What to know for soccer's Gold Cup

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With Canada set to co-host the FIFA World Cup in less than a year, the ascendant men's national soccer team will measure its readiness over the next few weeks at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The biennial championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean kicked off on Saturday in the United States, and Canada plays its first match tonight at 10 p.m. ET in Vancouver against Honduras.

Here's what to know about the tournament:

There are 16 teams, divided into four groups:

Group A: Mexico (ranked No. 17 in the world), Costa Rica (54), Suriname (137), Dominican Republic (139).

Group B: Canada (30), Honduras (75), El Salvador (81), Curacao (90).

Group C: Panama (33), Jamaica (63), Guatemala (106), Guadeloupe

Group D: United States (16), Saudi Arabia (58), Haiti (83), Trinidad and Tobago (100).

Yes, Saudi Arabia seems out of place. The Persian Gulf kingdom is of course not part of the CONCACAF confederation, but it was invited to the Gold Cup as a guest team — much like how Canada and five other CONCACAF countries joined last summer's Copa America, the South American championship.

The top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals on June 28 and 29 in Glendale, Ariz., and Minneapolis. The semifinals are on July 2 in St. Louis and Santa Clara, Calif. The championship final is on July 6 in Houston.

With the exception of the Canada-Honduras matchup tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET at Vancouver's BC Place, all games are taking place in the United States. The U.S. is also the primary host of next year's World Cup, with Canada and Mexico serving as co-hosts.

After tonight,