The fixture dates for CONCACAF's third round of World Cup qualifying have been announced, with the twelve remaining teams looking to take a further step towards booking their tickets to Brazil in 2014.
The third round features twelve teams divided into three groups of four. The top two finishers from each group will qualify for the final round. In the last round, the top three teams out of the remaining eight will qualify directly to the 2014 World Cup. The fourth place finisher is left with a “half ticket” to be played against a team from the Oceania region.
One of the toughest groups in this qualifying stage is Group B, made up of Guyana, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and the 2011 Gold Cup Champion, Mexico. El Tri begins their qualifying campaign with a match at Estadio Azteca on June 8th, 2012, against the surprise team of Guyana. Mexico’s next game will be on June 12th, when they travel to one of the toughest fields of the region, the Monumental Estadio Cuscatlan, to face El Salvador. Mexico will continue to travel for their third game, playing against Costa Rica on September 7th at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. El Tri will make their return home four days later to face Costa Rica, before hitting the road one last time to take on Guyana at Providence Stadium on October 12th. Mexico’s participation in the round ends with a home match against El Salvador at Estadio Azteca on October 16th.
A complete schedule for CONCACAF's third round of World Cup 2014 qualifying can be found below.
MATCH DAY 1 – Friday, June 8th, 2012
Group A
USA vs. Antigua & Barbuda
Jamaica vs. Guatemala
Group B
México vs. Guyana
Costa Rica vs. El Salvador
Group C
Honduras vs. Panamá
Cuba vs. Canada
MATCH DAY 2 – Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
Group A
Guatemala vs. USA
Antigua & Barbuda vs. Jamaica
Group B
El Salvador vs. México
Guyana vs. Costa Rica
Group C
Canada vs. Honduras
Panamá vs. Cuba
MATCH DAY 3 – Friday, September 7th, 2012
Group A
Jamaica vs. USA
Guatemala vs. Antigua & Barbuda
Group B
Costa Rica vs. México
El Salvador vs. Guyana
Group C
Cuba vs. Honduras
Canada vs. Panamá
MATCH DAY 4 – Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
Group A
USA vs. Jamaica
Antigua & Barbuda vs. Guatemala
Group B
México vs. Costa Rica
Guyana vs. El Salvador
Group C
Honduras vs. Cuba
Panamá vs. Canada
MATCH DAY 5 – Friday, October 12th, 2012
Group A
Guatemala vs. Jamaica
Antigua & Barbuda vs. USA
Group B
El Salvador vs. Costa Rica
Guyana vs. México
Group C
Canada vs. Cuba
Panamá vs. Honduras
MATCH DAY 6 – Tuesday, October 16th, 2012
Group A
USA vs. Guatemala
Jamaica vs. Antigua & Barbuda
Group B
México vs. El Salvador
Costa Rica vs. Guyana
Group C
Honduras vs. Canada
Cuba vs. Panamá