Antigua and Barbuda national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Antigua and Barbuda

Nickname(s)	The Benna Boys
Association	Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA)
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation	Caribbean Football Union (Caribbean)
Head coach	Jacques Passy
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	126 (7 February 2019)
Highest	70 (October 2014)
Lowest	170 (December 2003 – January 2004)
Elo ranking
Current	167 5 (3 March 2019)
Highest	131 (November 2010)
Lowest	179 (November 2007)
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)
CFU Championship/Caribbean Cup
Appearances	11 (first in 1978)
Best result	Runners-up (1988)
Medal record CFU Championship Silver 1988 Martinique Team

The Antigua and Barbuda national football team plays for Antigua and Barbuda in international men's soccer games. The team is known as The Benna Boys.

The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) controls the team. This association started in 1928. It is a member of CONCACAF and the CFU. The team also joined FIFA in 1970. So far, the team has not qualified for the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Team History

First International Match

Antigua and Barbuda played its first game on November 10, 1972. It was a qualifying match for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. They played against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain. Trinidad and Tobago won the game 11–1. This is still the team's biggest loss.

Friendly Games Against European Teams

On December 17, 2005, the team played its first game against a European opponent. The Hungarian Football Federation invited The Benna Boys to play Hungary. This friendly game took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hungary won the match 3–0.

On May 2, 2016, the Estonian Football Association announced another friendly game. Estonia played Antigua and Barbuda on November 22. This was the team's second game against a European opponent. Estonia won the game 1–0.

Team Nickname: The Benna Boys

The official nickname for the Antigua and Barbuda national football team is "the Benna Boys." This name comes from a type of music from Antigua and Barbuda, similar to calypso. The team chose this name in a contest with their fans in 2012. This happened after they reached the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. "The Benna Boys" was chosen over other names like "Beach Boys" and "Rhythm Warriors." Before this, the team was sometimes called "the Wadadli Boys."

Team Uniforms

Since March 2021, the team's uniforms have been made by Joma. Joma is a Spanish company. They started supplying the uniforms before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Recent Games

Here are the results from the last year and any games planned for the future.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Antigua and Barbuda  v  Bermuda

5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Antigua and Barbuda	1–1	Bermuda	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:00 UTC−4	Deterville  26'		Ming  90'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Centre Attendance: 404 Referee: Adonis Carrasco (Dominican Republic)

Cayman Islands  v  Antigua and Barbuda

8 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Cayman Islands	1–0	Antigua and Barbuda	George Town, Cayman Islands
21:00 UTC−5	Campbell  90+1'			Stadium: Truman Bodden Sports Complex Attendance: 453 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière (Canada)

Dominica  v  Antigua and Barbuda

7 September 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Dominica	2–1	Antigua and Barbuda	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4	Chad Bertrand 46' Travist Joseph 57'		Javorn Stevens 53'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)

Antigua and Barbuda  v  Bermuda

10 September 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Antigua and Barbuda	0–1	Bermuda	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4			Kane Crichlow 56'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Tristley Bassue (St. Kitts and Nevis)

Antigua and Barbuda  v  Dominican Republic

12 October 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Antigua and Barbuda	0–5	Dominican Republic	Hamilton, Bermuda
13:30 UTC−3			García 11' Romero 13' Vásquez 39' Firpo 88, 90+2'	Stadium: National Sports Centre Referee: Steven Madrigal (Costa Rica)

Dominican Republic  v  Antigua and Barbuda

15 October 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Dominican Republic	5–0	Antigua and Barbuda	Hamilton, Bermuda
13:30 UTC−3	de Lucas 14' Mörschel 35' Romero 45+1' Firpo 52' García 75'			Stadium: National Sports Centre Referee: Cristopher Corado(Guatemala)

Bermuda  v  Antigua and Barbuda

16 November 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Bermuda	2–1	Antigua and Barbuda	Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
15:00 UTC−4	Drew  8' (o.g.) Lambe  48'		Massicot  69'	Stadium: Estadio Cibao FC Referee: Timothy Derry

