Guyana national football team

Guyana
Nickname(s)	Golden Jaguars
Association	Guyana Football Federation
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Márcio Máximo
Most caps	Charles Pollard (80)
Top scorer	Nigel Codrington (18)
Home stadium	Providence Stadium
FIFA code	GUY
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	173 8 (12 August 2021)
Highest	86 (November 2010)
Lowest	185 (February 2004)
First international
	British Guiana 1–4 Trinidad and Tobago ; (British Guiana; 21 July 1905)
Biggest win
	Guyana 14–0 Anguilla ; (St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda; 16 April 1998)
Biggest defeat
	Mexico 9–0 Guyana ; (Santa Ana, United States; 2 December 1987); Surinam 9–0 British Guiana ; (Netherlands Antilles; 17 February 1952); Surinam 9–0 British Guiana ; (Aruba; 9 February 1953)
Gold Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best result	Group stage (2019)

The Guyana national football team, nicknamed the Golden Jaguars, represents Guyana in international football and is controlled by the Guyana Football Federation. It is one of three South American nations to be a member of the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF alongside Suriname and French Guiana. Until the independence of Guyana in 1966, it competed as British Guiana. They qualified for the Caribbean Nations Cup in 1991, coming fourth, and in 2007. Guyana has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but on 23 March 2019 they qualified for the first time for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

History[]

British Guiana (1905–59)[]

Guyana (as British Guiana) played its first international football match on 21 July 1905, a 4–1 defeat against nearby and fellow British colony Trinidad and Tobago. Their next recorded game came almost 16 years later on 28 January 1921, an away 2–1 win against its neighbour Suriname. The two played again in Suriname on 27 August 1923, and on that occasion the hosts won 2–1. British Guiana did not play another match until 1937, when they lost two matches against Trinidad and Tobago in Suriname: 3–0 and 3–2. After seven years without a match, British Guiana entered a three-team tournament in Trinidad & Tobago against its national side and Barbados. They won twice against Barbados (1–0 and 3–0) before drawing 1–1 and losing 3–0 to Trinidad and Tobago. In the final of this Trinagular tournament they again lost 3–0 to Trinidad and Tobago.

In November 1947 British Guiana played in a Standard Life tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. They beat the hosts 2–1 in their opening game on 5 November before beating Jamaica 2–0 the very next day. On 10 November they drew 0–0 with Jamaica before losing 2–0 to Trinidad and Tobago in the last game on 14 November.

British Guiana played its first home games in 1950 against Trinidad and Tobago: these were British Guiana's first matches since the Standard Life tournament. British Guiana lost 1–0 and 4–1 before winning 1–0. The last match played under the name British Guiana was the next match on 2 March 1959 – a 2–2 draw against Trinidad and Tobago.^[4]

Guyana[]

After independence in 1966, Guyana did not play a match for five years. Their first fixtures under their new name were qualifiers for the 1971 CONCACAF Championship against Suriname. The first match, away, was lost 4–1 and the home match on 21 September 1971 was lost 3–2 as Suriname advanced 7–3 on aggregate. In 1976 Guyana entered its first ever World Cup qualification campaign with the aim of reaching the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. Guyana and Suriname were drawn in a two-legged preliminary in the Caribbean section of CONCACAF qualification and Guyana won the first leg 2–0 at home on 4 July 1976. The second leg in Paramaribo was lost 3–0 which allowed Suriname to advance.^[4]

2006[]

Guyana had a remarkable calendar year in 2006, with eleven successive wins, including five CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers^[5] These results boosted Guyana's spot in the FIFA World Rankings by 87 spots in little over a year. As a consequence, the team rose to the top 12 in CONCACAF and were in the third rank of seeds in the World Cup qualifying draw.

Caribbean Nations Cup 2007[]

At the 2006–07 Caribbean Nations Cup, Guyana finished top of Group A in Stage One, then top of Group H in Stage Two (which they hosted), and finished 3rd in the Bobby Sookram Group, missing out on a semi-final berth on goal difference alone. Had Guyana reached the semi-finals, they would have qualified for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

2014 World Cup qualifying[]

With the return of international coach Jamaal Shabazz, Guyana finished top of a group containing Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Bermuda to reach the third round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They qualified with one game to go with a 2–1 home win against Trinidad and Tobago on 11 November 2011.

Guyana organised friendly matches against Columbia, Bolivia, Jamaica and Panama for the first team. In the third round group, they finished last, behind Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador, with one point from their six matches.

Lack of football 2013/14[]

From November 2012 to October 2014 Guyana did not play a single international fixture. This amongst other factors led to FIFA stepping in and removing the GFF executive at the end of 2014.^[6]

2015 and 2016 return of the Golden Jaguars[]

With FIFA stepping into Guyana once again, a FIFA Normalisation Committee was installed to regularise football in Guyana. With this came the search for a National Team Head Coach with Jamaal Shabazz reinstalled initially for one game versus Barbados in Jan 2015. As Guyana had lost many first team players to retirement since 2012, the squad was a new younger group with major gaps in the goalkeeper and defensive areas.

