Concacaf Girls U-15 Championship to be held August 6-13 at IMG Academy

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – Concacaf, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, announced today that the 2018 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship will be held from August 6-13 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

This will be the largest Concacaf tournament ever for female participants and will feature a record number of Concacaf Member Associations as well as two invited teams from UEFA.

Concacaf returns to IMG following a successful Boys’ Under-15 Championship held there last year, which featured a record 39 teams from across the Confederation.

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This will mark the third time this Concacaf competition has been held for U-15 girls. The USA did not participate in the first tournament in 2014, but with many of the players currently with the U-17 Women’s National Team attempting to qualify for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, won the competition in 2016 in Orlando. The USA took all seven games at that tournament by shutout while compiling a 49-0 goal difference. The USA defeated Costa Rica 5-0 in the semifinal and Canada 2-0 in the championship game to take the regional title.

“This year’s Girls’ Under-15 Championship exemplifies Concacaf’s commitment to providing access to world class playing environments for more of our young players from across the region,” said Concacaf General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “We’re pleased to return to IMG Academy, and we’re especially excited to see so many young women from across the region get the chance to experience a top-level Concacaf competition. This event will be a positive influence for these girls in both their playing careers and young lives.”

As part of a big year of women’s soccer in Concacaf that includes the Concacaf Women’s Championship and the Women’s Under-17 and Under-20 Championship, the expanded Girls’ Under-15 Championship will provide access to international football for over 500 girls from across the Concacaf region, enhancing opportunity for long-term development and growth of the women’s game in the region.

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In total, nearly two-thousand female athletes will participate in Concacaf championships this year across the region. Centralized tournaments such as the Girls’ Under-15 Championship and regional qualifying tournaments in the Caribbean and Central America are providing more football for more of Concacaf’s women’s teams across all levels, assuring that the region’s women are well-served through the One Concacaf philosophy of access to quality football for more Concacaf athletes.

The participating member associations, groups, schedule and format of the tournament will be announced in the near future. To ensure sporting balance and fully leverage this unique development opportunity for the full contingent of young Concacaf and invited players, member associations will be divided into divisions. All will be guaranteed a minimum number of competitive matches during the week-long competition.