CONCACAF announces venue for Olympic qualifications

The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced the location for next year’s women’s Olympic qualification tournament. The CONCACAF qualification tournament will take place from 2-13 April in Chihuahua, México.



The tournament will feature six CONCACAF teams including Canada. Canada, the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica will be joined by two yet-to-qualify Caribbean teams. Puerto Rico plays Trinidad & Tobago for one of those two spots and Jamaica plays Cuba for the other spot. The championship draw will take place after those two Caribbean teams have qualified for the final round.



The top-two teams at the CONCACAF tournament will qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Four years ago, the United States and Mexico advanced to Athens 2004. At Syndey 2000 and Atlanta 1996, only the United States advanced from CONCACAF.



Canada’s women’s national team, whose title sponsor is Winners, has qualified for four-straight FIFA Women’s World Cups. Canada’s senior women’s team is currently ranked ninth in the world by the recent FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings. The team is currently in phase one of their Olympic qualification residency program in Vancouver, BC.