However a 2-2 draw with Barbados was enough for Shabazz and his staff, consisting of assistant coach Wayne Wiggy Dover, Operations Manager Mark Xavier, Team Manager Faizal Khan, Kit Man Trevor Burnett, GoalKeeper Coach Andrew Hazell, Physical Trainer Anson Ambrose, Medical Officer Denzil Hernandez.

Results and fixtures[]

The list below displays match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future scheduled matches

Win Draw Loss

2021[]

25 March 2021 WC 1st Round Qualifying	Trinadad and Tobago	3–0	Guyana	showSan Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
19:00 UTC−4	L. García 7' Bateau 15' Telfer 44'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Panamericano Referee: Marco Antonio Ortíz Nava (Mexico)

30 March 2021 WC 1st Round Qualifying	Guyana	4–0	Bahamas	showSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic
15:00 UTC−4	Vancooten 8' Daniel 54' Glasgow 75' Welshman 81'	Report		Stadium: Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium Referee: Sergio Reyna (Guatemala)

4 June 2021 WC 1st Round Qualifying	Saint Kitts and Nevis	3–0	Guyana	showBasseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
16:00 UTC−4	Freeman 9' (pen.), 36' Sawyers 67'	Report		Stadium: Warner Park Referee: Ricangel de Leça (Aruba)

8 June 2021 WC 1st Round Qualifying	Guyana	0–2	Puerto Rico	showGeorgetown, Guyana
16:00 UTC−4		Report	R. Rivera 12' Angking 25' (pen.)	Stadium: Georgetown Football Stadium Referee: Ismael Cornejo Meléndez (El Salvador)

3 July 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying	Guatemala	4–0	Guyana	showFort Lauderdale, United States
21:30	Greenidge 21' (o.g.) L. Martínez 54' Lom 71' J. Martínez 80'	Report		Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)

Coaching staff[]

As of 6 September 2019

Head Coach	Márcio Máximo
Assistant Coach	Charles Pollard
Assistant Coach
Team Manager
Goalkeeping Coach
Kitman
Head Scout	^[7]
GFF President	^[8]
Technical Director	^[9]

Coaching history[]

(1975–82)
(1983)
(1984-1987)
(1988)
(1991-1992)
(1993-1994)
(1996)
(1998)
Joseph Wilson (2000–2002)
Neider dos Santos (2002–2004)
Jamaal Shabazz (2005–2009)
Wayne Dover (2009–2010)
Jamaal Shabazz (2011–2012)
Denzil Thompson (2014)
Jamaal Shabazz (2015–2016)
Wayne Dover (2017)
Michael Johnson (2018–2019)
Márcio Máximo (2019–)

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2021 Gold Cup qualification matches in July 2021.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Akel Clarke	(1988-10-25) 25 October 1988 (age 32)	14	0	Mount Pleasant Football Academy
1GK	Kai McKenzie-Lyle	(1997-11-30) 30 November 1997 (age 23)	9	1	Cambridge United
1GK		(2002-05-14) 14 May 2002 (age 19)	0	0	Police

2DF		(2000-09-27) 27 September 2000 (age 20)	0	0	Santos
2DF	Matthew Briggs	(1991-03-06) 6 March 1991 (age 30)	15	1	Vejle
2DF	Liam Gordon	(1999-05-15) 15 May 1999 (age 22)	7	0	Bolton Wanderers
2DF	Kevin Layne	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 23)	1	0	Mount Pleasant Football Academy
2DF		(2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 18)	2	0	Santos
2DF	Reiss Greenidge	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 25)	1	0	Bolton Wanderers
2DF	Terence Vancooten	(1997-12-29) 29 December 1997 (age 23)	16	1	Stevenage

3MF	Nathan Moriah-Welsh	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 19)	3	0	Bournemouth
3MF	Curtez Kellman	(1998-03-06) 6 March 1998 (age 23)	1	0	Daytona State College
3MF	Daniel Wilson	(1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 27)	38	1	Police
3MF		(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 22)	3	0	Guyana Defence Force
3MF	Javier George	(1999-09-11) 11 September 1999 (age 21)	2	0	Stade Beaucairois
3MF	Stephen Duke-McKenna	(2000-08-17) 17 August 2000 (age 21)	8	0	Queens Park Rangers

4FW	Connor Kurran-Browne	(2002-01-26) 26 January 2002 (age 19)	0	0	Bournemouth
4FW	Keanu Marsh-Brown	(1992-08-10) 10 August 1992 (age 29)	16	1	Wrexham
4FW	Omari Glasgow	(2003-11-22) 22 November 2003 (age 17)	4	1	Fruta Conquerors
4FW	Kelsey Benjamin	(1999-05-08) 8 May 1999 (age 22)	8	1	Guyana Defence Force
4FW	Sheldon Holder	(1991-09-30) 30 September 1991 (age 29)	33	9	Caledonia AIA
4FW	Trayon Bobb	(1993-01-05) 5 January 1993 (age 28)	42	10	Uitvlugt Warriors
4FW	Emery Welshman	(1991-11-09) 9 November 1991 (age 29)	22	10	Hapoel Ra'anana

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have been called up within the past year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Quillan Roberts	(1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 26)	3	0	Unattached	vs. Guatemala, 3 July 2021 ^PRE
GK		(2000-08-05) 5 August 2000 (age 21)	0	0	Milerock	vs. Guatemala, 3 July 2021 ^PRE

DF	Sam Cox	(1990-10-10) 10 October 1990 (age 30)	26	0	Hampton & Richmond Borough	vs. Guatemala, 3 July 2021 ^PRE

MF	Callum Harriott	(1994-03-04) 4 March 1994 (age 27)	9	1	Colchester United

FW		(2001-12-21) 21 December 2001 (age 19)	2	0	Portmore United

^INJ Withdrew due to injury. ^PRE Preliminary squad. ^RET Retired from the national team. ^WD Withdrew for personal reasons.

Player records[]

As of 30 March 2021

Players in bold are still active with Guyana.

Most caps
Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Walter Moore	77	5	2004–present
2	Charles Pollard	60	3	1996–2012
3	Anthony Abrams	58	15	2004–2017
4		46	1	2002–2010
4	Gregory Richardson	46	17	2002–present
6		42	1	2008–2017
7	Kayode McKinnon	41	4	2002–2012
8	Trayon Bobb	41	10	2011–present
9	Shawn Beveney	37	7	2004–2012
10	Dwight Peters	35	6	2008–2016
10	Daniel Wilson	36	1	2011–present

Top goalscorers
Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Nigel Codrington	18	26	0.69	2001–2010
2	Gregory Richardson	17	46	0.37	2002–present
3	Anthony Abrams	15	58	0.26	2004–2017
4	Emery Welshman	10	21	0.48	2015–present
4	Trayon Bobb	10	41	0.25	2011–present
6	Neil Danns	9	17	0.53	2015–present
	Randolph Jerome	9	21	0.43	1998–2008
	Sheldon Holder	9	33	0.27	2011–present
9	Vurlon Mills	8	32	0.25	2011–present
10	Shawn Beveney	7	37	0.19	2004–2012

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

FIFA World Cup record									FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970	Did not enter								Declined participation
1974	Did not enter								Declined participation
1978	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	2	3
1982									6	2	0	4	8	13
1986									2	0	1	1	1	2
1990									2	0	0	2	0	5
1994									2	0	1	1	2	3
1998									2	0	0	2	1	8
2002	Suspended by FIFA								Suspended by FIFA
2006	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	1	8
2010									2	0	0	2	1	3
2014									12	4	2	6	14	30
2018									2	0	2	0	6	6
2022									4	1	0	3	4	8
2026	To be determined								To be determined
Total		0/22							38	8	6	24	40	89

CONCACAF Gold Cup[]

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1963	Did not enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1991	Did not qualify
1993
1996
1998	Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify
2002
2003
2005	Withdrew
2007	Did not qualify
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	3	9	Squad
2021	Did not qualify
Total	Group stage	1/25	3	0	1	2	3	9	—

CONCACAF Nations League[]

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2019−20	B	C	6	3	1	2	12	10		18th
2022–23	B	To be determined
Total			6	3	1	2	12	10	18th

References[]

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
^ "Trinidad and Tobago – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Guyana – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Rec.Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
^ "Guyana: Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
^ "A brief history of football in Guyana". Worldsoccer.com. 20 September 2014.
^ "Staff –Nurse among overseas trio to join squad". Guyana Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
^ [1]^{[dead link]}
^ "GFF APPOINTS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR". Gffonlione.com. 5 September 2016.

External links[]

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

[listofmatches-2] "Trinidad and Tobago – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-3] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.

[rsssf.com-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Guyana – List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Rec.Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 December 2011.

[5] "Guyana: Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Retrieved 16 July 2010.

[6] "A brief history of football in Guyana". Worldsoccer.com. 20 September 2014.

[7] "Staff –Nurse among overseas trio to join squad". Guyana Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.

[8] [1]^{[dead link]}

[9] "GFF APPOINTS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR". Gffonlione.com. 5 September 2016.

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show v t Guyana national football team
General	Guyana Football Federation History Managers
Venues	Providence Stadium
Players	Squad Previous squads Footballer records
Performances	CONCACAF Gold Cup
Other Guyanese teams	U20 U17 Women's

show v t National football teams of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)
North America	Canada Mexico United States
Central America	Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
Caribbean	Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bermuda¹ Bonaire³ British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic French Guiana^{2 3} Grenada Guadeloupe³ Guyana² Haiti Jamaica Martinique³ Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Martin³ Sint Maarten³ Suriname² Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands
Defunct	Netherlands Antilles
1: Inside the North American zone, but CFU member. 2: South American country, but affiliated to CONCACAF and CFU. 3: Full or associate CONCACAF member, but non-FIFA member.