Guatemala (white jersey) and Haiti (blue jersey), shown above in a 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying match, will meet in the CONCACAF Women's Championship opener on October 15, 2014, at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. (Photo: Mexsport)
KANSAS CITY, Kansas – Since 1991, CONCACAF has conducted championships for women’s national teams that have utilized various titles, formats and configurations. Most, but not all, of those events have doubled as qualifying tournaments for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
On Wednesday, the competition returns to its original name – the CONCACAF Women’s Championship (CWC) – with a Group A doubleheader at Sporting Park. In the opener, Guatemala takes on Haiti, followed by an encounter between the United States and Caribbean champion Trinidad & Tobago.
The eight-team event will continue a day later with another twin-bill in Kansas City, Kansas (Jamaica-Martinique and Costa Rica-Mexico), before group play shifts first to Bridgeview, Illinois (Toyota Park) and then to Washington, D.C. (Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium).
The semifinals (October 24), match for third place and final (both on October 26) will all be played at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Click here for complete CONCACAF Women’s Championship schedule.
Similar to six of the previous eight editions of the competition, FIFA Women’s World Cup berths will be at stake. Both finalists and the winner of the match for third place will earn automatic places at Canada 2015. The fourth-place finisher will face Ecuador for another World Cup spot.
Four years ago, when the competition was labeled as CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying for the first and only time, Canada defeated host Mexico 1-0 in the final. Both qualified for the 2011 Women’s World Cup. The U.S., however, took a different route to Germany. A 3-0 win over Costa Rica in the third-place match was required to reach a two-legged playoff against Italy, which the Americans won 2-0 on aggregate.
After the whistle is blown to start its match against the U.S., Trinidad & Tobago will become the only team to compete in all nine editions of CONCACAF women’s tournaments. Current champion Canada appeared in the previous eight, but since it will host the next World Cup, it is not participating this year.
The United States has won a record six CONCACAF women’s crowns, while Canada has lifted the trophy on two occasions.
CONCACAF WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosts, Champions & World Cup Qualifiers
(all World Cup Qualifying competitions unless noted otherwise)
1991 (CONCACAF Women’s Championship)
Host: Haiti
Champion: United States
World Cup Qualifiers: United States
1993 (CONCACAF Women’s Championship)^
Host: United States
Champion: United States
1994 (CONCACAF Women’s Championship)
Host: Canada
Champion: United States
World Cup Qualifiers: Canada, United States
1998 (CONCACAF Women’s Championship)
Host: Canada
Champion: Canada
World Cup Qualifiers*: Canada, Mexico, “United States
2000 (CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup)^
Host: United States
Champion: United States
2002 (CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup)
Host: United States, Canada
Champion: United States
World Cup Qualifiers: Canada, United States
2006 (CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup)
Host: United States
Champion: United States
World Cup Qualifiers**: Canada, United States
2010 (CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying)
Host: Mexico
Champion: Canada
World Cup Qualifiers***: Canada, Mexico, United States
^ Non-World Cup Qualifying competition
“ United States participated in 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup as host, did not play in CONCACAF tournament
* Mexico qualified for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Argentina in a playoff, 6-3 on aggregate
** Mexico advanced to a playoff against Japan for a berth in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, losing 3-2 on aggregate
*** United States qualified for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Italy in a playoff, 2-0 on aggregate
