIFA World Cup in every Hexagonal.

The Hexagonal, or Hex for short, was named for the hexagon (a six sided shape) due to there being six teams remaining in the tournament at the time.[4]

United States vs. Mexico rivalry[edit]

The Columbus Crew Stadium before the 11 November 2016 match between Mexico and the United States, which saw the Mexicans end the Dos a Cero streak
See also: Mexico–United States soccer rivalry

The United States and Mexico were the most successful teams in the Hexagonal, with Mexico qualifying for every World Cup since 1994. Indeed, the Mexico–United States soccer rivalry has been hotly contested during the Hexagonal. Matches between the two opponents hosted by Mexico often sell out the 100,000 seat Estadio Azteca in Mexico City; matches hosted in the United States are often held in cold northern cities such as Columbus, Ohio.

Episodes of this rivalry during Hexagonal matchdays include the Dos a Cero, a streak of four consecutive 2–0 victories for the United States at the Columbus Crew Stadium between 2001 and 2013.[5] The streak ended on November 11, 2016 as the Mexicans defeated the Americans 1–2.[6]

Another noteworthy event occurred on 15 October 2013, the final matchday of the Hexagonal on the road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Mexicans were out of the World Cup as they were losing against Costa Rica in San José and Panama were defeating the Americans, both matches by 2–1. However, during stoppage time, Graham Zusi and Aron Jóhannsson scored for the United States, resulting in an American victory by 3–2, which helped Mexico qualify to the intercontinental play-off series against New Zealand.[7] The United States national team Twitter account mocked the Mexicans by tweeting #YoureWelcomeMexico and tagging their Mexican counterparts' profile.[8] Because of the significance of his goal, Zusi received recognition from some Mexican fans as "a saint".[9] Zusi also revealed that Mexican player Marco Fabián thanked him for the goal.[10]

1998[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round

The first hexagonal round was played in 1997, between 2 March and 16 November. Mexico topped the round robin undefeated, being the only team to do so.[11] Jamaica qualified to their first (and so far, only) FIFA World Cup.[12] It was Canada's only participation in the hexagonal round, and their last appearance at the final stage of a FIFA World Cup qualification until 2022, in which he qualified for the tournament after 36 years.[13]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 10 4 6 0 23 7 +16 18 Qualification to 1998 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 6–0 3–3 5–0 4–0
2  United States 10 4 5 1 17 9 +8 17 2–2 — 1–1 1–0 4–2 3–0
3  Jamaica 10 3 5 2 7 12 −5 14 0–0 0–0 — 1–0 1–0 1–0
4  Costa Rica 10 3 3 4 13 12 +1 12 0–0 3–2 3–1 — 0–0 3–1
5  El Salvador 10 2 4 4 11 16 −5 10 0–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 — 4–1
6  Canada 10 1 3 6 5 20 −15 6 2–2 0–3 0–0 1–0 0–0 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

2002[edit]

Main article: 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF final round

The second edition of The Hex was played in 2001, between 28 February and 11 November. It was topped by Costa Rica, who totaled a record 23 points.[14] The Costa Ricans marked the first defeat Mexico ever had at a World Cup qualification match at home soil, in a match known as El Aztecazo.[15]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Costa Rica 10 7 2 1 17 7 +10 23 Qualified to the 2002 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 2–0 2–2 2–1 3–0
2  Mexico 10 5 2 3 16 9 +7 17 1–2 — 1–0 3–0 4–0 3–0
3  United States 10 5 2 3 11 8 +3 17 1–0 2–0 — 2–3 2–1 2–0
4  Honduras 10 4 2 4 17 17 0 14 2–3 3–1 1–2 — 1–0 0–1
5  Jamaica 10 2 2 6 7 14 −7 8 0–1 1–2 0–0 1–1 — 1–0
6  Trinidad and Tobago 10 1 2 7 5 18 −13 5 0–2 1–1 0–0 2–4 1–2 —
Source: FIFA

2006[edit]

