MEXICO CITY, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Mexico will begin their qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a home clash against Jamaica next September, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) said on Friday.
The first opponents of Honduras, the United States and Costa Rica will hinge on results from earlier matches, according to a CONCACAF statement.
The announcement came as FIFA approved plans to allow confederations to stage three matches during each international window next year to make up for delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the case of CONCACAF, the confederation may schedule three matches on the FIFA dates of September and October 2021, and January and March 2022," the statement read.
The first phase of qualifiers, currently underway, comprises 30 teams ranked from No. 6 to No. 35 in the CONCACAF region.
The winners of each of the six groups will advance to the second round, during which they will bid for three slots available in the final stage of the qualifying tournament.
The top three teams in the last phase - a home-and-away round-robin in which Mexico, the United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras are already guaranteed a place - will earn a berth at Qatar 2022.
The fourth-ranked team will play an intercontinental playoff in June 2022. Enditem
