Costa Rica/Honduras in the same group is great too, those matches will be absolute knockdown, drag-out fights. Panama should cruise though their group. TnT will also be a challenge for Curaçao/Jamaica.

Would you make Panama favourites in Group A?

Jamaica favourites in Group B

And Costa Rica favourites in Group C?

Again just to want to say it is very much appreciated, @LewisGT and @DJHazey for the updates and stats you put into this.

Yes until Curaçao proves it in higher competition, it has to be called Jamaica's Group B to lose, so I'd agree Costa Rica/Jamaica/Panama.

Honduras and Curaçao for the intercontinental playoffs.

The teams in Group B mean we'll get at least one team that isn't in Central America qualifying then, which is good! Group C does seem nasty, in Group A I'd love to see Suriname qualify but who knows what'll happen.

3rd Round begins in September. Here's the slate for the first matches of the round:

Group A

9/4 - Suriname vs. Panama [Paramaribo, Suriname]

9/4 - Guatemala vs. El Salvador [Guatemala City]

9/8 - El Salvador vs. Suriname [San Salvador]

9/8 - Panama vs. Guatemala [Panama City]

Group B

9/5 - Bermuda vs. Jamaica [Devonshire Parish, Bermuda]

9/5 - Trinidad & Tobago vs. Curaçao [Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago]

9/9 - Jamaica vs. Trinidad & Tobago [Kingston]

9/9 - Curaçao vs. Bermuda [Willemstad, Curaçao]

Group C

9/5 - Haiti vs. Honduras [Willemstad, Curaçao]

9/5 - Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica [Managua, Nicaragua]

9/9 - Costa Rica vs. Haiti [San Jose, Costa Rica]

9/9 - Honduras vs. Nicaragua [Tegucigalpa, Honduras]

Biggest matches in that bunch to get things rolling will be El Salvador vs. Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago vs. Curaçao, and Haiti vs. Honduras as those could end up being the battle for 2nd place.

Group A got it stated with a couple of interesting results:

Suriname 0-0 Panama

Guatemala 0-1 El Salvador

I didn't see either going that way. Suriname showing they might be able to hang in a group where most would've had then far out in the 4th place.

Matchday 1 - Thursday

Group A

Suriname 0-0 Panama

Guatemala 0-1 El Salvador

Matchday 1 - Friday

Group B

Bermuda 0-4 Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago 0-0 Curaçao

Group C

Haiti 0-0 Honduras

Nicaragua 1-1 Costa Rica

Matchday 1 - Tables

Group A

1. El Salvador 1/6 (+1) 3

2. Panama 1/6 (0) 1

3. Suriname 1/6 (0) 1

4. Guatemala 1/6 (-1) 0

Group B

1. Jamaica 1/6 (+4) 3

2. Curaçao 1/6 (0) 1

3. Trinidad and Tobago 1/6 (0) 1

4. Bermuda 1/6 (-4) 0

Group C

1. Costa Rica 1/6 (0) 1

2. Nicaragua 1/6 (0) 1

3. Honduras 1/6 (0) 1

4. Haiti 1/6 (0) 1

After Matchday 1:

Qualification:

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Jamaica

Play-Offs:

Nicaragua

Panama

Reminder for how this works as it's Matchday 1. The three group winners will qualify for the World Cup while the two best-ranked second place teams will qualify for the Intercontinental Play-Offs.

Group A is crazy so far, whoever had Suriname as the leader after September probably won alot of money.

Matchday 2

Group A

El Salvador 1-2 Suriname

Panama 1-1 Guatemala

Group B

Curaçao 3-2 Bermuda

Jamaica 2-0 Trinidad and Tobago

Group C

Costa Rica 3-3 Haiti

Honduras 2-0 Nicaragua

Matchday 2 - Tables

Group A

1. Suriname 2/6 (+1) 4

2. El Salvador 2/6 (0) 3

3. Panama 2/6 (0) 2

4. Guatemala 2/6 (-1) 1

Group B

1. Jamaica 2/6 (+6) 6

2. Curaçao 2/6 (+1) 4

3. Trinidad and Tobago 2/6 (-2) 1

4. Bermuda 2/6 (-5) 0

Group C

1. Honduras 2/6 (+2) 4

2. Costa Rica 2/6 (0) 2

3. Haiti 2/6 (0) 2

4. Nicaragua 2/6 (-2) 1

After Matchday 2:

Qualification:

Honduras

Jamaica

Suriname

Play-Offs:

Curaçao

El Salvador

October Schedule:

Group A

10/10 | (1) Suriname vs. (4) Guatemala

10/10 | (2) El Salvador vs. (3) Panama

10/14 | (3) Panama vs. (1) Suriname

10/14 | (2) El Salvador vs. (4) Guatemala

Group B

10/10 | (4) Bermuda vs. (3) Trinidad and Tobago

10/10 | (2) Curaçao vs. (1) Jamaica

10/14 | (2) Curaçao vs. Trinidad and Tobago

10/14 | (1) Jamaica vs. Bermuda

Group C

10/9 | (4) Nicaragua vs. (3) Haiti

10/9 | (1) Honduras vs. (2) Costa Rica

10/13 | (1) Honduras vs. (3) Haiti

10/13 | (2) Costa Rica vs. (4) Nicaragua

Matchday 3 - Thursday

Group C

Nicaragua 0-3 Haiti

Honduras 0-0 Costa Rica

Who had Costa Rica not winning any of the opening 3?

Matchday 3 - Friday

Group A

Suriname 1-1 Guatemala

El Salvador 0-1 Panama

Group B

Bermuda 0-3 Trinidad & Tobago

Curaçao 2-0 Jamaica

Matchday 3 - Tables

Group A

1. Suriname 3/6 (+1) 5

2. Panama 3/6 (+1) 5

3. El Salvador 3/6 (-1) 3

4. Guatemala 3/6 (-1) 2

Group B

1. Curaçao 3/6 (+3) 7

2. Jamaica 3/6 (+4) 6

3. Trinidad and Tobago 3/6 (+1) 4

4. Bermuda 3/6 (-8) 0

Group C

1. Haiti 3/6 (+3) 5

2. Honduras 3/6 (+2) 5

3. Costa Rica 3/6 (0) 3

4. Nicaragua 3/6 (-5) 1

After Matchday 3:

Qualification:

Curaçao

Haiti

Suriname

Play-Offs:

Honduras

Jamaica

We're at the half-way stage and none of the top-seeded teams are in qualifying positions Out of the three, only Jamaica is even on track for the play-offs!

Curaçao & Suriname would be first time qualifiers if they hold on, while Haiti previously only qualified in 1974

I don't see Suriname hanging on to this, I think Panama will get it by the end.

Curaçao however has a better chance. They need to get a result in Kingston and also hope Jamaica loses their away fixture with TnT.

Honduras/Costa Rica was always going to be very close. The only difference between them so far is that Costa Rica tied Haiti at home 3-3 and Honduras won that 3-0. Also, in Honduras home fixture between the two, it was 0-0, so if Costa Rica takes the home game it will swing to them. Costa Rica still also has to travel to Haiti, and Honduras already did that and only has a less challenging trip to Nicaragua. This will come down to the last matches.

Hait isn't out of this either.