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Barbados national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Barbados women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Barbados
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Bajan Tridents
Association Barbados Football Association
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach Kent Hall
Captain Andre Applewhaite
Most caps Norman Forde (74)
Top scorer Llewellyn Riley (23)
Home stadium Wildey Turf
FIFA code BRB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 162 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 92 (October 2009)
Lowest 181 (July 2017)
Elo ranking
Current 174 Decrease 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 106 (16 July 2000)
Lowest 181 (November 2019)
First international
 Barbados 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago 
(Barbados; 20 April 1929)
Biggest win
 Barbados 7–1 Anguilla 
(St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda; 24 September 2006)
Biggest defeat
 British Guiana 9–0 Barbados 
(British Guiana; March 1931)
 Trinidad and Tobago 9–0 Barbados 
(Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; 25 March 2022)
Medal record
CFU Caribbean Cup
Silver 1985 Barbados Team

The Barbados national football team, also known as the Bajan Tridents, is the official football team for the country of Barbados. The Barbados Football Association controls the team. They have never played in a major international tournament like the FIFA World Cup or the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In 2005, Barbados almost made it to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. They hosted the Caribbean Cup finals, which were used to decide who would qualify. However, they finished fourth out of four teams. In 2001, they surprised many by reaching the semi-final round of the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers. They even had a surprising 2–1 win against Costa Rica in their first game of that round. But they lost their next five games. In 2004, Barbados managed an unexpected 1–1 draw at home against Northern Ireland.

History of the Bajan Tridents

Early Days (1929–1980)

Barbados played its very first international football match on April 20, 1929. They won 3–0 against Trinidad and Tobago. In the 1930s, they played in a tournament called the Martínez Shield. During this time, they had their biggest loss ever, losing 9–0 to Guyana (which was then called British Guiana) in 1931.

Barbados played its first official competition match in 1971. This was during the qualifying tournament for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. They played against the amateur team from El Salvador in Bridgetown and lost 0–3. Two years later, Barbados took part in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games. They didn't make it past the first round.

On August 15, 1976, Barbados beat Trinidad and Tobago 2–1. This was part of the qualifiers for the 1978 FIFA World Cup and the 1977 CONCACAF Championship. In the next game, Trinidad and Tobago won 1–0. This meant they needed a third deciding game, which was played in Bridgetown on September 14, 1976. Trinidad and Tobago won 3–1, which meant Barbados was out of the competition.

The 1980s and 1990s

In the 1980s, the Bajan Braves (another nickname for the team) finished second in the 1985 CFU Championship. The next year, they played in the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games. They reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by the host team, Dominican Republic. Towards the end of the decade, Barbados hosted the first 1989 Caribbean Cup. They couldn't get past the group stage.

In the 1990s, Barbados returned to the World Cup qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Again, they were eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago, losing 5–1 overall. For the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Barbados beat Dominica 2–0 over two games. But then they lost to Jamaica (0–1 at home and 0–2 away). In the Caribbean Cup, the Bajan Braves qualified for the 1994 Caribbean Cup but were knocked out in the first round. They then failed to qualify for the tournament from 1995 to 1999.

The 2000s: A New Century

The 21st century started well for Barbados. They beat Cuba in a penalty shootout (5–4) after two 1–1 draws. This was during the qualifying rounds for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the second round, they had a famous 2–1 win at home against Costa Rica on July 16, 2000. Goals were scored by Llewellyn Riley and Michael Forde. However, after that win, Barbados lost all their remaining games and missed their chance to reach the final round.

In 2001, they returned to the final stage of the Caribbean Cup but were again eliminated in the first round. In the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Saint Kitts and Nevis knocked Barbados out in the first round, winning 5–2 overall. In 2005, Barbados hosted the 2005 Caribbean Cup for the second time and finished in 4th place. They also qualified for the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, but were eliminated in the group stage both times. For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Barbados was eliminated by the United States, losing 9–0 over two games.

2010–Present Day

The qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup were tough for the Bajan Braves. They were in a group with Bermuda, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. They finished last in their group, scoring only 2 goals and letting in 14. After being knocked out of the Caribbean Cup in 2012 and not playing for 17 months, Barbados played an international match again on March 2, 2014, against Jamaica in Bridgetown. Jamaica won 2–0.

In the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, they played against the US Virgin Islands. They surprisingly lost 0–1 at home but then won 4–0 away. Next, they faced Aruba, winning 2–0 away and then 1–0 at home. However, Barbados had used a player, Hadan Holligan, who was not allowed to play because he had too many yellow cards. So, the second game was given to Aruba as a 3–0 win, which meant Aruba moved on and Barbados was eliminated.

Recent Matches

Main articles: Barbados national football team results (2000–2019) and Barbados national football team results (2020–present)

Here are some of the recent matches the Barbados team has played.

