CONCACAF Sets U23 Championship Matchups

CONCACAF announced Saturday the complete schedule of matches for the 2008 CONCACAF Under-23 Championship, CONCACAF’s qualifier to the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008.

The 2008 CONCACAF U-23 Championship has two groups of four in the first round competing on a round-robin basis from 11-16 March.

Group A, which will stage games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, have Cuba, Honduras, Panama, along with the hosts, USA. Meanwhile, Group B, that will have encounters at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, consists of the defending CONCACAF Champion, Mexico, along with Canada, Guatemala and Haiti. Each first round venue will be hosting three doubleheaders in group play.

The semifinals and finals of the CONCACAF U-23 Championship will be held at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee on 20 and 23 March, respectively.

The eight-team tournament will not only crown the CONCACAF U-23 champion but also qualify two nations to the 2008 Olympic Games.

2008 CONCACAF UNDER-23 CHAMPIONSHIP

CONCACAF All-Time Men’s Qualifiers to Olympic Games

NOTES
No national teams from the North, Central American & Caribbean region participated in the Olympic Games from 1908-1920. From 1924-1956, CONCACAF teams either received an invitation or progressed directly to the Olympic Games. In 1960, the first Olympic Qualifying tournament was held that combined countries from both North and South America. From 1964 until the present, CONCACAF have staged qualifiers for only the teams within its region and since 1992 the age limit was sanctioned by FIFA to be only Under-23.