Mexico to host rescheduled CONCACAF Olympic qualifying

Guadalajara will host the CONCACAF men’s qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics March 18-30, football’s governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean said Thursday.

The tournament was originally scheduled for March of 2020, but called off because of the coronavirus pandemic that eventually saw the 2020 Tokyo Games pushed back to 2021.

Eight participating Under-23 teams had already been drawn into groups of four, with Mexico and Honduras the two seeded tams.

Mexico head Group A, which also includes the United States, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Group B includes Honduras, Canada, El Salvador and Haiti.

After round-robin play, the first and second place finishers in each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

Both finalists will earn a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

The Jalisco and Akron Stadiums in Guadalajara will be used, with CONCACAF saying in a statement it had worked with world governing body FIFA, the Mexican Football Federation and other stakeholders to develop health protocols “to ensure this competition takes place in a safe environment for all participants.”