Report: CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Undergoes Changes

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying reportedly has a new format beginning next year, which could lead to the games clashing with some marquee tournaments in 2015.

According to Gerry Dobson of Sportsnet, qualifying will begin in June, but it will consist of five rounds, starting in 2015.

The first three rounds will be a two-legged series with one match in each team's venue. The fourth and fifth phases will stay the same. The former will be made up of three groups of four countries, the top two in each group progress to what is called "The Hex."

CONCACAF will use the FIFA world rankings from August of 2014 throughout each round to determine seeding in each qualifying round, which is a detriment to the likes of Canada, but benefits the usual powerhouses in North and Central America.

The 22nd- to 35th-ranked teams will face each other in the first round, the survivors then battle the ninth to 21st-seeded nations in the second phase. Then, the 10 victorious countries advance and are paired with the No. 7 and No. 8 sides, which was Jamaica and Haiti, as of this past August.

The remaining teams after the third round are then drawn into groups with the likes of the U.S. men's national team, Mexico and Costa Rica. As usual, the last six countries will participate in the hexagonal phase.

These qualifiers will most likely overlap with the Women's World Cup next summer as well as the Gold Cup. Organizers will plan accordingly for these extra CONCACAF matches.