2018 CONCACAF MEN’S UNDER-20 CHAMPIONSHIP
- Guyana Placed In Group F; Tournament Will Seek To Further Develop Players
14th September, Georgetown: Guyana has been placed in Group F of a six-group draw when the official draw of the 2018 Concacaf U20 Champions draw was announced yesterday in Miami.
The tournament, involving 35 teams, will see Guyana competing against El Salvador, Guatemala, Curacao and Cayman Islands at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida from November 1 – 22, 2018.
Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Ian Greenwood, said the tournament will contribute to the further development of the U20 players: “The redesign and concept of the U20 Championship is very exciting. We are in a competitive and challenging group; the exposure playing Central American opposition such as El Salvador will massively benefit our players as they develop into senior football. Our U20s are a talented group with several already in and around the Senior Golden Jaguars set up.”
According to Concacaf, this year’s tournament format is different from previous years. It will enable participating teams to be engaged in high-level, consistent and competitive football: “Unlike the previous format of the men’s under-20 competition, which included regional qualifiers in the Caribbean and Central America and one final championship, the redesigned 2018 edition will ensure that all the participating teams have access to play more top-level football matches.”
The first round of the tournament will see five groups of six teams and one group of five teams engaged in a round robin format. Concacaf explains the format: “Following the first round, the six group winners will advance to the qualification stage, where they will be divided into two groups of three teams. After a second-round robin play, the two group winners plus the second-place finishers will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Additionally, the two groups winners will advance to the tournament’s final to determine the regional champion.”
Other participating teams include:
GROUP A: USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the US Virgin Islands
GROUP B: Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, Nicaragua, Grenada, Saint Martin
GROUP C: Honduras, Cuba, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Belize and Saint Maarten
GROUP D: Panama, Canada, St. Kitts & Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique
GROUP E: Costa Rica, Haiti, Bermuda, Saint Lucia and Barbados
GROUP F: El Salvador, Guatemala, Curacao, Guyana and Cayman Islands
For more information, please contact:
Debra Francis (Ms.)
Communications and Public Relations Officer
Tel: 592 227 8758 ext. 105 (o)