Antigua and Barbuda national football team

Antigua and Barbuda
Nickname(s)	The Benna Boys
Association	Antigua and Barbuda Football Association
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	Caribbean Football Union (Caribbean)
Head coach	Mikele Leigertwood
Captain	Quinton Griffith
Most caps	Peter Byers (91)
Top scorer	Peter Byers (44)
Home stadium	Antigua Recreation Ground; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
FIFA code	ATG
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	142 (21 December 2023)
Highest	70 (October 2014)
Lowest	170 (December 2003 – January 2004)
First international
	Trinidad and Tobago 11–1 Antigua and Barbuda ; (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago; 10 November 1972)
Biggest win
	Antigua and Barbuda 10–0 U.S. Virgin Islands ; (North Sound, Antigua & Barbuda; 11 October 2011)
Biggest defeat
	Trinidad and Tobago 11–1 Antigua and Barbuda ; (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago; 10 November 1972)
Medal record
CFU Caribbean Cup

The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda and is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association, a member of the CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

History

First international match

On November 10, 1972, Antigua and Barbuda's first match was a 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifying match versus Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain. The match was a 11-1 thrashing which to this day is this national team's worst defeat.

Friendlies against European teams

On 17 December 2005, the Antigua and Barbuda national team played their first match against a European opponent after the Hungarian Football Federation invited "the Benna Boys" to play Hungary in an international friendly at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was the first match coached by former national striker Derrick Edwards. Hungary defeated Antigua and Barbuda 3–0.^[2]

On 2 May 2016, the Estonian Football Association announced that their national team would play Antigua and Barbuda in an international friendly on 22 November. It was the team's second match against a European opponent. Estonia won the game 1–0.^[3]

2018 drug bust in Jamaica

During the March 2018 FIFA Calendar Antigua and Barbuda played Jamaica, drawing 1–1 away at Sabina Park, levelling in the last seconds of match from a header from Peter Byers. Upon the team's preparation for their departure back to Antigua, assistant coach Derrick Edwards and equipment manager Danny Benjamin were arrested and charged with possession of, dealing in, and taking steps to export marijuana, and conspiracy at the Norman Manley International Airport. Initially, Edwards was awarded bail and Benjamin was held without bail; after a month, both Edwards and Benjamin were placed under house arrest and curfew and gave up their travel documents.^[4] Both men were acquitted of the crime on 14 June, citing there was not enough evidence to prove their involvement in the carrying the drugs with the intention of smuggling them out of Jamaica.

Team image

Nicknames

The official nickname of the Antigua and Barbuda national football team is "the Benna Boys", referring to a genre of Antiguan and Barbudan music similar to calypso. The name was selected in a contest with the fanbase in 2012 after the team advanced to the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. "The Benna Boys" beat out other entries in the contest such as "Beach Boys", "Iron Bandits", "Rhythm Warriors" and "Party Crashers".^[5] In the past, the national team was unofficially known as "the Wadadli Boys", another name that was in the contest but did not win.^[6]

Kit suppliers

The kit of the national team has been manufactured by Spanish-based Joma since March 2021, ahead of the first round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Kit manufacturer	Time period
Admiral	1995–1999
Virma	2000–2003
Adidas	2006–2011
Peak	2012–2016
Admiral	2016–2020
Joma	2021–present

Results and fixtures

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

23 March 2022–23 Nations League	Guadeloupe	0–1	Antigua and Barbuda	Les Abymes, Guadeloupe
19:00 UTC−4		Report	Nathaniel-George 57'	Stadium: Stade René Serge Nabajoth Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière (Canada)

26 March 2022–23 Nations League	Antigua and Barbuda	1–2	Barbados	North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4	Weston 31'	Report	Gale 62' James 87'	Stadium: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Referee: Ismael Cornejo (El Salvador)

