Golden Jaguars World Cup quest starts in Panama tonight

Jun 06, 2024 Sports

By Rawle Toney

Golden Jaguars players in preparation mode in Panama ahead of their World Cup qualifier.

Kaieteur Sports – The 2026 World Cup is on the horizon, and like every country affiliated with football’s global governing body, FIFA, Guyana will be hoping to qualify for the beautiful game’s biggest spectacle.

Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz and his assistant, Wayne Dover, having a moment with some Golden Jaguars players during their lead-up to tonight’s game.

The Golden Jaguars will start their journey to the World Cup against Panama today in Panama City, with kick-off set for 8:30 pm at the Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez.

Of the 211 countries affiliated with FIFA, only 80 have ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Among those, just 11 are from the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region.

Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz believes Guyana could join Cuba (1938), Haiti (1974), Jamaica (1998), and Trinidad and Tobago (2006) as Caribbean countries to reach FIFA’s premier tournament.

Guyana will play Panama for just the second time in their history, with the first meeting, at the 2019 Gold Cup, ending 4–2 in favour of the Central American side.

The Golden Jaguars headed to Panama following a stint in Brazil where they faced some of the country’s top sides, as Shabazz stated, “The matches in Brazil provided a good dress rehearsal for us. Our tactical patterns are ambitious but clearly understood by the players. We have a couple more days to complete our work.”
Shabazz will turn to Chicago Fire’s Omari Glasgow and Seattle Sounders forward Osaze De Rosario to lead his attack, with both players competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) NextPro League.

“I’m excited about the World Cup campaign,” Glasgow said. “This is what we’ve been preparing for, so I’m excited to go out there and perform individually and as a team. I think the first two games will be a test, but I’m up for the challenge.”

Glasgow is Shabazz’s talisman, being his leading scorer in League B of the CONCACAF Nations League, and is on the verge of becoming the country’s leading scorer, with 16 goals in 22 appearances for Guyana.

Shabazz will also have Nathan Moriah-Welsh at his disposal. The player, who recently signed with Scottish Premier League side Hibernian FC, has not suited up for Guyana since scoring for the Golden Jaguars in their 6–0 win over Antigua and Barbuda in the final Nations League game last year.

Slingerz FC’s captain Quincy Adams and his teammates Curtez Kellman, Darron Niles, Leo Lovell, and Akel Clarke will join the Guyana Defence Force’s Colin Nelson, Ryan Hackett, and Kelsey Benjamin, alongside Western Tigers’ Daniel Wilson as the locally-based players on the team.

Drawn into Group D alongside Panama, Nicaragua, Montserrat, and Belize, they face formidable opponents, starting with their opening fixture against Panama, currently ranked third on the CONCACAF Index as of March 31.

Guyana currently occupies the 19th position on the table.

The squad is set to take on Belize, currently ranked 29th by CONCACAF, in Barbados on June 11.

Guyana’s most significant advancement in the Cup qualifiers occurred in the lead-up to the 2014 tournament in Brazil, where the Golden Jaguars reached the penultimate round in the CONCACAF region, where they faced eventual qualifiers Mexico and Costa Rica, along with playing El Salvador in home-and-away fixtures.

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and Akel Clarke will join the Guyana Defence, Curtez Kellman, Darron Niles, Leo Lovell, NextPro League

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