Canadian men drawn with top-seeded Americans at CONCACAF U-20 Championship

Canada has been drawn in a group with the top-ranked United States, Cuba, and St. Kitts and Nevis for this summer’s CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Championship.

The 20-team competition, which runs from June 18 to July 3 in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, serves as the regional qualifier for both the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia and 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The four semifinalists will advance to the U-20 World Cup representing North and Central America and the Caribbean. The two finalists will also book their ticket to the 2024 Olympics.

Previously, the region’s U-20 World Cup and Olympic qualification was determined at separate events.

Canada will play out of Group E in Honduras.

Group F consists of Mexico, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname while Group G features Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and Aruba. Group H is made up of Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Round-robin play will send the top three from each group to the knockout stage, joining qualifiers Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico in the round of 16.

As seeded teams, the U.S., Mexico, Panama, and Honduras were kept apart in Thursday’s draw at CONCACAF headquarters in Miami.

Canada was the highest-ranked of the four teams in the third pot for the draw.

The U.S. won the last edition of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, defeating Mexico 2-0 in the 2018 final in Bradenton, Fla. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The 2018 event was held using a different format. The 34 entrants were split into six pools with the group winners advancing to the qualification stage. The Canadian men (3-2-0) finished runner-up to Panama (5-0-0) in their group so did not move on.

Canada has failed to qualify for the last six U-20 World Cups, making its last appearance in 2007 when it hosted the tournament. The Canadian men failed to advance after going scoreless in losing its three group-stage games.

Its best showing was at the 1997 tournament in Malaysia when a Canadian side featuring Dwayne De Rosario, Paul Stalteri and Jason Bent reached the round of 16, losing 2-0 to Spain.

The Canadian men have missed out on the last nine Olympics, last qualifying in 1984 when they finished sixth after losing to Brazil in a quarterfinal penalty shootout.

Host Canada finished 13th and last in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Galt FC, a Canadian club team, won the 1904 Games, beating out two local club sides in St. Louis in the Canadian men’s only other trip to the Olympic football tournament.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2022.