Mexico, Haiti and more target Road To W Gold Cup League A | OneFootball

MIAMI, Florida – This Wednesday will mark the beginning of the Road To W Gold Cup for the nine teams in League A who are all hoping to finish first in their respective group to clinch a spot in the 2024 W Gold Cup.

Each match will be crucial, as a second-place finish in the group gives a team the chance to still qualify for the W Gold Cup via next February’s Prelims.

Following the first window from September 20-26, the next two windows will be in October and November, followed by next February’s Prelims.

The nine teams are divided into three groups of three teams, beginning in Group A with Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico.

Led by star players Katty Martinez and Alicia Cervantes, Mexico will start off the September window with a pair of home matches against their group opponents.

Both El Tricolor and Trinidad and Tobago finished in fourth place in the four-team groups in the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, so a fresh start in Concacaf competition awaits. Karyn Forbes and Asha James are two of the top players for Trinidad and Tobago.

Puerto Rico have made great strides in women’s football in recent years, reaching the semifinals in the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship and the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship.

After finishing in second-place right behind Mexico in Group A of 2022 Concacaf W Championship Qualification, the Boricuas will be looking to take the next step.

Group B is yet to be finalized, as the team that is defeated in this month’s Olympic Play-In between Jamaica and Canada will slot into Group B along with Panama and Guatemala.

With that in mind, the September window will see the two Central American countries square off in back-to-back matches.

Panama are coming off a first ever appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in which Marta Cox scored the country’s first Women’s World Cup goal.

Guatemala will be very competitive and boast a dynamic duo of Andrea Alvarez and Maria Monterroso, who each scored three goals in 2022 CWC Qualification.

Another two 2023 Women’s World Cup sides head up Group C, with Costa Rica and Haiti joined by Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Costa Rica will carry the heavy load in the first window in September, with a match away against Haiti, followed by a home date with Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Melissa Herrera and Raquel Rodriguez are the main players to watch for the Ticas, while Haiti will turn to one of the rising stars in all of women’s football, Melchie Dumornay, who took everyone’s breath away at Australia/New Zealand 2023.

Saint Kitts and Nevis will be up for the fight, though, and will seek revenge after losing to Costa Rica in 2022 CWC Qualification. Phoenetia Browne and Jahzara Claxton are two very dangerous strikers for the Caribbean side.