T&T will open against Panama on February 16 in the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship which will kick off in the Dominican Republic on February 15. The competition which runs until March 1, will see some of the best teams in the region battling for supremacy.
In the draw held on Tuesday night in Miami, the national women's team was also grouped to compete against the Cayman Islands which T&T plays on February 18 and Haiti on February 20.
The final two stages of the competition (group stage and knockout round) will take place at the Estadio Felix Sanchez and Estadio Panamericano, in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal, respectively, will both host group stage, and a round of 16 and quarter-final matches. The decisive semi-finals, third-place match and final will all be played at the Felix Sanchez Stadium.
The Under-20 Championship will start with an initial group stage round between 10 nations. The participating teams were divided into two groups of five teams. After round-robin play, Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and Grenada qualified for the knockout stage. The first round of the competition took place in St Kitts and Nevis and Guyana, from July 13-21.
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 into four groups of four teams. In the others, United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Cuba will meet in Group C, in Group D will be Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico and in Group E, Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
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.
All knockout round matches (round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final) will be played in a single match elimination format, with the finalist and the third-place match-winner 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 T&T last year, Mexico won its first championship at this level, with a 4-2 win in penalties over the United States in the final.
GROUPINGS
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 and Tobago, Panama and Cayman Islands
T&T’s preliminary round matches
February 16: T&T vs Panama
February 18: Cayman Islands vs T&T
February 20: Haiti vs T&T