Football
ESPN staff 8y

Mexico could open hex on road in United States after CONCACAF draw

The United States will host Mexico in the countries' first game of the final round of World Cup qualifying, should the Americans win their current group.

CONCACAF conducted the draw for the fifth round -- the "hexagonal" or "hex" -- on Friday, though the fourth round will not conclude until September.

The top two teams in each of the three fourth-round groups advance, with the six teams competing in a 10-game round-robin from November 2016 to October 2017.

Mexico is assured of first place in Group A from the fourth round, but no other hex position has been solidified with two games left to play in September.

Mexico learned on Friday that it will open away from home against the winner of Group C -- one of Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago or the U.S. -- in November.

El Tri's second game that month will also be on the road at one of Costa Rica, Jamaica or Panama, whichever finishes second in Group B.

If the U.S. wins Group C, the return leg for the Americans in Mexico would be on the sixth matchday in June 2017.

But should the U.S. finish second in its group, it would host Mexico on the fourth matchday in March, then travel to Mexico in the second-to-last matchday in October 2017.

The top three teams in the hexagonal will qualify for the 2018 World Cup, while the fourth-placed team will face a team from Asia for the final spot in Russia.

The full draw and schedule:

Team 1: C1 (Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, United States)
Team 2: B2 (Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama)
Team 3: A2 (Canada, El Salvador, Honduras)
Team 4: B1 (Costa Rica, Jamaica, Panama)
Team 5: A1 (Mexico)
Team 6: C2 (Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, United States)

Matchday 1: November 2016
C1 vs. Mexico, A2 vs. B2, C2 vs. B1

Matchday 2: November 2016
B1 vs. C1, B2 vs. Mexico, A2 vs. C2

Matchday 3: March 2017
C1 vs. A2, C2 vs. B2, Mexico vs. B1

Matchday 4: March 2017
B2 vs. C1, A2 vs. B1, C2 vs. Mexico

Matchday 5: June 2017
C1 vs. C2, B1 vs. B2, Mexico vs. A2

Matchday 6: June 2017
Mexico vs. C1, B2 vs. A2, B1 vs. C2

Matchday 7: August 2017
C1 vs. B1, Mexico vs. B2, C2 vs. A2

Matchday 8: September 2017
A2 vs. C1, B2 vs. C2, B1 vs. Mexico

Matchday 9: October 2017
C1 vs. B2, B1 vs. A2, Mexico vs. C2

Matchday 10: October 2017
C2 vs. C1, B2 vs. B1, A2 vs. Mexico

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