Barbados national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Barbados women's national football team.

Barbados
Nickname(s)Bajan Tridents
AssociationBarbados Football Association
ConfederationCONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederationCFU (Caribbean)
Head coachEmmerson Boyce
CaptainJomo Harris
Most capsNorman Forde (74)
Top scorerLlewellyn Riley (23)[1]
Home stadiumWildey Turf
FIFA codeBRB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 177 Increase 1 (4 April 2024)[2]
Highest92 (October 2009)
Lowest181 (July 2017)
First international
 Barbados 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago 
(Barbados; 20 April 1929)
Biggest win
 Barbados 7–1 Anguilla 
(St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda; 24 September 2006)
Biggest defeat
 British Guiana 9–0 Barbados 
(British Guiana; March 1931)
 Trinidad and Tobago 9–0 Barbados 
(Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; 25 March 2022)
Medal record
CFU Caribbean Cup
Silver medal – second place 1985 Barbados Team

The Barbados national football team, nicknamed Bajan Tridents, is the national football team of Barbados, and is controlled by the Barbados Football Association. It has never qualified for a major international tournament. It came close to qualifying for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup as it hosted the Caribbean Cup finals that acted as Gold Cup qualifiers, but finished fourth of the four teams. In 2001, it surprised many by making the semi-final round of the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers. In the first game of this round, they pulled off a shock 2–1 win over Costa Rica, but lost their five remaining games. In 2004, Barbados gained a shock 1–1 draw at home to Northern Ireland.

History[edit]

Beginnings (1929–1980)[edit]

Barbados played their first international match on April 20, 1929, against Trinidad and Tobago, ending in a 3–0 victory. In the 1930s, they participated in several editions of the Martínez Shield[4] where they suffered their most severe defeat against Guyana (at that time, British Guiana), in Georgetown, in 1931, 9–0.

Barbados had to wait for the qualifying tournament for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games to play its first official competition match against the amateur team of El Salvador, on July 25, 1971, in Bridgetown, a match that saw the Selecta win 0–3. Two years later, Barbados participated in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, in Santo Domingo, although it did not qualify past the first round. On August 15, 1976, Barbados defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2–1 (a brace by Victor Clarke) in the 1978 World Cup qualifiers, which doubled as qualification for the 1977 CONCACAF Championship. In the second leg, the Soca Warriors claimed their revenge (1–0) in Port of Spain, taking the tie to a third tiebreaker game, played in Bridgetown, on September 14, 1976, where Trinidad and Tobago won 1–3, eliminating Barbados.

1980–2000[edit]

In the '80s, the Bajan Braves obtained 2nd place in the 1985 CFU Championship. The following year they played the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games, where they reached the quarterfinals, before being eliminated by the hosts, Dominican Republic. At the end of the decade, Barbados hosted the first edition of the Caribbean Cup, without being able to progress beyond the group stage.

In the 90s, Barbados would return to the World Cup qualifiers, in the preliminary tournament for the 1994 World Cup, where it was again eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago (5–1). In the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, after beating Dominica with an aggregate score of 2–0, Barbados was beaten down by Jamaica (0–1 in Bridgetown and 2–0 in Kingston). In the Caribbean Cup, the Bajan Braves qualified for the 1994 competition (eliminated in the first round) but subsequently failed to qualify for the annual competition from 1995 to 1999.

2000s[edit]

The 21st century started well for Barbados, who eliminated Cuba on penalties (5–4), after two 1–1 draws in Havana and Bridgetown, during the qualifying rounds for the 2002 World Cup. In the second round, they achieved a historic victory at home against Costa Rica (2–1), on July 16, 2000, with goals from Llewellyn Riley and Michael Forde. However after winning that match, the Barbadians lost the remaining fixtures, wasting their chance to advance to the final hexagonal.

They would return in 2001 to the final phase of the Caribbean Cup, although without much luck after being eliminated again in the first round. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, the Saint Kitts and Nevis team eliminated Barbados in the first phase, with an aggregate score of 5–2. In 2005, Barbados hosted (for the second time) the XII edition of the Caribbean Cup, finishing in 4th place. They also qualified for the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, eliminated both times in the group stage. In the preliminary tournament for the 2010 World Cup, Barbados was eliminated by the United States, over two legs, with a crushing aggregate result of 9–0.

2010–present[edit]

The qualifiers heading to the 2014 World Cup were a real ordeal for the Bajan Braves who were placed into a group with Bermuda, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. They finished last in the group, with 2 goals scored and 14 conceded. After being eliminated in the preliminary phase of the Caribbean Cup in 2012 and after 17 months of inactivity, Barbados returned to play an international match, on March 2, 2014, against Jamaica, in Bridgetown, a match that concluded with victory for the Reggae Boyz, 2–0.

In the qualifying rounds for the 2018 World Cup, they would face the US Virgin Islands where they were surprised 0–1 at home, however, Barbados would overcome the deficit by a 0–4 victory on the road. Then they would face Aruba, winning 0–2 as a visitor, then beating them 1–0 at home however Barbados had fielded an ineligible player, Hadan Holligan, who was due to serve a suspension for collecting two yellow cards, therefore the second leg was awarded to Aruba 3–0, seeing them progress, eliminating Barbados.[5]

Results and fixtures[edit]

Main articles: Barbados national football team results (2000–2019) and Barbados national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023[edit]

22 February Friendly Grenada  1–1  Barbados Sauteurs, Grenada
19:00 UTC−4
  • Charles 90+1' (pen)
 Report
Stadium: Fond Playing Field
Referee: Moet Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
24 February Friendly Grenada  2–2  Barbados St. George's, Grenada
19:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Kirani James Athletic Stadium
Referee: Reon Radix (Grenada)
26 February Friendly Grenada  2–2  Barbados St. George's, Grenada
16:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Kirani James Athletic Stadium
Referee: Moet Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
23 March 2022–23 Nations League Barbados  0–1  Cuba Wildey, Barbados
19:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Walter López (Guatemala)
26 March 2022–23 Nations League Antigua and Barbuda  1–2  Barbados North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador)
18 June Friendly Honduras  Cancelled  Barbados Baton Rouge, United States
Report Stadium: BREC Memorial Stadium
8 September 2023–24 Nations League Barbados  2–3  Montserrat Wildey, Barbados
19:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Ken Pennyfeather (Antigua and Barbuda)
11 September 2023–24 Nations League Nicaragua  5–1  Barbados Managua, Nicaragua
20:00 UTC−6
Report
Stadium: Estadio Nacional
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)
13 October 2023–24 Nations League Barbados  0–5  Dominican Republic Wildey, Barbados
20:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Benjamin Whitty (Cayman Islands)
16 October 2023–24 Nations League Dominican Republic  5–2  Barbados Santiago, Dominican Republic
22:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Estadio Cibao FC
Referee: Nima Saghafi (United States)
17 November 2023–24 Nations League Barbados  0–4  Nicaragua Wildey, Barbados
17:00 UTC−4 Report
Stadium: Wildey Turf
Referee: Kwinsi Williams (Trinidad and Tobago)
20 November 2023–24 Nations League Montserrat  4–2  Barbados Look Out, Montserrat
15:00 UTC−4
Report
Stadium: Blakes Estate Stadium
Referee: Moeth Gaymes (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

2024[edit]

5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Curaçao  v  Barbados
9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Barbados  v  Haiti

2025[edit]

4 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Barbados  v  Aruba
10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Saint Lucia  v  Barbados

Coaching history[edit]

