CONCACAF holds match schedule draw for Hex final round of World Cup qualifying

MIAMI – Should Canada reach the final round of World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region, it could open play against Panama and the United States.

CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, held its draw Friday for the schedule of matches for the six-team round-robin final qualifying round known as the “Hexagonal” or “Hex.”

The fourth round of qualifying in the region for the 2018 World Cup is still in progress with Canada playing at Honduras and hosting El Salvador in September.

The top two teams from each of the three fourth-round qualifying groups advance to the Hex. The top three teams there will book their ticket for Russia with the fourth-place team involved in an intercontinental playoff to join them.

Mexico, which is in Group A with Canada, is the only CONCACAF country to have clinched a spot in the regional finals.

Canada (1-2-1) currently stands third in its group behind Honduras (1-2-1) on goal difference. Mexico leads the group at 4-0-0. El Salvador (0-2-2) is fourth.

According to Friday’s draw, the runner-up in Group A will open against B2 (currently Panama) on Matchday 1 before facing C2 (currently the U.S).