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
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	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	CFU Championship: Runners-up (1988) Caribbean Cup: Group stage (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014)
Medal record CFU Caribbean Cup Silver 1988 Martinique Team

The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda.

Founded in 1928, it 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.

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.

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". In the past, the national team was unofficially known as "the Wadadli Boys", another name that was in the contest but did not win.

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.

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

2023–24 Nations League 18 November	Antigua and Barbuda	2–3	Puerto Rico	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
15:00 UTC−4	Pereira  52' Deterville  54'	https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=712992	W. Rivera  7', 58' Ríos  33'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Benjamin Whitty (Cayman Islands)

2023–24 Nations League 21 November	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'	https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=713003		Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Referee: Sergio Rozenhout (Suriname)

2024

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

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

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 7 September	Dominica	2-1	Antigua and Barbuda	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4	Chad Bertrand 46' Travist Joseph 57'	https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=740610	Javorn Stevens 53'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 10 September	Antigua and Barbuda	0-1	Bermuda	Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda
16:00 UTC−4		https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=740627	Kane Crichlow 56'	Stadium: ABFA Technical Center Referee: Tristley Bassue (St. Kitts and Nevis)

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 12 October	Antigua and Barbuda	0-5	Dominican Republic	Hamilton, Bermuda
13:30 UTC−3		https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=740643	García 11' Romero 13' Vásquez 39' Firpo 88, 90+2'	Stadium: National Sports Centre Referee: Steven Madrigal (Costa Rica)

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 15 October	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'	https://www.concacaf.com/en/nations-league/game-details?matchid=740660		Stadium: National Sports Centre Referee: Cristopher Corado(Guatemala)

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 16 November	Bermuda	v	Antigua and Barbuda	Dominican Republic
				Stadium: TBD

2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League B 19 November	Antigua and Barbuda	v	Dominica	Dominican Republic
				Stadium: TBD

2025

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 June	Antigua and Barbuda	v	Cuba
--:-- UTC−4

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 10 June	Honduras	v	Antigua and Barbuda
--:-- UTC−6

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 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Dominican Republic on 12 and 15 October 2024.

Caps and goals are correct as of 15 October 2024, after the match against  Dominican Republic.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Nick Townsend	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994 (age 30)	11	0	Newport County
	1GK	Zaieem Scott	(2004-07-10) 10 July 2004 (age 20)	8	0	Green City
	1GK	Jayden Martin	(2002-11-07) 7 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	All Saints United
	2DF	Daniel Bowry	(1998-04-29) 29 April 1998 (age 26)	23	1	St Albans City
	2DF	Kieron Richards	(1995-06-29) 29 June 1995 (age 29)	13	0	Grenades
	2DF	Tyrique Tonge	(2001-03-14) 14 March 2001 (age 23)	13	0	SAP
	2DF	Zafique Drew	(2003-08-30) 30 August 2003 (age 21)	9	0	All Saints United
	2DF	Antonio Morgan	(2006-03-29) 29 March 2006 (age 18)	4	0	Bromley U21
	2DF	Jahzinho O'Garro	(2002-12-12) 12 December 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Oakland County FC
	2DF	Zaire Scott	(2003-05-31) 31 May 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Grenades
	3MF	Quinton Griffith (captain)	(1992-02-27) 27 February 1992 (age 32)	85	10	Grenades
	3MF	Kendukar Challenger	(1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 (age 26)	21	0	All Saints United
	3MF	Dion Pereira	(1999-03-25) 25 March 1999 (age 25)	7	1	Dagenham & Redbridge
	3MF	Tyrik Hughes	(2005-07-13) 13 July 2005 (age 19)	5	0	Aston Villa
	3MF	Daryl Massicot	(2005-02-12) 12 February 2005 (age 19)	4	0	Grenades
	3MF	Sean Tomlinson	(2004-03-25) 25 March 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Grenades
	3MF	Zahiem Green	(2003-08-15) 15 August 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Empire FC
	4FW	Javorn Stevens	(1998-05-09) 9 May 1998 (age 26)	34	4	Hoppers
	4FW	D'Andre Bishop	(2002-10-02) 2 October 2002 (age 22)	25	3	All Saints United
	4FW	Eugine Kirwan	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 31)	23	1	Grenades
	4FW	Raheem Deterville	(1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 (age 25)	18	2	Old Road
	4FW	Shafeeq Joseph	(2001-05-24) 24 May 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Pigotts Bullets

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 (age 20)	0	0	Aston Villa	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
GK	Brent Parker	(1990-08-16) 16 August 1990 (age 34)	2	0	Swetes	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
DF	Vashami Allen	(1997-05-09) 9 May 1997 (age 27)	14	0	Grenades	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
DF	Cardel Roberts	(2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 23)	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	Roneba Cordice	(2005-11-25) 25 November 2005 (age 19)	2	0	All Saints United	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024
DF	Aaron Taylor-Sinclair	(1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 (age 33)	13	0	Airdrieonians	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
DF	Zaine Francis-Angol	(1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 31)	28	0	Buxton	v.  Bahamas; 17 October 2023
MF	Kwame Kirby	(1998-11-17) 17 November 1998 (age 26)	6	0	Aston Villa	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
MF	TJ Bramble	(2001-05-09) 9 May 2001 (age 23)	17	2	Welling United	v.  Cayman Islands; 8 June 2024
MF	Ashley Nathaniel-George	(1995-06-14) 14 June 1995 (age 29)	11	1	Maidenhead United	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
FW	Keon Greene	(2000-07-27) 27 July 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Potters FC	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 2024
FW	Eroy Gonsalves	(2006-09-18) 18 September 2006 (age 18)	1	0	Aston Villa	v.  Bermuda; 10 September 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 21)	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
FW	Shalon Knight	(2000-03-04) 4 March 2000 (age 24)	6	0	Swetes	v.  Guyana; 21 November 2023
FW	Carl Osbourne	(1992-12-16) 16 December 1992 (age 32)	6	1	Grenades	v.  Bahamas; 17 October 2023

Player records

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

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

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	To be determined										2	0	1	1	1	2
2030											To be determined
2034
Total		0/13									48	15	7	26	73	100

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
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
Total		0/22									93	33	14	46	130	183

CONCACAF Nations League

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 match	Jamaica 6–0 Antigua and Barbuda  (6 September 2019; Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Biggest win	Antigua and Barbuda  4–1  Bahamas (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

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

***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:

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	7	0	1	6	4	18
Curaçao	4	3	0	1	10	6
Dominica	16	8	4	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	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	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	235	83	41	111	341	421

Honours

Regional

• CFU Championship/Caribbean Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1988

See also

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