Canada unveils CONCACAF Stage III venues

The table is set. Canada will be facing Jamaica, Honduras and Mexico in CONCACAF Stage III of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers. Canada’s three home matches are 20 August against Jamaica in Toronto, ON, 6 September against Honduras in Montréal, QC, and 15 October in Edmonton, AB.

Canada will also play Mexico on 10 September in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Honduras on 11 October (venue yet to be announced), and Jamaica on 19 November in Kingston (Jamaica). Canada needs to finish amongst the top-two teams in Group B to advance to CONCACAF Stage IV in 2009.

Tickets to the Toronto match will be available through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.ca or 416.872.5000) while tickets to the Montréal match will be available through Admission (admission.com or 514.790.1245). Tickets for the first two matches go on sale this 14 July. Tickets to the Edmonton match will be available through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.ca or 780.451.8000); details regarding the Edmonton on-sale date should be announced shortly.

The 20 August 2008 match at BMO Field will kickoff at 19.30 ET. It will mark Canada’s 10th FIFA World Cup Qualifiers(tm) match in Toronto, albeit the first at BMO Field. Canada has a record four wins, three draws and two losses in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ in Toronto, including a 1:0 win over Jamaica on 1 November 1992. Canada’s first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Toronto was 22 June 1957 (a 5:1 win over the United States) while its most recent was 15 November 2000 (a 0:0 draw with Mexico).

Canada has an all-time record of six wins, five draws and two losses against Jamaica’s senior team. In FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™, Canada’s record is one win, two draws and one loss against Jamaica.

The 6 September 2008 match at Stade Saputo, presented by Sony, will kickoff at 20.00 ET. It will mark Canada’s second FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Montréal. Canada recently won its first home match in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers on 20 June at Stade Saputo – a 4:1 win over Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

Canada has an all-time record of five wins, four draws and six losses against Honduras’ senior team. In FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™, Canada’s record is three wins, three draws and one loss.

The 15 October 2008 match at Commonwealth Stadium, presented by adidas, will kickoff at 19.00 MT. It will mark Canada’s ninth FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Edmonton. Canada has a record of five wins, two draws and one loss in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ in Edmonton, including a 2:2 draw with Mexico on 12 October 1997. Canada’s first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match in Edmonton was 31 July 1993 (a 2:1 win over Australia) while its most recent was 4 September 2004 (a 1:1 draw with Honduras).

Canada has an all-time record of three wins, six draws and 14 losses against Mexico’s senior team. In FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™, Canada’s record is one win, six draws and nine losses.

Canada has a 2008 record of three wins, one draw and two losses, including back-to-back wins in CONCACAF Stage II of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers against Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. Canada was most recently ranked fourth within CONCACAF in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings (June 2008). Within CONCACAF, Mexico was ranked first, Honduras was ranked third and Jamaica was ranked ninth.

Canada is looking to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Canada’s last participation in a senior FIFA competition was the FIFA Confederations Cup Japan 2001, following the team’s successful championship at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup.