With FIFA World Cup Qualifying games taking place this past week across the globe, football fans are in a frenzy whenever their national teams take the field to give their all in the tough competition for a spot in the 2026 World Cup. But not so in the Jewel. With hardly any notice by those not paying attention to football in Belize, our national football team just recently suffered a disappointing cop-out of the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In countries where their national team is competitive and still participating in the qualifying eliminations, everyone is abreast of the games, and sharing their emotion-charged responses to their national teams’ every success or failure in competition. However, Belize has become so accustomed to failure that our recent disaster is hardly noticed or discussed. Where did we go wrong?
With 48 teams eligible to participate in the month-long FIFA 2026 World Cup, this marks a golden opportunity for a number of other teams to make it to the World Cup, because there are more spots available this time. The powerhouse teams, USA, Canada and Mexico, are all guaranteed a spot in this coming World Cup as host nations, since the 2026 World Cup will be hosted at venues in these three different nations – unprecedented. Previously, our CONCACAF region was allowed 3 spots plus a chance at another with a playoff against the Oceania representative; thus, there could have been a maximum of 4 national teams representing CONCACAF at the World Cup, as occurred in 2022, when the USA, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica participated. But in 2026, that number could double as, aside from the USA, Canada and Mexico, 3 other teams emerging from the qualifiers will automatically earn a berth in the World Cup. And in addition, not one, but the two highest-ranked 2nd place teams in the qualifying final round will get to be in a playoff against Oceania representatives for a possible 2 more spots in the World Cup. It is therefore quite likely that, of the 12 teams that made it to the final round, definitely 3, and maybe 5 will make it to the World Cup. A dream to come true for them.
But, Belize. Where are we? Is our generation of dreamers from the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s, 90’s and beyond, destined to go to our graves without having seen our Belize Jaguars put up a real battle at the World Cup qualifiers, even if we don’t make it all the way to the World Cup? Going out with hardly a whimper, as we have been in the habit of doing for decades now, is truly depressing. And there is no indication from the results seen on the field, that those in charge of Belize’s football international representation have yet found the formula. Football fans are becoming wary of “believing in the process.” In Belizean politics, when an administration has brought too much frustration upon the electorate, the cry goes forth for “change”, and a commitment from the populace to “vote them out!” But such has not been the case in football, ever since the new structure of elections at the FFB under the FIFA/CONCACAF guidelines. Indeed, so complicated and restrictive has become the election process for the regional branch associations and the FFB itself, that even some longtime football icons have been denied entry into the hall-room at the Princess where elections were being held. (Ask Jerome “Peeloff” Maheia about that.)
What fed-up football fans, and especially past players have done, is tune in to international football on T.V., and stop getting worked up about our national team, which keeps breaking their hearts when they “know” we could be doing better.
When the Belize Jaguars flunked out of the qualifiers with a 1-0 loss to little Montserrat on June 4, followed by a 2-0 loss to Panama on June 7, there was hardly any outcry from Belize fans, except a few Facebook posts lamenting that our teams of the past were much better. Belize fans have basically moved on with their emotions where our national football team is concerned. The FFB is left to glory in the success of its many seminars and training sessions for coaches and referees, and its president who has been re-elected to a post on the CONCACAF executive. But on the field of play, our national team has not delivered.
Perhaps it is because of the plight of the MCC that many fans in Belize City in particular are not “feeling it” for our national team, which represents the vision and strategy being implemented by the FFB heads. They have their plan; but for many of us looking on, it is taking too long to come to fruition, and an 8-year stretch, two World Cups, is all it takes from a budding talent to a broken dream of a player that did not develop as he should have.
How low can we go? In a 1st round pre-qualifier, the 4 lowest ranked teams in CONCACAF engaged in a playoff, and the two winners, Anguilla and British Virgin Islands, then joined 28 other teams to make 30 that then formed 6 groups of 5 teams each. In the 2nd round, these teams then played a single round robin in each group, with each team getting to play each other team; and the top 2 teams from each group (12 teams) then advanced to the 3rd and Final round. And that’s the round where the next 3 CONCACAF qualifiers will be decided.
How did Belize fare in the 2nd round? In our Group D, Belize placed last, losing all 4 matches played (0-4) and scoring 1 goal, for a goal difference of -9. The British Virgin Islands also was last in their Group E (0-4) with a -11 goal difference; and Anguilla was likewise last (0-4) in Group F with a -21 goal difference.
Incidentally, according to a Wikipedia page, boat racing (not football) is the national sport of Anguilla, a British overseas territory, whose 35 square miles of land area accommodate a population of less than 20,000; while for the British Virgin Islands, which is also an overseas British territory of over 50 small islands, sailing is the main sport for a population of less than 40,000.
The first (#1) and second place (#2) teams going on to the Final round are: from Group A — #1 Honduras, #2 Bermuda; Group B — #1 Costa Rica, #2 Trinidad & Tobago; Group C — #1 Curacao, #2 Haiti; Group D — #1 Panama, #2 Nicaragua; Group E — #1 Jamaica, #2 Guatemala; and Group F — #1 Suriname, #2 El Salvador.
When we watch TV, and we see these teams and their fans getting all excited, Belizean fans need to understand what they are excited about, so that we can also get excited about the preparation of our own national team in the future to join in the fun. Until that happens, if it does happen in our lifetimes, we can only look on or pick another national team to ride with.
Those 12 teams have been shared into 3 groups of 4 teams each.
According to FIFA:
“Each team will play every other team in their group at home and away, playing a total of six matches (three at home and three away).
“Group A – Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Suriname.
“Group B – Jamaica, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda.
“Group C —Costa Rica, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua.
“Following the completion of the final round, the three group winners will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026, joining hosts Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
“Additionally, the best two runners-up will represent Concacaf in the FIFA Play-off Tournament. In total, the Concacaf region could have up to eight teams at the FIFA World Cup for the first time.”
One of these days, Belize!