1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification
A total of 15 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. The 15 teams were divided into 3 zones, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
- North American Zone had 3 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner and runner-up would advance to the Final Round.
- Central American Zone had 5 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner and runner-up would advance to the Final Round.
- Caribbean Zone had 7 teams, which would be divided into 2 groups - Group A had 4 teams and Group B had 3 teams. 2 teams in Group A played in the preliminary round, against each other on a home-and-away basis, with the winner advancing to Group A proper. The 3 teams in each group would then play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
Entrants
North American Zone
----
----
----
----
Canada and Mexico advanced to the finals.
Central American Zone
--------
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
Honduras and El Salvador advanced to the finals.
Caribbean Zone
Group A Preliminary Round
Guyana won 8-4 on aggregate and advanced to Group A.Group A
--------
----
----
----
Cuba advanced to the finals.
Group B
--------
----
----
----
Haiti advanced to the finals.
Qualified Teams
Goalscorers
;4 goals
;3 goals
;2 goals
- Omar Morera Barrantes
- Luis Hernández
- Roberto Pereira
- Norberto Huezo
- José María Rivas
- José Emilio Mitrovich
- Óscar Enrique Sánchez
- Ashton Canterbury Taylor
- Serge Crispin
- Adrián Camacho
- Daniel Montillo Ruíz
- Johan Leisbergen
- Steve Moyers
- Gerry Gray
- Robert Iarusci
- Branko Šegota
- Mike Stojanović
- Omar Arroyo
- Javier Jiménez
- William Jiménez Mora
- Rodolfo Mills
- Regino Delgado
- Roberto Espinosa
- Andrés Roldán
- Óscar Gustavo Guerrero
- Carlton Belfon
- Douglas Cherubin
- Jude Julien
- Jude Mitchell
- Allan Wellmann
- Selvin Pennant
- Gordon Braithwaite
- Clyde Ford
- Fritz Bobo
- Carlo Brevin
- Fernando Bulnes
- Allan Anthony Costly
- Moisés Tomás Velásquez Torres
- José Luis González China
- Guillermo Mendizabal
- Glenn Kwidama
- Ricardo Paschal Chambers
- Ricardo Calor
- Roy George
- Kenneth Stjeward
- Leroy Spann
- Rick Davis
- Greg Villa