ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) The United States' road to the 2018 World Cup opens in November with a four-nation group that includes Trinidad and Tobago.
Given a bye in the first three rounds along with the other powers of the North and Central American and Caribbean region, the United States was drawn into Group C for the fourth round, which will include Guatemala or Antigua and Barbuda, and Aruba or St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Seeking its eighth straight World Cup appearance, the Americans will start with a pair of games on Nov. 13 and 17. Play resumes March 25 and 29, and then takes a six-month break before concluding Sept. 2 and 6, 2016. The top two nations advance to the final round Hexagonal, which will produce three qualifiers and determine the fourth-place team that meets Asia's No. 5 team in a playoff for a berth. The Hexagonal starts Nov. 7, 2016, and ends Oct. 10, 2017.
Mexico is in Group A with Honduras, Canada or Belize, and El Salvador or Curacao. Group B includes Costa Rica, Jamaica or Nicaragua, and Haiti or Grenada.
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