MIAMI — The U.S. will play Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama in the first round of the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.

Those three teams were placed in Group A for the competition that will serve as the confederation’s qualifying arm for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

Group A squads will compete in Cary, N.C. from Oct. 4-10.

The Americans are the defending world champions and the top-ranked women’s team in the world.

All U.S. group matches will be played at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

The Americans will face Mexico in their opener Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Panama Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. and T&T Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. (all times ET).

Canada, the seeded team in Group B, will meet Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba in Edinburg, Texas from Oct. 5-11.

The semifinals, third-place match and championship game will be held in Frisco, Texas.

The two semifinal winners, which will be determined Oct. 14, will qualify for France 2019. The winner of the third place match Oct. 17, also will book a spot in the WWC. The fourth-place team will meet the South American third-place team in an intercontinental playoff for the final berth.

2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship Schedule

Date Match-Up Kickoff (ET) Venue; City
Oct. 4 T&T vs. Panama 5 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
USA vs. Mexico 7:30 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
Oct. 5 Costa Rica vs. Cuba 6 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Canada vs. Jamaica 8:30 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Oct. 7 Panama vs. USA 5 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
Mexico vs. T&T 7:30 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
Oct. 8 Jamaica vs. Costa Rica 6 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Cuba vs. Canada 8:30 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Oct. 10 Panama vs. Mexico 5 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
T&T vs. USA 7:30 p.m. Sahlen’s Stadium; Cary, N.C.
Oct. 11 Cuba vs. Jamaica 7:30 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Costa Rica vs. Canada 10 p.m. H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Oct. 14 2nd A vs. 1st B 5 p.m.* Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
1st A vs. 2nd B 8 p.m.* Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
Oct. 17 Third-Place Match 5 p.m. Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas
Championship 8 p.m. Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas

* Order of semifinal matches may be switched to accommodate broadcasters.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.