Nine Caribbean Football Union teams taking part in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship to be staged in Nassau, Bahamas, from February 20 to 26 next year, now know their schedule.
The regional governing body and Beach Soccer Worldwide disclosed the full schedule of matches yesterday which also includes Barbados, a late replacement for Guatemala, which is currently prohibited by FIFA, football’s world governing body, from taking part in international competition.
All but three of the CFU teams will take to the sand on the opening day of the tournament, with the hosts bringing the curtain down against Guyana in the night cap match.
Earlier in the day, Barbados get things rolling when they face Canada, followed by an all-CFU contest between Trinidad & Tobago and Antigua & Barbuda, then Jamaica vs Belize, Mexico vs Guadeloupe and the United States vs United States Virgin Islands.
The Championship will include a field of 16 teams. During the first four days, teams will contest a round-robin format in four groups of four teams each, as selected at the official draw for the competition held last October in Miami.
Group A consists of Bahamas, Jamaica, Belize and Guyana, with Group B comprising Mexico, Barbados, Canada and Guadeloupe.
Group C includes the United States, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda and the United Virgin Islands, with Group D formed by El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Turks & Caicos Islands.
The winner and runner-up from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, while the third- and fourth-placed teams from each group will also participate in positioning matches over the final three match dates.
The champion and the runner-up of the competition will join host Bahamas as the three CONCACAF representatives at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to be staged two months later in the same venue.
GROUP MATCH SCHEDULE
Monday, February 20, 2017
Barbados vs Canada
Trinidad & Tobago vs Antigua & Barbuda
Jamaica vs Belize
Mexico vs Guadeloupe
United States vs United States Virgin Islands
Bahamas vs Guyana
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Costa Rica vs Panama
El Salvador vs Turks & Caicos Islands
Guadeloupe vs Barbados
Canada vs Mexico
Guyana vs Jamaica
Belize vs Bahamas
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
United States Virgin Islands vs Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos Islands vs Costa Rica
Panama vs El Salvador
Belize vs Guyana
Antigua & Barbuda vs United States
Bahamas vs Jamaica
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Canada vs Guadeloupe
Antigua & Barbuda vs United States Virgin Islands
Panama vs Turks & Caicos Islands
Mexico vs Barbados
El Salvador vs Costa Rica
United States vs Trinidad & Tobago