USMNT opponents finalized for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying semifinals

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Men’s National Team’s opponents are now set for Group C in CONCACAF’s Semifinal Round of Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. will face St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala in a six-game round-robin format, facing each opponent twice, once at home and once away.

With aggregate-score victories in the Third Round of qualifying, St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Guatemala both clinched a berth into Group C. Trinidad & Tobago was already drawn into Group C with the United States during the Preliminary Draw for 2018 World Cup Qualifying on July 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The USA’s first ever meeting against St. Vincent & The Grenadines will kick off its 2018 World Cup Qualifying campaign. The opening match will take place on Nov. 13 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri; a limited number of tickets are still available. The U.S. will then travel to Trinidad to face the Soca Warriors on Nov. 17 in their second match of the Semifinal Round.

The next matches in the Semifinal Round will be played in 2016. The U.S. will face Guatemala away on March 25 before returning home for the return leg on March 29. Five months later, the U.S. will finish the Semifinal Round with matches against St. Vincent & The Grenadines away on Sept. 2 and then host Trinidad & Tobago at a yet to be determined location on Sept. 6.

Group A and Group B of CONCACAF’s Semifinal Round of Qualifying were also set this evening. Group A is composed of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Canada, while Group B features Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti and Jamaica.

The group winner and group runner-up from each group will advance to Final Round of World Cup Qualifying, otherwise known as the Hexagonal. The six teams face each other in a home and away round robin format, with the top three teams advancing to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place team moves on to play a home-and-away intercontinental playoff against a team from the Asian Football Confederation.

The USA has finished first in the Hexagonal during the past three FIFA World Cup cycles.

The U.S. holds an all-time record of 16-2-3 against Trinidad & Tobago and swept the pair of matchups when the teams last met in World Cup Qualifying in 2009. The MNT cruised past Guatemala 4-0 in July when the teams faced off in a Gold Cup tune-up, and is unbeaten against the Central American team in twelve World Cup Qualifying matchups.

2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
Semifinal Round

Date                Opponent                                           Location
Nov. 13           St. Vincent & The Grenadines            Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.
Nov. 17           Trinidad & Tobago                              Away (TBD)
March 25         Guatemala                                          Away (TBD)
March 29         Guatemala                                          Home (TBD)
Sept. 2             St. Vincent & The Grenadines            Away (TBD)
Sept. 6             Trinidad & Tobago                              Home (TBD)