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CANCUN, Mexico -- CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying opens with the first matches of Group B play on Thursday with Costa Rica facing Guatemala and the three-time defending champion United States playing Haiti at Estadio Andres Quintana Roo.

COSTA RICA vs. GUATEMALA, 6 p.m. ET

Costa Rica and Guatemala have met once before in the finals of a CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying competition. They have met twice before in Central American preliminary round play, with each team winning once.

In their last meeting in 2006, Guatemala won 2-1 on an injury time goal from Marcela Barrera at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.

Costa Rica has the most victories (12) and goals (44) by any Central American nation in CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup Qualifying history.

Previous meetings in WWCQ:
September 6, 1998: Costa Rica 4, Guatemala 0 at Toronto*
August 2, 2002: Costa Rica 4, Guatemala 0 at San Salvador, El Salvador
May 24, 2006: Guatemala 2, Costa Rica 1 at Panama City

* CONCACAF finals

UNITED STATES vs. HAITI, 8:30 p.m. ET

This is the second meeting in CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying play between the United States and Haiti and first in 19 years. The Americans won 10-0 in the 1991 semifinals at Port-au-Prince's Stade Silvio Cator. Kristine Lilly, a member of the current U.S. squad, scored one of her 130 career goals in that match.

The United States has never lost a CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying game, winning 23 and drawing one (16-0-0 in World Cup qualifying games).

Les Bicolor have the most victories (15) by any Caribbean nation in the competition, three of which came in the finals.

Previous meetings in WWCQ:
April 24, 1991: United States 10, Haiti 0 at Port-au-Prince, Haiti*

* CONCACAF finals

Did You Know?
The first game in CONCACAF women's championship/World Cup qualifying history took place on April 16, 1991, between Canada and Costa Rica. The Canadians won 6-0 in front of 40,000 at the Stade Silvio Cator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.