Main article: 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification United States Mexico Costa Rica Trinidad and Tobago Guatemala Panama
1  United States 10 7 1 2 16 6 +10 22[a] 2006 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2  Mexico 10 7 1 2 22 9 +13 22[a] 2–1 — 2–0 2–0 5–2 5–0
3  Costa Rica 10 5 1 4 15 14 +1 16 3–0 1–2 — 2–0 3–2 2–1
4  Trinidad and Tobago 10 4 1 5 10 15 −5 13 Inter-confederation play-offs 1–2 2–1 0–0 — 3–2 2–0
5  Guatemala 10 3 2 5 16 18 −2 11 0–0 0–2 3–1 5–1 — 2–1
6  Panama 10 0 2 8 4 21 −17 2 0–3 1–1 1–3 0–1 0–0 —
Source: [16]
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: United States +1, Mexico −1.
  • United States finished ahead of Mexico based on results between tied teams which were the first tiebreaker.
  • Mexico, United States and Costa Rica directly advanced to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
  • Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the AFC-CONCACAF play-off, where they would defeat Bahrain 2–1 on aggregate to advance to the World Cup.

2010[edit]

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round

The six teams that reached the fourth round formed one double-round-robin, home-and-away group nicknamed the "Hexagonal." The top three teams qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The fourth place team qualified for a home-and-away play-off against the fifth-place team from CONMEBOL.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification United States Mexico Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Trinidad and Tobago
1  United States 10 6 2 2 19 13 +6 20 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 3–0
2  Mexico 10 6 1 3 18 12 +6 19 2–1 — 1–0 2–0 4–1 2–1
3  Honduras 10 5 1 4 17 11 +6 16 2–3 3–1 — 4–0 1–0 4–1
4  Costa Rica 10 5 1 4 15 15 0 16 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 3–1 0–3 2–0 — 1–0 4–0
5  El Salvador 10 2 2 6 9 15 −6 8 2–2 2–1 0–1 1–0 — 2–2
6  Trinidad and Tobago 10 1 3 6 10 22 −12 6 0–1 2–2 1–1 2–3 1–0 —
Source: [17]

2014[edit]

Main article: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round

In the fourth round, the three group winners and three runners-up from the third round competed in a double round robin, including a home and away match against the other five teams between 6 February and 15 October 2013. The draw for 'The Hex' was conducted by FIFA on 7 November 2012.[18]

The top three teams qualified directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, while the fourth-placed team advanced to a home-away series against the winner of Oceania, which ended up being New Zealand. Teams are ranked first by total points in all games, then, if tied, by best goal differential in all games, then by total goals in all games. If still tied, the same criteria are applied to games among the tied teams (including head-to-head away goals scored).

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 10 7 1 2 15 8 +7 22 Qualification to 2014 FIFA World Cup — 1–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0
2  Costa Rica 10 5 3 2 13 7 +6 18 3–1 — 1–0 2–1 2–0 2–0
3  Honduras 10 4 3 3 13 12 +1 15 2–1 1–0 — 2–2 2–2 2–0
4  Mexico 10 2 5 3 7 9 −2 11 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 0–0 0–0 1–2 — 2–1 0–0
5  Panama 10 1 5 4 10 14 −4 8 2–3 2–2 2–0 0–0 — 0–0
6  Jamaica 10 0 5 5 5 13 −8 5 1–2 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1 —
Source: [19]

2018[edit]

Main article: 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fifth round

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Mexico Costa Rica Panama Honduras United States Trinidad and Tobago
1  Mexico 10 6 3 1 16 7 +9 21 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 3–1
2  Costa Rica 10 4 4 2 14 8 +6 16 1–1 — 0–0 1–1 4–0 2–1
3  Panama 10 3 4 3 9 10 −1 13 0–0 2–1 — 2–2 1–1 3–0
4  Honduras 10 3 4 3 13 19 −6 13 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs 3–2 1–1 0–1 — 1–1 3–1
5  United States 10 3 3 4 17 13 +4 12 1–2 0–2 4–0 6–0 — 2–0
6  Trinidad and Tobago 10 2 0 8 7 19 −12 6 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–1 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
  • Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
  • Honduras advanced to the CONCACAF–AFC playoff; they would be defeated by Australia 3–1 on aggregate.
  • The United States failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since the Hexagonal was introduced; they had qualified for every World Cup between 1990 and 2014.