Antigua and Barbuda  v  Dominica

19 November 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B	Antigua and Barbuda	0–0	Dominica	Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
15:00 UTC−4				Stadium: Estadio Cibao FC Referee: Timothy Derry

2025 Matches

Antigua and Barbuda  v  Cuba

6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Antigua and Barbuda	0–1	Cuba	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:00 UTC−4			Pedro Bravo  45+8'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Centre Attendance: 428 Referee: Kwinsi Williams (Trinidad and Tobago)

Honduras  v  Antigua and Barbuda

10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Honduras	2–0	Antigua and Barbuda	Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés, Tegucigalpa
20:00 UTC−6	Montes  49' Vega  80'			Attendance: 7,905 Referee: Waldir García (El Salvador)

Coaching Staff

Current Coaching Staff

Name	Job
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

Piotr Nowak from Poland was the manager when Antigua and Barbuda reached its highest FIFA ranking (70) in October 2014.

Here is a list of the head coaches for the Antigua and Barbuda national team over the years.

Name	Time Period	Games	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	Reached the 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) during his time
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 Team Members

These players were chosen for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B games. These matches were against Bermuda and Dominica in November 2024.

The numbers for games played (Caps) and goals are correct as of November 19, 2024. This was after the game against Dominica.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jayden Martin	(2002-11-07) 7 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	All Saints United
18	1GK	Shahoi Dorsett	(2004-06-23) 23 June 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Aston Villa
21	1GK	Taj Moore	(2005-06-16) 16 June 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Brock Badgers
	1GK	Zaieem Scott	(2004-07-10) 10 July 2004 (age 21)	9	0	Grenades
2	2DF	Zafique Drew	(2003-08-30) 30 August 2003 (age 21)	11	0	All Saints United
5	2DF	Luther James-Wildin	(1997-12-03) 3 December 1997 (age 27)	4	0	Stevenage
14	2DF	Jahzinho O'Garro	(2002-12-12) 12 December 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Oakland County FC
16	2DF	Roneba Cordice	(2005-11-25) 25 November 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Bridgton Academy
20	2DF	Antonio Morgan	(2006-03-29) 29 March 2006 (age 19)	6	0	Bromley U21
	2DF	Vashami Allen	(1997-05-09) 9 May 1997 (age 28)	15	0	Grenades
	2DF	Zaire Scott	(2003-05-31) 31 May 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Grenades
6	3MF	Tyrik Hughes	(2005-07-13) 13 July 2005 (age 20)	7	0	Aston Villa
8	3MF	Sean Tomlinson	(2004-03-25) 25 March 2004 (age 21)	2	0	Grenades
10	3MF	TJ Bramble	(2001-05-09) 9 May 2001 (age 24)	17	2	Welling United
	3MF	Dannen Francis	(2004-12-14) 14 December 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Fleetwood Town
	3MF	Daryl Massicot	(2005-02-12) 12 February 2005 (age 20)	6	1	Grenades
	3MF	Dion Pereira	(1999-03-25) 25 March 1999 (age 26)	9	1	Dagenham & Redbridge
	3MF	Kendukar Challenger	(1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 (age 27)	22	0	All Saints United
	3MF	Quinton Griffith (captain)	(1992-02-27) 27 February 1992 (age 33)	87	10	Grenades
	3MF	Zahiem Green	(2003-08-15) 15 August 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Hoppers
7	4FW	Raheem Deterville	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 (age 25)	20	2	Old Road
11	4FW	Shalon Knight	(2000-03-04) 4 March 2000 (age 25)	6	0	Swetes
12	4FW	Keon Greene	(2000-07-27) 27 July 2000 (age 24)	5	0	Potters FC
19	4FW	D'Andre Bishop	(2002-10-02) 2 October 2002 (age 22)	27	3	All Saints United
	4FW	Eroy Gonsalves	(2006-09-18) 18 September 2006 (age 18)	2	0	Aston Villa
	4FW	Javorn Stevens	(1998-05-09) 9 May 1998 (age 27)	36	4	Hoppers

