Guyana can qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup – Forde

Mar 14, 2024 Sports

Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz paying close attention to the Golden Jaguars training session.

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – Despite the challenges posed by insufficient infrastructure and other essential elements of the ‘beautiful game,’ the president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) firmly believes in the Golden Jaguars’ can qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Guyana’s senior men’s national team will compete in Group D for the Concacaf 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, alongside Panama, Nicaragua, Montserrat, and Belize.

GFF president, Wayne Forde

The Golden Jaguars will kick off their campaign on June 6 against Panama in Panama City, followed by matches against Belize on June 11, Nicaragua on June 6, 2025, and Montserrat on June 10, 2025.

“I believe that every time our national team performs, it’s an overachievement for football,” Forde told Kaieteur News at a recent press conference announcing the Golden Jaguars’ participation in the inaugural FIFA Series in Saudi Arabia.

“When one considers the severe lack of some basic facilities and infrastructure necessary for the game to be played, our team’s qualification and promotion to league A should be seen as a monumental achievement. If that doesn’t inspire hope across this nation, especially in those leading this charge, then what else do we need to be confident about?” Forde lamented.

The Golden Jaguars are set for the Middle East, where they will face Cabo Verde on March 21 and Cambodia on March 26 in the first-of-its-kind FIFA event.

Coach Jamaal Shabazz believes that the FIFA Series will play a crucial role in the country’s World Cup campaign.

Shabazz, who guided Guyana’s deepest run in a World Cup qualifier during their quest for a place in the 2014 event in Brazil, echoed Forde’s sentiments regarding the Golden Jaguars’ chances.

Recently, Forde labelled the lack of football facilities in Guyana a “crisis,” with the GFF’s National Training Centre being the only suitable venue for elite football, though not for hosting matches during the FIFA window or competition.

In fact, the Golden Jaguars played only one game in their Nations League campaign in Guyana, with other matches held in St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.

“Do I believe that we have the necessary building blocks in place at the moment? I don’t. While that is a goal, I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say it again, we have to see this journey beyond the goal. What do I mean by that?” Forde noted.

He added, “If we can’t find a common purpose, given our shared aspiration to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and we can’t make a concerted effort to put the fundamental things in place, then if, for some reason, we’re unable to secure a spot for 2026, we would’ve built infrastructure to improve our chances in every cycle. That’s where my attention is focused on… What are we doing with our stakeholders, and are we doing it in the right place? I can answer that; we are not.”

The Concacaf Qualifiers consist of three rounds involving 32 FIFA-affiliated Concacaf Member Associations, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States excluded due to already securing berths as hosts for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

In Group C, Barbados has been drawn alongside Curacao, St. Lucia, Haiti, and Aruba. Group A comprises Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Honduras, while Group B features Bahamas, Costa Rica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Meanwhile, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Jamaica will compete in Group E, with the winner of the matchup between the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands joining them.

Turks and Caicos Islands and Anguilla will vie for a chance to join Group F, where they would face off against El Salvador, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. Concacaf has outlined a schedule for each nation to play four matches between June 2024 and June 2025.

The top two teams from each group will advance, forming 12 teams that will be drawn into three groups of four. These countries will then play six games from September through November 2025, with the three group winners securing qualification.

The top two third-place teams will progress to intercontinental playoffs, involving one nation each from South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The four lowest-ranked teams will engage in single-elimination matches, with the winners advancing to face teams with byes in the next stage.

Concacaf stated that the winners of these matchups will secure their place in the highly anticipated 2026 tournament.

• 2024 World Cup campaign, alongside, Panama, World Cup, World Cup Qualifiers