Replacement and future[edit]

The Hexagonal was initially the top-seeded round in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup,[20] but, following FIFA's decision on 25 June 2020 to postpone the September international window due to the COVID-19 pandemic (except UEFA), CONCACAF noted that "The challenges presented by postponements to the football calendar, and the incomplete FIFA rankings cycle in our confederation, means our current World Cup qualifying process has been compromised and will be changed."[21] The confederation eventually announced on 27 July its new qualifying format for the World Cup, replacing the Hexagonal with an eight-team final round,[22] dubbed the Octagonal.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Canada, the United States, and Mexico automatically qualified as co-hosts, so they will not participate in qualifiers for the final tournament, which will be expanded to 48 teams. The number of places allocated to CONCACAF for the 2026 tournament has been increased from three and a half to six including the hosts, meaning three non-hosting CONCACAF teams will earn their berths in the final tournament from the CONCACAF qualifiers, along with two intercontinental play-off berths (one for each confederation except UEFA and one additional berth as CONCACAF is the host confederation).

Records[edit]

Ranking of teams[edit]

# Team Hexagonals Times qualified Total apps
1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
1  Mexico 1 2 2 2 4 1 6 6
2  United States 2 3 1 1 1 5 5 6
3  Costa Rica 4 1 3 4 2 2 4 6
4  Honduras ― 4 ― 3 3 4 2 4
5  Jamaica 3 5 ― ― 6 ― 1 3
6  Panama ― ― 6 ― 5 3 1 3
7  Trinidad and Tobago ― 6 4 6 ― 6 1 4
8  El Salvador 5 ― ― 5 ― ― 0 2
9  Guatemala ― ― 5 ― ― ― 0 1
10  Canada 6 ― ― ― ― ― 0 1
Notes
  Team finished as leaders and qualified to the FIFA World Cup
  Team finished as second or third place and qualified to the FIFA World Cup
  Team finished as fourth place, advanced to an intercontinental play-off, won it, and thus qualified to the FIFA World Cup
  Team finished as fourth place, advanced to an intercontinental play-off, lost it, and thus did not qualify to the FIFA World Cup
  Team finished as fourth place and did not qualify to the FIFA World Cup, as there was no intercontinental play-off slot at the time

All-time table[edit]

3 points per win, 1 point per draw and 0 points per loss.

Team Totals Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 60 32 14 14 95 57 +38 110 30 24 3 3 61 18 43 75 30 8 11 11 34 39 −5 35
 Mexico 60 30 18 12 102 53 +49 108 30 22 6 2 70 16 54 72 30 8 12 10 32 37 −5 36
 Costa Rica 60 29 14 17 87 63 +24 101 30 21 7 2 57 21 36 70 30 8 7 15 30 42 −12 31
 Honduras 40 16 10 14 60 59 +1 58 20 11 4 5 38 22 16 37 20 5 6 9 22 37 −15 21
 Trinidad and Tobago 40 8 6 26 32 74 –42 30 20 6 5 9 22 27 −5 23 20 2 1 17 10 47 −37 7
 Jamaica 30 5 12 13 19 39 –20 27 15 4 7 4 11 11 0 19 15 1 5 9 8 28 −20 8
 Panama 30 4 11 15 23 45 –22 23 15 4 7 4 16 17 −1 19 15 0 4 11 7 28 −21 4
 El Salvador 20 4 6 10 20 31 –11 18 10 4 4 2 16 12 4 16 10 0 2 8 4 19 −15 2
 Guatemala 10 3 2 5 16 18 –2 11 5 3 1 1 10 5 5 10 5 0 1 4 6 13 −7 1
 Canada 10 1 3 6 5 20 –15 6 5 1 3 1 3 5 −2 6 5 0 0 5 2 15 −13 0

Team[edit]

  • Most drawn matches in a tournament:  Mexico, 6 (1998).
  • Fewest drawn matches in a tournament:  Trinidad and Tobago, 0 (2018).
  • Most lost matches in a tournament:  Panama, 8 (2006).
  • Fewest lost matches in a tournament:  Mexico, 0 (1998).
  • Most points in a tournament:  Costa Rica, 23 (2002).
  • Fewest points in a tournament:  Panama, 2 (2006).
  • Most goals scored in a tournament:  Mexico, 23 (1998).
  • Fewest goals scored in a tournament:  Panama, 4 (2006).
  • Best goal difference in a tournament:  Mexico, +16 (1998).
  • Worst goal difference in a tournament:  Panama, -17 (2006).

