AFTER playing undefeated in the qualification stage earlier this year, ‘Lady Jags’ will head to the Dominican Republic, February 15 – March 1, for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) 2020 Under-20 Championship.

This will be the 10th edition of the competition, with CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio stating that the championship provides a great platform for the best young players in the region, adding “It will also be a significant part of our efforts to celebrate and further enhance women’s football in 2020, with 1 400 women and girls playing elite CONCACAF football across the year.”

The Estadio Felix Sanchez and Estadio Panamericano, in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal, respectively, will both host group stage, round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches. The decisive semi-finals, third-place match and final will all be played at the Felix Sanchez stadium.

The CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship kicked off with an initial group stage round involving 10 nations. The participating teams were divided into two groups of five. After round-robin play, Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis and Grenada qualified for the knockout stage. The first round of the competition took place in St Kitts & Nevis and Guyana, July 13-21, 2019.

The second round of the competition will also be played in a group format, between the top-ranked 16 teams according to the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Ranking as of August 2018.

The 16 participating teams were divided in four groups of four and will play as follows (listed in the order drawn):
Group C: United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Cuba

Group D: Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico

Group E: Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador

Group F: Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, Panama and Cayman Islands

After round-robin play, the top three teams in each of the groups will advance to the knockout stage, joining the four round-one top finishers. The third and final round will begin with the round-of-16. The eight round-of-16 match pairings are as follows:

Match #25: 1C vs St Lucia

Match #26: 1E vs Guyana

Match #27: 2C vs 3E

Match #28: 2E vs 3C

Match #29: 1D vs Grenada

Match #30: 1F vs St Kitts and Nevis

Match #31: 2D vs 3F

Match #32: 2F vs 3D

All knockout-round matches (round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final) will be played in a single match elimination format, with the finalists and the third-place match winners qualifying to the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2020.

In the previous edition of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, played in Trinidad and Tobago in 2018, Mexico won their first championship at this level, with a 4-2 win in penalties over the United States in the final.

The 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship will be part of what is set to be a year of Women’s Football at CONCACAF.  In total, more than 1 400 girls and women from the entire region will have access to top-level football tournaments, including the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, Girls’ Under-15 Championship and Women’s Under-17 Championship.