CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship Third-Place Finisher USA to Face Colombia in Home-and-Away Series for Final Olympic Berth
Member associations to set dates for matches; series to be completed before the end of March
Miami (Monday, October 19, 2015) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today confirmed that the playoff between the United States and Colombia for the final berth in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Men’s Olympic Football Tournament will be disputed in a home-and-away format.
The United States earned a place in the play-in series after finishing third at the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, which concluded last week. The CONCACAF side faces off in the playoff against CONMEBOL nation Colombia, the second-place finisher at the 2015 South American Youth Championship.
The Olympic Football tournaments fall under the auspices of FIFA, which conducted a preliminary draw for the event in March. At that draw, it was determined that the CONMEBOL participant would host the first leg of the playoff. The second leg will be hosted by the United States.
A full set of Regulations governing the tournament can be found here.
The exact dates, times and venues for the playoff matches will be determined by the Participating Member Associations in due course. FIFA has stipulated that both matches must be completed before the end of March, 2016.
The Football Tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is scheduled to be played from August 3-20, in seven stadiums in six cities across Brazil. Mexico -- the Olympic Games gold medalist in 2012 and champion of the 2015 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship -- and Honduras have already qualified from CONCACAF.
Rio 2016 Men’s Football Tournament – Qualified Nations and Playoff Participants
CONCACAF
Qualified
1. Mexico (Winner -- CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship)
2. Honduras (Runner-up -- CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship)
Playoff versus CONMEBOL
3. United States (Third Place -- CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship)
CONMEBOL
Qualified
1. Argentina (Winner -- 2015 South American Youth Championship)
2. Brazil (Host Nation)
Playoff versus CONCACAF
3. Colombia (Second Place --2015 South American Youth Championship)