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Liam Brathwaite (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 (age 23) 9 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds
1GK Raheem Agard (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 (age 23) 1 0 Barbados Whitehall Titans
1GK Kevon Allsopp (2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Barbados Deacons
2DF Shane Codrington (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 28) 23 0 Barbados Ellerton
2DF Ramon Manning (1993-01-11) 11 January 1993 (age 31) 13 0 Barbados Paradise
2DF Andre Applewhaite (2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 (age 21) 10 0 United States Coastal Bend College
2DF Zachary Ellis-Hayden (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 32) 2 0 Canada Guelph United
3MF Mario Williams (1992-08-19) 19 August 1992 (age 31) 47 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales
3MF Jomo Harris (1995-02-15) 15 February 1995 (age 29) 42 2 Barbados Paradise
3MF Rashad Jules (1992-06-24) 24 June 1992 (age 31) 37 7 Barbados Ellerton
3MF Tajio James (2003-12-17) 17 December 2003 (age 20) 9 4 United States Central Arkansas Bears
3MF Elijah Downey (1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Barbados Paradise
3MF Akeem Chandler (2004-07-27) 27 July 2004 (age 19) 3 0 Barbados Paradise
3MF Rámon Griffith (1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 (age 30) 2 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds
4FW Armando Lashley (1991-11-08) 8 November 1991 (age 32) 42 4 Barbados Paradise
4FW Omani Leacock (1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 (age 25) 26 2 Free agent
4FW Nadre Butcher (2004-03-06) 6 March 2004 (age 20) 11 1 Republic of Ireland Bray Wanderers
4FW Thierry Gale (2002-05-01) 1 May 2002 (age 21) 9 2 Austria Rapid Wien
4FW Shaquan Clarke (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Barbados Ellerton
4FW Ryan Trotman (1999-06-27) 27 June 1999 (age 24) 5 0 Gibraltar Glacis United
4FW Kemar Holligan (2000-04-16) 16 April 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Barbados Empire Club
4FW Shaquan Collymore (1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 24) 2 0 Barbados Ellerton
4FW Curtis Hutson (1994-08-14) 14 August 1994 (age 29) 2 0 Wales Merthyr Town

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have been called up within the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Krystian Pearce (1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 34) 11 0 England Kidderminster Harriers v.  Montserrat, 8 September 2023
DF Rashad Smith (1996-07-31) 31 July 1996 (age 27) 18 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Grenada, 26 February 2023
MF Ackeel Applewhaite (1999-07-17) 17 July 1999 (age 24) 39 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Grenada, 26 February 2023
MF Kevon Lucas (2004-03-11) 11 March 2004 (age 20) 4 0 Barbados Notre Dame v.  Grenada, 26 February 2023
MF Devonte Richards (2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 (age 21) 3 0 Free agent v.  Grenada, 26 February 2023
FW Antoine Greaves (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 24) 7 0 Barbados Wotton v.  Grenada, 26 February 2023

Player records[edit]

As of 20 November 2023[7]
Players in bold are still active with Barbados.

Most appearances[edit]

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Norman Forde 74 18 1998–2011
2 John Parris 64 4 2000–2011
3 Gregory Goodridge 61 16 1995–2008
4 Mario Harte 55 15 2008–2019
5 Hadan Holligan 54 5 2015–present
6 Mario Williams 49 0 2015–present
7 Raheim Sargeant 47 3 2010–2019
8 Jomo Harris 45 2 2015–present
Jonathan Straker 45 2 1998–2011
10 Ricardio Morris 44 1 2012–present

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Llewellyn Riley 23 43 0.53 1995–2005
2 Norman Forde 18 74 0.24 1998–2011
3 Gregory Goodridge 16 61 0.26 1995–2008
4 Mario Harte 15 55 0.27 2008–2019
5 Jeff Williams 11 37 0.3 2005–2014
6 Jerry Alexander 9 11 0.82 1995–2000
7 Riviere Williams 8 27 0.3 2003–2011
Rashad Jules 8 39 0.21 2015–present
9 Paul Ifill 6 10 0.6 2004–2008
Thierry Gale 6 13 0.46 2018–present

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L F A Pld W D* L F A
1930 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 and 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 3 5
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
France 1998 4 2 0 2 2 3
South Korea Japan 2002 12 4 3 5 17 27
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 2 5
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 2 10
Brazil 2014 6 0 0 6 2 14
Russia 2018 Disqualified after qualifying for third round[8][9] 4 2 0 2 6 4
Qatar 2022 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 3 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total - 0/14 - - - - - - 41 11 6 24 38 76

CONCACAF Gold Cup[edit]

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Did not enter
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977 Did not qualify
Honduras 1981 Withdrew
1985 Did not enter
1989
United States 1991
MexicoUnited States 1993 Did not qualify
United States 1996
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002
MexicoUnited States 2003
United States 2005
United States 2007
United States 2009
United States 2011
United States 2013
CanadaUnited States 2015
United States 2017
Costa RicaJamaicaUnited States 2019
United States 2021
CanadaUnited States 2023
Total - - - - - - - -

CONCACAF Nations League[edit]

CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Pld W D* L GF GA P/R Finals Results Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019–20 C A 6 4 0 2 14 4 Rise United States 2021 Did not qualify
2022–23 B A 6 1 0 5 3 9 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B B 6 0 0 6 7 26 Fall United States 2024
2024–25 C To be determined 2025
Total — — 18 5 0 13 24 39 — Total 0 Titles — — — — — — —

