KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Last year’s hosts Martinique will help to launch the Caribbean Football Union’s Caribbean Cup when they face British Virgin Islands in Group 3 action starting next Wednesday.
Twenty-five teams will contest the tournament, the region’s premier football championship, with the four top teams qualifying for the next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The French side, who failed to reach the knock out stage in the last edition, will host the group at Stade En Camee in the town of Riviere-Pilote.
Montserrat and Suriname, who also comprise the group, will do battle in the other fixture of the double header on the opening night.
Group 1 will get going in Haiti on September 7 and will involve Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St Martin and the hosts, who were champions five years ago when the finals were played in Trinidad.
The group, which runs until September 11, will see Bermuda clashing with Puerto Rico and Haiti tackling St Martin on opening night in Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, Barbados will host Group 4 from September 23-27, with Aruba, Dominica and the Dominican Republic doing battle for a second round spot.
Group 5 will be staged in St Kitts and will feature Anguilla, French Guiana, eight-time champions Trinidad and Tobago and the hosts.
St Lucia will play hosts to Group 2 involving Curacao, Guyana and St Vincent and Grenadines but no playing dates have been announced.
In the second round, Grenada will host Group 6, Guadeloupe will stage Group 7 while Trinidad will host Group 8.
The final round will comprise the two top teams from each second-round group and will run from December 3-15 in Antigua and Barbuda.
Jamaica are defending champions after beating Guadeloupe on penalties in the 2010 final, and along with hosts Antigua have secured automatic spots in the final round.
