The draw for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship took place on Tuesday, and Mexico were given a tough draw as they were placed in Group A in what many are calling the “Group of Death”. Mexico will share the group with Honduras, Canada,and Antigua and Barbuda.
#Sub20 Aquí les dejamos los tres grupos que conforman el Premundial de @CONCACAF. pic.twitter.com/olT8tyT1qa
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) November 30, 2016
While it's the hardest group of the tournament, Mexico's quality with youth teams means that they should be heavily favored. As the current champion and the number one seeded team in the group, Mexico is the strongest, with Honduras considered second favorite in the group.
Meanwhile, Canada used to be Mexico's bogey team in the competition, but they have fallen from the wayside and recently have been anything but a strong foe against El Tri. For both teams, the 2015 U-17 call-up will make the bulk of their squad, and while Canada did manage to earn a draw with that team, they ultimately failed to make the U-17 World Cup. Mexico, on the other hand, finished fourth in the World Cup.
Finally, Antigua and Barbuda might be one of the stronger island nations but they are going is as the weakest team of the group.
The tournament will be played from February 17 to March 5 in San Jose, Costa Rica. Mexico will make their debut against Antigua and Barbuda on February 17 in Ricardo Saprissa Stadium. They will then play Canada in Estadio Nacional on February 20 and finish facing Honduras on February 23.
The top two teams of each group will qualify to the next round, which will be then divided into two groups of three (a la 1982 World Cup) The winners of each group face off in the final on March 5. This tournament earns four spots for the 2017 U-20 World Cup.