Vancouver will host the 2012 CONCACAF women’s soccer Olympic qualifying tournament, the Canadian Soccer Association announced. From January 19-29, 2012, eight teams from the CONCACAF region will compete for two spots in the 2012 London Olympics.
The qualifying tournament will take place at the newly renovated BC Place, which MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps will move into later in the summer. The United States, Canada and Mexico will compete alongside three teams from the Caribbean and two teams from Central America for the two berths to London later in 2012.
“British Columbia enjoys a stellar reputation for supporting soccer and hosting major events,” Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary Peter Montopoli told canadasoccer.com . “We saw the success of the FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup in 2007 and the enthusiastic fan support that propelled the Vancouver Whitecaps FC into Major League Soccer. I can think of no better place for our Women’s National Team to win their way to London.”
In 2008 qualifying, the United States defeated Canada on penalty kicks in the final. Both teams qualified for the Beijing Olympics, with the United States winning gold.
