ST. PETERSBURG–The United States' road to the 2018 World Cup opens in November with a four-nation group that includes Trinidad and Tobago.
Given a bye in the first three rounds along with the other powers of the North and Central American and Caribbean region, the 34th-ranked United States was drawn into Group C for the fourth round. In addition to the No. 64 Soca Warriors, the group will include 105th-ranked Guatemala or No. 107 Antigua and Barbuda, and 135th-ranked Aruba or No. 115 St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Seeking its eighth straight World Cup appearance, the Americans start with a pair of games on November 13 and 17. Play resumes March 25 and 29, and then takes a six-month break before concluding September 2 and 6, 2016. The top two nations advance to the final round Hexagonal, which will produce three qualifiers and determine the fourth-place team that meets Asia's No. 5 team in a playoff for a berth. The Hexagonal starts November 7, 2016, and ends October 10, 2017.
Mexico is in Group A with Honduras, Canada or Belize, and El Salvador or Curacao. Group B includes Costa Rica, Jamaica or Nicaragua, and Haiti or Grenada.
World Cup qualifying draw
EUROPE (13 nations qualify - Russia also qualifies as host)
Sept. 4, 2016, to Oct. 10, 2017
Group winners qualify
Top eight second-place teams advance to playoffs
Group A_Belarus, Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden
Group B_Andorra, Faeroe Islands, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, Switzerland
Group C_Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Germany, Northern Ireland, Norway, San Marino
Group D_Austria, Georgia, Ireland, Moldova, Serbia, Wales
Group E_Armenia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Romania
Group F_England, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia
Group G_Albania, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Spain
Group H_Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece
Group I_Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Turkey, Ukraine
Playoffs
Nov. 9-14, 2017
Winners qualify
SOUTH AMERICA (4 or 5 nations qualify)
Sept. 4, 2016, to Oct. 10, 2017
One group of 10 nations
Double round robin
Top four teams qualify
Fifth-place team advances to playoff vs. Oceania
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN (3 or 4 nations qualify)
Third round
Aug. 31 to Sept. 8, 2015
Winners advance
Antigua and Barbuda vs. Guatemala
Canada vs. Belize
Curacao vs. El Salvador
Grenada vs. Haiti
Jamaica vs. Nicaragua
St. Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Aruba
Fourth round
Nov. 7, 2015, to Sept. 6, 2016
Double round robin
Top two teams in each group advance
Group A_Canada-Belize winner, Curacao-El Salvador winner, Honduras, Mexico
Group B_Costa Rica, Grenada-Haiti winner, Jamaica-Nicaragua winner, Panama
Group C_T&T, US, Antigua and Barbuda-Guatemala winner, St. Vincent and the Grenadines-Aruba winner
Fifth round (Hexagonal)
Nov. 7, 2016, to Oct. 10, 2017
Double round robin
Top three teams qualify
Fourth-place team advances to playoff vs. Asia
ASIA (4 or 5 nations qualify)
Second round
June 11, 2015, to March 29, 2016
Double round robin (drawn April 14)
Group winners and top four second-place teams advance
Group A_East Timor, Malaysia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Group B_Australia, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Group C_Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, Maldives, Qatar
Group D_Guam, India, Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan
Group E_Afghanistan, Cambodia, Japan, Singapore, Syria
Group F_Iraq, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam (Indonesia disqualified)
Group G_Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, South Korea
Group H_Bahrain, North Korea, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Yemen
Third round
Aug. 29, 2016, to Sept. 5, 2017
Two groups of six
Double round robin
Top two teams in each group qualify
Third-place teams advance to playoff
Fourth round
Oct. 2-10, 2017
Winner advances to playoff vs. CONCACAF
AFRICA (5 nations qualify)
First round
Oct. 5-13, 2015
Winners advance
Central African Republic vs. Madagascar
Chad vs. Sierra Leone
Comoros vs. Lesotho
Djibouti vs. Swaziland
Eritrea vs. Botswana
Gambia vs. Namibia
Liberia vs. Guinea-Bissau
Mauritius vs. Kenya
Sao Tome e Principe vs. Ethiopia
Seychelles vs. Burundi
Somalia vs. Niger
South Sudan vs. Mauritania
Tanzania vs. Malawi
Second round
Nov. 9-17, 2015
Winners advance
Angola vs. South Africa
Benin vs. Burkina Faso
Central African Republic-Madagascar winner vs. Senegal
Chad-Sierra Leone winner vs. Egypt
Comoros-Lesotho winner vs. Ghana
Djibouti-Swaziland winner vs. NigeriaEritrea vs. Botswana winner vs. Mali
Gambia-Namibia winner vs. Guinea
Liberia-Guinea-Bissau winner vs. Ivory Coast
Libya vs. Rwanda
Mauritius-Kenya winner vs. Cape Verde Islands
Morocco vs. Equatorial Guinea
Mozambique vs. Gabon
Sao Tome e Principe-Ethiopia winner vs. Republic of Congo
Seychelles-Burundi winner vs. Congo
Somalia-Niger winner vs. Cameroon
South Sudan-Mauritania winner vs. Tunisia
Sudan vs. Zambia
Tanzania-Malawi winner vs. Algeria
Togo vs. Uganda
Third round
Oct. 3, 2016, to Nov. 14, 2017
Five groups of four
Double round robin
Group winners qualify