Football: Concacaf W Qualifiers To Kick Off
Concacaf has confirmed the schedule for the Concacaf W Qualifiers [CWQ] matches taking place during the Women’s International Match Window of February 2022.
A spokesperson said, “Concacaf has confirmed the schedule for the Concacaf W Qualifiers [CWQ] matches taking place during the Women’s International Match Window of February 2022. These matches will kick off the region’s first round of qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
“As announced in December of 2020, Concacaf has launched a new structure for women’s senior national team competitions, including major summer tournaments in 2022 and 2024. This new ecosystem will vastly increase the competitive opportunities for women’s national teams from all Concacaf member associations and is part of the Confederation’s wider strategy to develop women and girls’ football at all levels in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
“The new competitions include the 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers, 2022 Concacaf W Championship, 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup, and 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. Across the current four year cycle, a minimum of 195 official Concacaf women’s international matches will take place, a 118% increase compared with the previous four year cycle of matches,
“For the Group Stage of the 2022 CWQ, taking place during the Women’s International Match Windows of February and April 2022, the 30 participating women’s national teams [all ranked 3 and below in the FIFA Rankings] have been divided into six groups of five teams each [to view the draw results, click here].
“After Group Stage play, where each team will play a total of four matches [two at home and two away], the six group winners will advance to the 2022 Concacaf W Championship [CWC]. The schedule for the 2022 CWQ matches taking place in February 2022 is as follows [kick off times and venues for the matches taking place in April will be announced in due course]:
“*Home nation listed first and in ET [local time]:
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
- 12:00 [11:00] Guatemala vs US Virgin Islands – Estadio Pensativo, Antigua, GUA
- 15:00 [15:00] Cuba vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Estadio Antonio Maceo, Santiago, CUB
- 16:30 [15:30] El Salvador vs Belize – Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador, SLV
- 18:00 [19:00] Puerto Rico vs Antigua and Barbuda – Estadio Centroamericano, Mayagüez, PUR
- 18:00 [19:00] Dominican Republic vs Grenada – Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, DOM
- 19:00 [20:00] Guyana vs Dominica – National Track & Field Leonora, Georgetown, GUY
Thursday, February 17, 2022
- 16:00 [17:00] Haiti vs Honduras – Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, DOM
- 17:00 [18:00] Trinidad and Tobago vs Nicaragua – Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, TRI
- 18:00 [18:00] Jamaica vs Bermuda – National Stadium, Kingston, JAM
- 20:00 [19:00] Costa Rica vs Saint Kitts and Nevis – Estadio Nacional, San Jose, CRC
- 21:00 [20:00] Mexico vs Suriname – Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, MEX
- 21:00 [20:00] Panama vs Barbados – Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City, PAN
Saturday, February 19, 2022
- 16:30 [15:30] British Virgin Islands vs Cuba – Estadio General Francisco Morazan, San Pedro Sula, HON
- 17:00 [18:00] Anguilla vs Puerto Rico – Raymond E. Guishard Technical Centre, The Valley, AIA
- 17:30 [18:30] Aruba vs El Salvador – Estadio Panamericano, San Cristobal, DOM
- 19:00 [19:00] Cayman Islands vs Dominican Republic – Truman Bodden Stadium, George Town, CAY
- 19:00 [19:00] Turks and Caicos Islands vs Guyana – TCIFA National Academy, Providenciales, TCA
- 19:00 [20:00] Curaçao vs Guatemala – Stadion Rignaal “Jean” Francisca, Willemstad, CUW
Sunday, February 20, 2022
- 17:00 [16:00] Belize vs Panama – Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador, SLV
- 16:00 [16:00] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs Haiti – Estadio Antonio Maceo, Santiago, CUB
- 16:00 [17:00] Antigua and Barbuda vs Mexico – Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, DOM
- 16:00 [17:00] Grenada vs Jamaica – Kirani James Athletics Stadium, Saint George’s, GRN
- 16:00 [17:00] Dominica vs Trinidad and Tobago – National Track & Field Leonora, Georgetown, GUY
- 17:00 [18:00] US Virgin Islands vs Costa Rica – Bethlehem Soccer Stadium, St. Croix, VIR
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
- 16:30 [15:30] Honduras vs British Virgin Islands – Estadio Francisco Morazan, San Pedro Sula, HON
- 17:00 [17:00] Bermuda vs Cayman Islands – IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL, USA
- 17:00 [19:00] Suriname vs Anguilla – Essed Stadium, Paramaribo, SUR
- 18:00 [19:00] Saint Kitts and Nevis vs Curaçao – Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez, Santo Domingo, DOM
- 18:00 [19:00] Barbados vs Aruba – Estadio Panamericano, San Cristobal, DOM
- 20:00 [19:00] Nicaragua vs Turks and Caicos Islands – Estadio Nacional de Futbol, Managua, NCA
“The 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers will be broadcast live through the Confederation’s partner networks, including CBS | Paramount + [USA], One Soccer [CAN], and multiple partners in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the world. Matches will also be available on the Concacaf Official App [subject to territory restrictions]. The free mobile app is available in the Apple and Google Play stores.
“The 2022 CWC is scheduled for the summer and will serve as the final round of qualifying to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.
“Further details on the 2022 CWC will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Following the conclusion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand in August of 2023, where a minimum of 4 Concacaf Nations will participate [two others will have an opportunity to qualify via an intercontinental play-off], the road to the first-ever Concacaf W Gold Cup will begin.
2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup
[Qualifies teams into 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup]
“33 Concacaf national teams, not including the two who will compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament, will be split into groups within three leagues according to their Concacaf Women’s Ranking as follows:
- League A: Top nine ranked nations divided into three groups of three teams
- League B: Next 12 best-ranked teams divided into three groups of four teams
- League C: Lowest ranked 12 teams divided into three groups of four teams
“After home and away group stage play, during the FIFA Women’s match Windows of September, October, and November 2023, the top finishers in each of the League A groups will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage.
“The second-place finishers in each of the League A groups and the first-place finishers in each of the League B groups will advance to a W Gold Cup Play-in, scheduled for April of 2024. The three play-in winners will also qualify for the Concacaf W Gold Cup Group Stage.
2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup
“The inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Gold Cup will take place in the summer of 2024 and will consist of 12 teams split into three groups of four. The 12 participating nations will be determined as follows:
- Winner of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship
- Winner of the Concacaf Olympic Play-in
- Three League A Group winners of the Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup
- Three winners of the Concacaf W Gold Cup play-in
- Four guest nations from other Confederations
“For the Group Stage, the 12 teams will be split into three groups of four teams each. After single round-robin play, the group winners, runners-up, and the two best third-place finishers will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of quarterfinals, semi-finals, and a final, where the W Gold Cup champion will be crowned.
“The W Gold Cup Final will not only crown the champion of what is now Concacaf’s flagship women’s international competition, but it will also cap off a 4-year cycle which includes region hosting the best young players in the world this summer with the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup 2022 taking place in Costa Rica in August.”