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called to the Antigua and Barbuda team in the last year.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Nick Townsend	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994 (age 30)	11	0	Eastleigh	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
GK	Brent Parker	(1990-08-16) 16 August 1990 (age 34)	2	0	Swetes	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
DF	Daniel Bowry	(1998-04-29) 29 April 1998 (age 27)	23	1	Cray Valley Paper Mills	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
DF	Kieron Richards	(1995-06-29) 29 June 1995 (age 30)	13	0	Grenades	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
DF	Tyrique Tonge	(2001-03-14) 14 March 2001 (age 24)	13	0	SAP	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
DF	Cardel Roberts	(2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 24)	7	0	Aston Villa	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
DF	Shavorn Phillip	(1996-09-09) 9 September 1996 (age 28)	21	1	Old Road	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024
DF	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	(1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 (age 34)	13	0	Airdrieonians	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
MF	Kwame Kirby	(1998-11-17) 17 November 1998 (age 26)	6	0	Aston Villa	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
MF	Ashley Nathaniel-George	(1995-06-14) 14 June 1995 (age 30)	11	1	Maidenhead United	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
FW	Eugine Kirwan	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 32)	23	1	Grenades	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
FW	Shafeeq Joseph	(2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 24)	2	0	Pigotts Bullets	v.  Dominican Republic; 15 October 2024
FW	Josh Parker	(1990-12-01) 1 December 1990 (age 34)	44	6	Oxford City	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024
FW	Jalmaro Calvin	(2003-06-30) 30 June 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Cavalier	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024
FW	Dayonn Harris	(1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 27)	1	0	New Mexico United	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Antigua and Barbuda.

Peter Byers has played the most games and scored the most goals for Antigua and Barbuda.

Most Games Played

Top Goal Scorers

Team Records in Competitions

FIFA World Cup Record

FIFA World Cup											Qualification
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1970	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1974	Did not qualify										4	0	0	4	3	22
1978	Did not enter										Did not enter
1982
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											4	0	1	3	1	5
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total		0/13									50	15	7	28	73	103

CONCACAF Gold Cup Record

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
1985	Did not qualify										2	1	0	1	2	5
1989											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
2025											6	0	1	5	2	15
Total		0/23									99	33	15	51	132	198

CONCACAF Nations League Record

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	B	C	6	3	0	3	8	17			2021	Ineligible
2022–23	B	A	6	3	0	3	5	7			2023
2023–24	B	D	6	1	1	4	9	22			2024
2024–25	B	D	6	0	1	5	2	15			2025
2026–27	C	To be determined									2027
Total	—	—	24	7	2	15	24	61	—		Total	0 Titles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

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

CFU Caribbean Cup Record

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
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											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											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

***A red border means Antigua and Barbuda was the host country.

Head-to-Head Record

This table shows how Antigua and Barbuda has played against other teams in official international games.

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	3	2	1	0	12	3
Barbados	8	1	1	6	9	16
Bermuda	14	3	5	6	14	18
British Virgin Islands	8	4	2	2	14	10
Cayman Islands	3	0	1	2	1	4
Cuba	8	0	1	7	4	19
Curaçao	4	3	0	1	10	6
Dominica	17	8	5	4	28	20
Dominican Republic	8	1	2	5	8	21
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	7	2	1	4	4	12
Guatemala	8	1	0	7	3	31
Guyana	14	5	3	6	16	33
Haiti	12	2	3	7	11	19
Honduras	2	0	0	2	0	3
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	4	1	0	3	5	10
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	238	83	42	113	341	424

Honors

Regional Awards

• CFU Championship
  • Runners-up (1): 1988

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Antigua y Barbuda para niños