CONCACAF limits direct World Cup qualifying to top 6

MIAMI (AP) — CONCACAF is limiting direct qualifying for the World Cup to only its six highest-ranked nations.
The regional governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean announced a new qualifying format on Wednesday and scrapped the early stages that led to the six-nation final round in place since the 1998 tournament, known as the hexagonal.
Instead, the six highest-ranked nations as of next June will go directly to the hexagonal. The decision reduces the number of qualif