The 1963 CONCACAF Championship was the first continental football tournament for national teams in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Key Facts
- Edition
- Inaugural (1st) CONCACAF Championship
- Dates
- 23 March – 7 April 1963
- Participating teams
- 9 teams
- Host country
- El Salvador
- Tournament winner
- Costa Rica
- Host cities
- San Salvador and Santa Ana
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
CONCACAF sought to establish a senior national team football competition for the region covering North America, Central America and the Caribbean, leading to the creation of the CONCACAF Championship as the confederation's top continental tournament.
Nine national teams competed in El Salvador across two group stages. Teams were split into groups of five and four, with the top two from each advancing to a four-team final round-robin. Costa Rica won the tournament by defeating El Salvador, Netherlands Antilles and Honduras in the final group stage.
Costa Rica were crowned the inaugural CONCACAF champions, establishing the competition as the premier regional football event. The tournament set the structural precedent for subsequent editions of what would eventually evolve into the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Result
at San Salvador / Santa Ana, El Salvador