Following the conclusion of the opening round in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Caribbean Cup Qualifiers, Guyana has officially been paired in Group 3 with Curacao and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI).
Guyana topped Group 5 after wins over Anguilla by a 7-0 margin on local soil and a 1-0 away victory to Puerto Rico. The Golden Jaguars will open their round two campaign against Curacao on June 1 at the National Stadium in Providence before locking horns with USVI on June 7 at the Adelita Cancryn Playing Field.
Meanwhile, in the other second round pairings, Group 1 consists of Grenada, Puerto Rico and Antigua and Barbuda while Group 2 comprises Martinique, Guadeloupe and Dominica.
Group 4 features French Guiana, the Dominican Republic and Bermuda while Group 5 will be made up of St. Kitts/Nevis, Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Upon the conclusion of the second round, the third qualification level will kick off in October. The 5th place playoff will take place during the period of November 7-15 while the grand finale will occur in May of 2017.
The top three teams during the conclusion of the event will qualify for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Guyana’s best showing in the championship was in the 2007 edition, when they lost out on a semi-final berth and a place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup due to goal difference.
In their most recent outing in 2014, Guyana made a first round exit, losing twice and securing one draw in their matches with an inexperienced side featuring predominantly local players who were making their debuts.