16 June 2023 Gold Cup qualification	Antigua and Barbuda	0–5	Guadeloupe	Fort Lauderdale, United States
16:30 UTC−4		Report	Solvet 28' Tell 45+4' Davidas 66' Archimède 70' Phaëton 90+3'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Referee: Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)

9 September 2023–24 Nations League	Antigua and Barbuda	1–5	Guyana	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:30 UTC−4	Deterville 45'	Report	Glasgow 14', 29' (pen.), 87' Benjamin 33' Cordice 62' (o.g.)	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

12 September 2023–24 Nations League	Puerto Rico	5–0	Antigua and Barbuda	Nassau, Bahamas
19:00 UTC−4	Díaz 15', 46', 90' Rivera 39' (pen.), 43'	Report		Stadium: Thomas Robinson Stadium Referee: Melvin Matamoros (Honduras)

14 October 2023–24 Nations League	Bahamas	1–4	Antigua and Barbuda	Nassau, Bahamas
18:00 UTC−4	Julmis 62'	Report	Stevens 3', 9' Bramble 43' Griffith 77' (pen.)	Stadium: Thomas Robinson Stadium Referee: Sergio Reyna (Guatemala)

17 October 2023–24 Nations League	Antigua and Barbuda	2–2	Bahamas	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:30 UTC−4	Parker 54' Bramble 59'	Report	Wells 5' Johnson 82'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Reon Radix (Grenada)

18 November 2023–24 Nations League	Antigua and Barbuda	2–3	Puerto Rico	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:00 UTC−4	Pereira 52' Deterville 54'	Report	W. Rivera 7', 58' Ríos 33'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Benjamin Whitty (Cayman Islands)

21 November 2023–24 Nations League	Guyana	6–0	Antigua and Barbuda	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
20:00 UTC−4	Benjamin 7' Glasgow 36' Moriah-Welsh 45' De Rosario 67' Lovell 90' Moore 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Referee: Sergio Rozenhout (Suriname)

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Name	Position
Mikele Leigertwood	Head coach
Neil Schyan Jeffers	Assistant coach
Lenny Hewlett	Assistant coach
Janiel Simon	Goalkeeper coach
Evans Jones	Trainer
Horatio Morrison	Physiotherapist
Malcolm Challenger	Equipment manager

Manager history

Polish manager Piotr Nowak was at the helm of Antigua and Barbuda when they achieved their highest FIFA ranking (70) in October 2014.

The following is a list of head coaches of the Antigua and Barbuda national team throughout the years.

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Notes
Rudi Gutendorf	1976
Zoran Vraneš	1998–2000					Fourth place at the 1998 Caribbean Cup
Walter Gama	2001–2002
Rolston Williams	2004
Derrick Edwards	2005–2008
Willie Donachie	2008	16	8	3	5
Rowan Benjamin	2008–2011	11	4	3	4
Tom Curtis	2011–2012	21	8	3	10	Semifinal round of the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers
Rolston Williams	2012–2014	6	4	0	2
Piotr Nowak	2014–2015	12	5	2	5	Highest FIFA Ranking (70) under his tenure
Rolston Williams	2015–2018	8	3	0	5
Derrick Edwards	2018–2019	6	2	1	3
Michél Dinzey	2019–2020	10	4	0	6
Mikele Leigertwood	2021–	9	5	1	3

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification match against Guadeloupe on 16 June 2023.^[7]

Caps and goals are correct as of 16 June 2023, after the match against Guadeloupe.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Nick Townsend	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994	7	0	Newport County
1GK	Taj Moore	(2005-06-16) 16 June 2005	0	0

2DF	Karanja Mack	(1987-08-24) 24 August 1987	58	0	Parham
2DF	Daniel Bowry	(1998-04-29) 29 April 1998	17	1	Worthing
2DF	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	(1991-04-08) 8 April 1991	9	0	Airdrieonians
2DF	Jahzime Barthley	(2005-04-13) 13 April 2005	0	0	All Saints United

3MF	Quinton Griffith (Captain)	(1992-02-27) 27 February 1992	73	9	Five Islands
3MF	Shevorn Phillip	(1996-09-09) 9 September 1996	16	1	Liberta
3MF	TJ Bramble	(2001-05-09) 9 May 2001	10	0	Chelmsford City
3MF	Ashley Nathaniel-George	(1995-06-14) 14 June 1995	7	1	Maidenhead United
3MF	Henry Antyon	(2002-04-23) 23 April 2002	1	0	Hoppers
3MF	Karique Knight	(2005-04-03) 3 April 2005	1	0	Urlings Golden Stars
3MF	Jahzinho O'Garro	(2002-12-12) 12 December 2002	1	0	Parham
3MF	Kemio Williams	(1998-10-26) 26 October 1998	1	0	Old Road
3MF	Shakore Simon	(2000-02-10) 10 February 2000	0	0

4FW	Josh Parker	(1990-12-01) 1 December 1990	37	5	Oxford City
4FW	Shalon Knight	(2000-03-04) 4 March 2000	3	0	Swetes
4FW	Whitney Gonsalves	(1999-01-07) 7 January 1999	1	0
4FW	Zayn Hakeem	(1999-02-15) 15 February 1999	1	0	Shepshed Dynamo
4FW	Eroy Gonsalves	(2006-09-18) 18 September 2006	0	0

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Antigua and Barbuda squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Shahoi Dorsett	(2004-06-23) 23 June 2004	0	0	Villa Lions	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
GK	Zaieem Scott	(2004-07-09) 9 July 2004	0	0	Green City	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023

DF	Zaine Francis-Angol	(1993-06-30) 30 June 1993	26	0	Oldham Athletic	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
DF	Mahlon Romeo	(1995-09-18) 18 September 1995	14	0	Cardiff City	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
DF	Leroy Graham	(1999-12-07) 7 December 1999	13	0	Five Islands	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
DF	Kendukar Challenger	(1997-01-24) 24 January 1997	10	0	All Saints United	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
DF	Vashami Allen	(1997-04-09) 9 April 1997	8	0	Jennings	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023

MF	Myles Weston	(1988-03-12) 12 March 1988	14	9	Dagenham & Redbridge	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
MF	Kwame Kirby	(2001-11-28) 28 November 2001	0	0	Villa Lions	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
MF	Zafique Drew	(2003-08-30) 30 August 2003	0	0	Villa Lions	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023

FW	Javorn Stevens	(1998-05-09) 9 May 1998	23	1	Greenbay Hoppers	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
FW	D'Andre Bishop	(2002-10-02) 2 October 2002	17	3	Belišće	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
FW	Raheem Deterville	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999	6	0	Old Road	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023
FW	D'Jarie Sheppard	(2003-06-28) 28 June 2003	4	0	Willikies	v. Barbados; 26 March 2023

Player records

As of 21 November 2023^[8]

Players in bold are still active with Antigua and Barbuda.

Peter Byers is Antigua and Barbuda's top goalscorer and most-capped player.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Peter Byers	91	44	2004–2021
2	Quinton Griffith	79	10	2009–present
3	George Dublin	67	4	2000–2012
4	Tamorley Thomas	64	12	2002–2021
5	Karanja Mack	58	0	2006–present
6	Ranjae Christian	54	5	1998–2012
7	Randolph Burton	52	15	2008–2016
7	Akeem Thomas	52	2	2008–2018
9	Gayson Gregory	49	8	2000–2014
9	Molvin James	49	0	2007–2021

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Peter Byers	44	91	0.48	2004–2021
2	Derrick Edwards	18	20	0.9	1988–2000
3	Randolph Burton	15	52	0.29	2008–2016
4	Tamorley Thomas	12	64	0.19	2002–2021
5	Jamie Thomas	10	31	0.32	2006–2011
6	Quinton Griffith	10	79	0.13	2009–present
7	Myles Weston	9	16	0.56	2014–present
8	Garfield Gonsalves	8	29	0.28	1992–2008
	Kerry Skepple	8	34	0.24	2002–2012
	Gayson Gregory	8	49	0.16	2000–2014

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of United Kingdom									Part of United Kingdom
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974	Did not qualify									4	0	0	4	3	22
1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1982	Did not enter									Did not enter
1986	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	5
1990										2	0	0	2	1	4
1994										4	1	1	2	5	6
1998										2	0	1	1	4	6
2002										6	1	2	3	4	15
2006										2	1	0	1	2	3
2010										4	2	0	2	7	8
2014										12	5	1	6	32	18
2018										4	2	0	2	6	6
2022										4	2	1	1	6	5
2026	To be determined									To be determined
2030
2034
Total		0/13								46	15	6	25	72	98

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Part of United Kingdom									Part of United Kingdom
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973	Did not qualify									4	0	0	4	3	22
1977	Did not enter									Did not enter
1981	Did not enter									Did not enter
1985	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	5
1989	Did not qualify									2	1	1	0	1	4
1991	Did not enter									Did not enter
1993	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	1
1996										3	1	2	2	6	11
1998										2	0	0	2	1	5
2000										11	4	2	5	24	17
2002										3	0	1	2	4	5
2003										5	0	1	4	1	8
2005										3	1	0	2	6	8
2007										6	2	0	4	8	17
2009										9	4	3	2	19	16
2011										6	2	2	2	4	5
2013										3	1	0	2	3	3
2015										9	4	2	3	14	11
2017										6	3	0	3	10	8
2019										4	2	0	2	10	8
2021										6	3	0	3	8	17
2023										7	3	0	4	5	12
Total		0/22								93	33	14	46	130	183

CONCACAF Nations League

CONCACAF Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rank
2019−20	B	C	6	3	0	3	8	17		21st
2022–23	B	A	6	3	0	3	5	7		21st
2023–24	B	D	6	1	1	4	9	22		20th
Total			18	7	1	10	22	46	20th

CONCACAF Nations League history
First match	Jamaica 6–0 Antigua and Barbuda (6 September 2019; Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Biggest win	Bahamas 1–4 Antigua and Barbuda (14 October 2023; Nassau, Bahamas)
Biggest defeat	Jamaica 6–0 Antigua and Barbuda (6 September 2019; Montego Bay, Jamaica) Guyana 6–0 Antigua and Barbuda (21 November 2023; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Best result	—
Worst result	—

CFU Caribbean Cup

Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record										Qualification record
1978	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	4	8	Squad	2	1	1	0	3	0
1979	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	0	2
1981	Did not enter									Did not enter
1983	Fourth place	4th	7	2	2	3	11	10	Squad	4	2	2	0	10	5
1985	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
1988	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	4	0	5	4	Squad	2	1	1	0	2	1
1989	Did not qualify									4	3	0	1	4	2
1990	Did not qualify									3	0	1	2	2	5
1991	Did not enter									Did not enter
1992	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	12	Squad	3	3	0	0	8	0
1993	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	1	1
1994	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	10	3
1995	Group stage	7th	3	1	0	2	3	8	Squad	2	0	2	0	3	3
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
1997	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	1	5	Squad	Qualified as hosts
1998	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	11	9	Squad	3	2	1	0	11	3
1999	Did not qualify									3	0	1	2	2	5
2001										3	0	1	2	4	5
2005										3	1	0	2	6	8
2007										6	2	0	4	8	17
2008	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	3	6	Squad	6	4	1	1	16	10
2010	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad	3	1	2	0	2	1
2012	Group stage	8th	3	1	0	2	3	3	Squad	Qualified as hosts
2014	Group stage	7th	3	0	1	2	2	7	Squad	6	4	1	1	12	4
2017	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	10	8
Total	Runners-up	11/25	42	9	11	22	47	76	—	67	30	14	23	116	85

