Jamaica drawn in tough group for U-17 CONCACAF

Montego Bay (Jamaica), Oct 9 (IANS/CMC) Hosts Jamaica have been drawn to open their account in the fourth edition of the CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Football Championship with a tough assignment against Central American side El Salvador Oct 30.

The junior Reggae Girls will also go up against Mexico and Haiti in Group A at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Defending champions, the United States, will play in Group B alongside Canada, Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago.

"This tournament, the Under-17 FIFA Women's Championship, is a very important tournament for our confederation and I want to congratulate the host country Jamaica and the other seven countries to have qualified," CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb said Tuesday following the draw.

Mexico, Canada, and the United States made the list as automatic qualifiers with Jamaica doing so by virtue of being the host nation. Trinidad and Haiti, winners and runners-up of the Caribbean U-17 Championship, qualified from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) while El Salvador and Guatemala represent the Central America Football Union.

"This tournament will no doubt help to further highlight the city of Montego Bay and place the country in the minds of the decision makers in FIFA that we are capable of hosting big competitions," Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss Horace Burrell said.

The finalists will gain two automatic qualification spots to the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be staged in Costa Rica next year.

--IANS/CMC

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