MIAMI) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) last Friday (30 Oct) conducted the draw for the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship Jamaica 2015.

At the Hilton Rose Hall in Montego Bay, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb opened the proceedings that determined the groupings and match schedule for the tournament which kicks off January 9. The draw was conducted with the assistance of Jamaican national team World Cup veterans Aaron Lawrence and Ricardo Gardner.

Thursday’s draw sorted the twelve qualified countries into two groups of six. Group A is set to feature host Jamaica, along with Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Panama, USA and Guatemala. Group B contains Haiti, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras and El Salvador, in order of position drawn.

The National Stadium in Kingston and the Montego Bay Sports Complex will each play host to Group A matches, with the opening date to be played in Kingston on January 9. The Montego Bay Sports Complex also hosts all the action in Group B, and the final phase on January 24.

The tournament will crown the Confederation champion at this age level, and qualify four teams to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015. The top team from each group after round-robin play advances to the World Cup, and the second and third place nations from each group advance to the final day knockout phase, with the chance to dispute one of a pair of play-in matches which will determine CONCACAF’s other two World Cup spots.

In a bid to favor development and competition, the new CONCACAF under-20 tournament format has increased the number of guaranteed games for each participant to five, up from two in previous editions of the Championship.

Mexico is the two-time defending CONCACAF under-20 champion, having claimed the title in Puebla, Mexico in 2013 and in Guatemala City in 2011.

2014 CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship

Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica

GROUP A

Jamaica

Trinidad & Tobago

Aruba

Panama

USA

Guatemala

GROUP B

Haiti

Canada

Mexico

Cuba

Honduras

El Salvador

2014 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship Schedule

Day 1 – Friday Jan. 9

15:00  Aruba vs. Panama

17:30  USA vs. Guatemala

20:00  Jamaica vs. Trinidad & Tobago

 

Day 2 – Saturday Jan. 10

15:00  Mexico vs. Cuba

17:30  Honduras vs. El Salvador

20:00  Haiti vs. Canada

Day 3 – Sunday Jan. 11

15:00  Trinidad & Tobago vs. Aruba

17:30  Panama vs. USA

20:00  Jamaica vs. Guatemala

 

Day 4 – Monday Jan. 12

15:00  Canada vs. Mexico

17:30  Cuba vs. Honduras

20:00  El Salvador vs. Haiti

 

Day 5 – Tuesday Jan. 13

Rest Day

 

Day 6 – Wednesday Jan. 14

15:00  Guatemala vs. Trinidad & Tobago

17:30  Aruba vs. USA

20:00  Jamaica vs. Panama

 

Day 7 – Thursday Jan. 15

15:00  El Salvador vs. Canada

17:30  Mexico vs. Honduras

20:00  Haiti vs. Cuba

 

Day 8 – Friday Jan. 16

Rest Day

 

Day 9 – Saturday Jan. 17

Rest Day

 

Day 10 – Sunday Jan. 18

15:00  Panama vs. Trinidad & Tobago

17:30  Guatemala vs. Aruba

20:00  Jamaica vs. USA

 

Day 11 – Monday Jan. 19

15:00  Cuba vs. Canada

17:30  El Salvador vs. Mexico

20:00  Haiti vs. Honduras

 

Day 12 – Tuesday Jan. 20

Rest Day

 

Day 13 – Wednesday Jan. 21

15:00  Panama vs. Guatemala

17:30  USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago

20:00  Jamaica vs. Aruba

 

Day 14 – Thursday Jan. 22

15:00  Cuba vs. El Salvador

17:30  Honduras vs. Canada

20:00  Haiti vs. Mexico

 

Day 15 – Friday Jan. 23

Rest Day

 

Day 16 – Saturday Jan. 24

14:00  2nd Play-in Seed vs. 3rd Play-in Seed

17:00  1st Play-in Seed vs. 4th Play-in Seed

20:00  1A vs. 1B