***Red border color indicates that Antigua and Barbuda was the host nation.

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Antigua and Barbuda's all-time official international record per opponent:^[9]

Key

Winning record Equal record Losing record

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
Anguilla	5	5	0	0	28	3
Aruba	5	5	0	0	11	4
Bahamas	1	1	0	0	6	0
Barbados	7	1	1	5	8	14
Bermuda	11	3	4	4	12	14
British Virgin Islands	8	4	2	2	14	10
Cayman Islands	2	0	1	1	1	3
Cuba	7	0	1	6	4	18
Curaçao	4	3	0	1	10	6
Dominica	15	8	4	3	27	18
Dominican Republic	6	1	2	3	8	11
El Salvador	1	0	0	1	0	3
Estonia	1	0	0	1	0	1
French Guiana	1	1	0	0	2	1
Grenada	6	3	3	0	13	7
Guadeloupe	6	2	1	3	4	7
Guatemala	8	1	0	7	3	31
Guyana	12	5	3	4	15	22
Haiti	12	2	3	7	11	19
Honduras	1	0	0	1	0	1
Hungary	1	0	0	1	0	3
Jamaica	12	1	2	9	5	29
Martinique	4	1	0	3	6	12
Mexico	1	0	0	1	0	8
Montserrat	4	3	1	0	20	6
Puerto Rico	1	1	0	1	3	2
Saint Kitts and Nevis	23	9	5	9	30	31
Saint Lucia	14	5	3	6	23	18
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	13	7	2	4	17	20
Sint Maarten	3	2	0	1	7	2
Suriname	6	1	2	3	4	15
Trinidad and Tobago	13	2	0	11	12	41
U.S. Virgin Islands	5	5	0	0	26	1
United States	2	0	0	2	2	5
Total	220	82	39	99	328	375

Honours

CFU Caribbean Championship & Caribbean Cup:
- Runners-up (1): 1988
- Fourth place (3): 1978, 1983, 1998

References

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
↑ "Caribbean Net News: Hungary beat Antigua-Barbuda in exhibition match". caribbeannewsnow.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
↑ "Eesti Jalgpalli Liit". jalgpall.ee. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
↑ Helps, HG (1 April 2018). "A coach's ganja plan". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
↑ "Text to 774 – 3307 your choice for the name the team contest". Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
↑ "Football (Soccer) Team Nicknames". www.topendsports.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
↑ "Benna Boys Squad". Facebook. ABFA - Antigua And Barbuda Football Association.
↑ "Antigua and Barbuda". National Football Teams.
↑ "Antigua And Barbuda national football team statistics and records: All-time record". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.

External links

Official website

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

[2] "Caribbean Net News: Hungary beat Antigua-Barbuda in exhibition match". caribbeannewsnow.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.

[3] "Eesti Jalgpalli Liit". jalgpall.ee. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.

[4] Helps, HG (1 April 2018). "A coach's ganja plan". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

[5] "Text to 774 – 3307 your choice for the name the team contest". Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2023.

[6] "Football (Soccer) Team Nicknames". www.topendsports.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2023.

[7] "Benna Boys Squad". Facebook. ABFA - Antigua And Barbuda Football Association.

[8] "Antigua and Barbuda". National Football Teams.

[9] "Antigua And Barbuda national football team statistics and records: All-time record". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.

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Antigua and Barbuda national football team
General	Antigua and Barbuda Football Association History Managers
Venues	Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Antigua Recreation Ground
Players	Squad Footballer records
Performances	Caribbean Cup CONCACAF Nations League
Other Antiguan teams	U23 U20 U17 Women's U23 U20 U17
Rivalries	Saint Kitts and Nevis Haiti

National and regional 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 region, but affiliated to CONCACAF and CFU. 3: Full or associate CONCACAF member, but non-FIFA member.