CFU Caribbean Cup[edit]

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 First round - 2 0 1 1 0 1 -
Suriname 1979 Did not enter Did not enter
Puerto Rico 1981 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
French Guiana 1983 4 1 2 1 2 3
Barbados 1985 Runners-up 2nd 3 0 3 0 2 2 Qualified as host
Martinique 1988 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 9
Barbados 1989 Group stage 5th 2 1 0 1 1 3 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 1990 Abandoned[10] - 2 1 1 0 5 4 3 2 1 0 3 1
Jamaica 1991 Did not enter Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 4
Jamaica 1993 3 2 0 1 9 2
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 3 5 2 1 0 1 4 3
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 2 1 0 1 2 2
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 2 1 1 0 3 1
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 3 1 0 2 6 9
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 5 3 1 1 9 4
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 10 3 2 1 0 9 5
Barbados 2005 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 3 6 6 4 2 0 17 5
Jamaica 2008 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 4 8 5 4 1 0 11 6
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify 3 1 2 0 6 1
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 3 2 0 1 3 2
Jamaica 2014 6 2 1 3 12 13
Martinique 2017 2 1 0 1 1 2
Total Runners-up 9/25 24 2 8 14 22 46 63 31 16 16 113 77

Head-to-head record[edit]

These all-time records are exclusively class 'A' internationals matches.[11]

Key

  Winning record   Equal record   Losing record

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA
 Anguilla 2 2 0 0 8 1
 Antigua and Barbuda 7 5 1 1 14 8
 Aruba 6 5 0 1 16 7
 Bahamas 1 1 0 0 2 1
 Belize 2 0 1 1 0 1
 Bermuda 13 4 4 5 16 19
 Canada 3 0 0 3 2 9
 Cayman Islands 3 2 0 1 11 4
 Costa Rica 2 1 0 1 2 4
 Cuba 8 0 4 4 3 11
 Curaçao 1 1 0 0 1 0
 Dominica 12 7 2 3 18 11
 Dominican Republic 2 0 0 2 0 3
 El Salvador 1 0 0 1 0 3
 Finland 1 0 1 0 0 0
 Grenada 18 9 7 2 32 18
 Guadeloupe 4 1 1 2 3 4
 Guatemala 3 0 1 2 1 5
 Guyana 17 5 5 7 26 24
 Haiti 2 0 0 2 2 6
 Jamaica 12 2 2 10 9 24
 Martinique 8 1 2 5 12 19
 Montserrat 1 1 0 0 5 0
 Netherlands Antilles 3 2 1 0 3 1
 Nicaragua 3 1 0 2 1 5
 Northern Ireland 1 0 1 0 1 1
 Panama 1 0 0 1 0 1
 Puerto Rico 3 1 0 2 2 2
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10 3 2 5 13 18
 Saint Lucia 8 3 2 3 16 11
 Saint Martin 2 1 0 1 4 1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16 6 5 5 25 21
 Suriname 4 1 3 0 6 5
 Sweden 1 0 0 1 0 4
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 1 0 0 2 0
 U.S. Virgin Islands 5 4 0 1 12 1
 United States 4 0 0 4 0 20
Total 192 70 45 78 259 272

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Llewellyn Riley". www.soccer-db.info. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Martinez Shield". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ "FIFA ousts Barbados from World Cup for ineligible player". AP News. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Squad Announcement | Our 23-man squad has been named to face Cuba and Antigua & Barbuda". Barbados Football Association - Facebook. 20 March 2023. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Barbados". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^ FIFA awarded Aruba a 3–0 win as a result of Barbados fielding the ineligible player Hadan Holligan. Holligan failed to serve an automatic one match suspension for receiving two yellow cards earlier in the competition. The match originally ended 1–0 to Barbados
  9. ^ "Barbados sanctioned for fielding ineligible player". FIFA. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015.
  10. ^ Play was suspended when Jamaat al Muslimeen attempted a coup d'état of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament was abandoned altogether after Tropical storm Arthur forced the cancellation of the final round of games. Trinidad and Tobago were to meet Martinique in the final.
  11. ^ "Barbados national football team statistics and records: All-time record". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.

External links[edit]

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