Individual[edit]

#
goals 		Player Match Qualification
4 Mexico Francisco Fonseca  Mexico 5–2  Guatemala 2006
3 Mexico Carlos Hermosillo  Mexico 6–0  Jamaica 1998
3 Honduras Carlos Pavon  Honduras 3–1  Mexico 2002
3 United States Jozy Altidore  United States 3–0  Trinidad and Tobago 2010
3 United States Clint Dempsey  United States 6–0  Honduras 2018

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Goals
scored 		Matches
played 		Goals
per game 		Qualifications
1 Honduras Carlos Pavón 12 17 0.71 2002, 2010
2 United States Jozy Altidore 11 29 0.38 2010, 2014, 2018
3 Costa Rica Paulo Wanchope 10 20 0.50 1998, 2002, 2006
4 Honduras Carlo Costly 9 17 0.53 2010, 2014
Trinidad and Tobago Stern John 9 23 0.40 2002, 2006, 2010
6 Mexico Carlos Hermosillo 8 10 0.80 1998
Mexico Cuauhtémoc Blanco 8 19 0.42 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010
Costa Rica Álvaro Saborío 8 21 0.38 2006, 2010, 2014
United States Clint Dempsey 8 28 0.29 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
10 Mexico Jared Borgetti 7 14 0.50 2002, 2006
United States Landon Donovan 7 26 0.27 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
12 Mexico Francisco Fonseca 6 9 0.66 2006
Costa Rica Bryan Ruiz 6 27 0.22 2010, 2014, 2018
14 Mexico Benjamín Galindo 5 8 0.62 1998
Costa Rica Rolando Fonseca 5 16 0.31 1998, 2002, 2006
United States Michael Bradley 5 24 0.21 2010, 2014, 2018
Costa Rica Celso Borges 5 26 0.20 2010, 2014, 2018
United States Christian Pulisic 5 10 0.50 2018

Top goalscorers by tournament[edit]

Qualification Top scorer(s) Goals
France 1998 Mexico Carlos Hermosillo 8
South KoreaJapan 2002 Mexico Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Costa Rica Rolando Fonseca
Honduras Carlos Pavón 		5
Germany 2006 Mexico Francisco Fonseca 6
South Africa 2010 Honduras Carlos Pavón 7
Brazil 2014 Honduras Carlo Costly
Honduras Jerry Bengtson
United States Jozy Altidore 		4
Russia 2018 United States Christian Pulisic 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Vexed by the Hex? A Simple Guide to the final round of World Cup Qualifying". USSoccer.com. United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Whitecaps FC players set for important World Cup qualifying matches". WhiteCapsFC.com. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. ^ Solano, Jeison (9 September 2016). "Las selecciones con mayor cantidad de presencias en la hexagonal final de Concacaf". Diario Diez. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. ^ "What is the Hex?". Major League Soccer. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. ^ Longshore, Jason (9 November 2016). "The History of Dos a Cero". Stars and Stripes FC. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  6. ^ Rogers, Martin (11 November 2016). "Mexico stuns U.S. with 2-1 win in World Cup qualifier". USA Today. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  7. ^ Borden, Sam (15 October 2013). "U.S. Ends Panama's World Cup Run and Saves Mexico". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  8. ^ "U.S. Soccer MNT on Twitter: "#YoureWelcomeMexico @miseleccionmx"". Twitter.
  9. ^ "Zusi, reconocido por aficionados del Tri como 'santo'". Récord (in Spanish). 18 October 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Graham Zusi reveló que Marco Fabián le agradeció el pase de México a Brasil 2014". Récord (in Spanish). 17 May 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  11. ^ Cortés, José Antonio (6 February 2013). "El Hexagonal no es un bombón". ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Jamaican footballing names that should not be forgotten". The Jamaica Observer. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  13. ^ Hernandez, Dan. "Why Canada Will Make the Hex This Time". Waking the Red. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Solo un Aztecazo". Al Día. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Costa Rica, autor del primer 'Aztecazo' de la historia". Récord. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  16. ^ "FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) 2006, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  17. ^ "FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) 2010, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  18. ^ "World Cup qualifying - draw set for CONCACAF 'hex' round - ESPN FC". Soccernet.espn.go.com. 19 Oct 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 6 Nov 2012.
  19. ^ "FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) 2014, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Concacaf Announces Format for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Confederation Qualifiers". Concacaf. 10 July 2019.
  21. ^ "CONCACAF confirms 2022 World Cup qualifying will change". TSN. Canadian Press. 25 June 2020.
  22. ^ "New Concacaf Qualifiers announced for regional qualification to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Concacaf. 27 July 2020.
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