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CONCACAF on Tuesday, April 19 conducted the official draw for the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship (CWC). The tournament is part of the Confederation’s new women’s senior national team ecosystem and is scheduled to be played in Monterrey, Mexico, between July 4-18, 2022. It serves as the qualification tournament to the FIFA Women’s World Cup (FWWC) 2023 and, as part of an exciting new format, the Champion will qualify directly to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The live draw was co-hosted by sports anchors Pilar Perez (ESPN) and Nicolas Cantor (CBS), and included the participation of CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio, former players Alicia Wilson-Lopez (Jamaica) and Christina Murillo (Mexico), Head Coaches Mónica Vergara (Mexico) and Amelia Valverde (Costa Rica), as well as Jamaican songwriters and singers, Skip Marley and Cedella Marley
For the draw, conducted by CONCACAF Director of Competitions Carlos Fernandez, the region’s best eight participating national teams were divided into four pots based on the FIFA Women’s Ranking of June 2021.
The draw results are as follows (teams listed in the order drawn):
Group A: United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti
Group B: Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago
After round robin group stage play, the top two teams in each group will move on to the semifinals and in doing so, qualify directly to the 2023 FWWC (four teams). Meanwhile, the third placed teams in each group will qualify for a 2023 FWWC Intercontinental Playoff (two teams).
The semifinals, final and third-place match will be played in a single elimination format, with the Champion qualifying for both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup, to be held in 2024. The runner-up and third-place teams will also square off in a CONCACAF Olympic play-in series, scheduled for September 2023. The winner of that play-in series will also qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup.
The complete match schedule will be announced by CONCACAF in the coming days.
As part of tonight’s event, CONCACAF unveiled the competition’s official song, “Lions” by Skip Marley featuring Cedella Marley, and the new trophy that will be awarded to the 2022 CWC winners.
The core message of Skip Marley’s song “Lions” is one of a generation using its individual strengths to become a collective voice of inspiration, change, and empowerment in today’s world.
The winner’s trophy is a bold and progressive symbol of the women’s game and national pride in our region. The CONCACAF Unity symbol’s 41 diamonds have been accented in gold to express the importance of our Member Associations being united for football. The two-silver diamond-shaped brackets inspired by the “W” logo join the handles in a “victorious” emotional shape.
The trophy is made of silver-plated brass metal in a polished and satin finish, is 19.25 inches tall, and weighs 17.4 pounds. It was designed by Epico Studios in New York and hand-crafted in London, England.
Fans will be able to follow and enjoy the CONCACAF W Championship through the Confederation’s TV partner networks, including CBS | Paramount + (USA), One Soccer (CAN), ESPN | Star+ (Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America), and multiple partners around the world. For other territories, the event will be available on the Official CONCACAF App (all subject to territory restrictions).