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Coaching History

  • Barbados Daniel Reid
  • Barbados Tom Burke
  • Barbados Jordan Emmett
  • Barbados Ryan Kontoh
  • Barbados Kevin Millard (1992)
  • Barbados Keith Griffith (1994)
  • Barbados Edward Smith (1996)
  • Barbados Eyre Sealy (1998)
  • Barbados Horace Beckles (2000)
  • Barbados Sherlock Yarde (2001)
  • Barbados Keith Griffith (2002)
  • Barbados Allison John (2003)
  • Barbados Kenville Layne (2003–04)
  • Barbados Mark Doherty (2005)
  • Barbados Eyre Sealy (2007–08)
  • Barbados Keith Griffith (2008)
  • Barbados Thomas Jordan (2008–10)
  • Barbados Colin Forde (2011–14)
  • Brazil Marcos Falopa (2014–15)
  • Barbados Colin Harewood (2015–17)
  • Somalia Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed (2017–2019)
  • Trinidad and Tobago Russell Latapy (2019–2022)
  • Portugal Orlando da Costa (2022–2023)
  • Barbados Emmerson Boyce (2023–2024)
  • Barbados Kent Hall (2024–Present)

Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League C matches in October 2024.

Stats are correct as of October 15, 2024, after the match against  Bahamas.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Kishmar Primus (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 (age 27) 29 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales
1GK Corey Bridgeman 0 0 Barbados Kick Start FC
1GK Jireh Malcolm (2006-11-21) 21 November 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Barbados Paradise
2DF Ricardio Morris (1993-04-24) 24 April 1993 (age 32) 48 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales
2DF Andre Applewhaite (2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 (age 23) 21 3 United States Coastal Bend College
2DF Carl Hinkson (1997-04-14) 14 April 1997 (age 28) 16 1 Barbados Kick Start FC
2DF Nathan Walters 3 0 Canada Altitude FC
2DF Darius Boyce (2004-05-20) 20 May 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds FC
3MF Hadan Holligan (1996-09-11) 11 September 1996 (age 28) 60 6 Barbados Weymouth Wales
3MF Mario Williams (1992-08-19) 19 August 1992 (age 32) 55 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales
3MF Ackeel Applewhaite (1999-07-17) 17 July 1999 (age 25) 47 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales
3MF Nicoli Brathwaite (2000-12-24) 24 December 2000 (age 24) 19 0 Barbados Kick Start FC
3MF Sheran Hoyte (2000-02-21) 21 February 2000 (age 25) 11 2 Barbados Brittons Hill FC
3MF Kevon Lucas (2004-03-11) 11 March 2004 (age 21) 7 0 Barbados Kick Start FC
3MF Jaron Oughterson (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 24) 4 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds FC
3MF Jaylan Gilkes (2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Barbados Barbados Soccer Academy
3MF Darian King (1992-04-26) 26 April 1992 (age 33) 1 0 Barbados Wotton F.C
4FW Omani Leacock (1998-05-01) 1 May 1998 (age 27) 30 4 Barbados Wotton F.C.
4FW Nadre Butcher (2004-03-06) 6 March 2004 (age 21) 21 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales
4FW Niall Reid-Stephen (2001-09-08) 8 September 2001 (age 23) 18 6 Barbados UWI Blackbirds FC
4FW Khalil Vanderpool-Nurse (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 (age 20) 4 0 Sweden Harnosand F.C.
4FW Khimani Cox (2005-02-14) 14 February 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Barbados Barbados Soccer Academy
4FW Janash Jaunai (2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Barbados Weymouth Wales

Recent Call-ups

These players have been called up to the team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Justin Griffith (2005-02-18) 18 February 2005 (age 20) 2 0 United States Monroe College v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
GK Brandon Sumpter (2002-09-18) 18 September 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Australia South West Queensland Thunder v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
GK Kevon Allsopp (2001-03-30) 30 March 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Barbados Deacons v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
GK Liam Brathwaite (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 (age 24) 15 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
GK Raheem Agard (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Barbados Whitehall Titans v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
DF Zachary Applewhite (2004-08-20) 20 August 2004 (age 20) 5 1 United States Mount Olive Trojans v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Shay Prescod (2004-03-04) 4 March 2004 (age 21) 4 0 United States Oklahoma City Stars v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Nathan Sealy (2004-09-06) 6 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0 United States Murray State University v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Justin White (1991-11-10) 10 November 1991 (age 33) 0 0 Unattached v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
DF Romelle Burgess (1982-03-14) 14 March 1982 (age 43) 39 1 Barbados Paradise v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
DF Akeem Hill (1996-11-01) 1 November 1996 (age 28) 33 1 Barbados Weymouth Wales v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
DF Zachary Ellis-Hayden (1992-03-01) 1 March 1992 (age 33) 6 0 Canada Guelph United v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
DF Shane Codrington (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 29) 27 0 Barbados Ellerton v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
DF Krystian Pearce (1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 35) 13 0 England Kidderminster Harriers v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
MF Ethan Taylor (2005-01-19) 19 January 2005 (age 20) 3 1 Barbados Kick Start FC v.  U.S. Virgin Islands; 10 September 2024
MF Elijah Downey (1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 26) 12 1 Barbados Wotton v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
MF Devonte Richards (2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 (age 22) 6 0 United States Feather River Golden Eagles v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
MF Rommell Bynoe (1994-10-31) 31 October 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Barbados Brittons Hill v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
MF Jomo Harris (1995-02-15) 15 February 1995 (age 30) 45 2 Barbados Paradise v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
MF Rashad Jules (1992-06-24) 24 June 1992 (age 32) 39 8 Barbados Ellerton v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
MF Akeem Chandler (2004-07-27) 27 July 2004 (age 20) 6 0 Barbados Paradise v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
MF Rámon Griffith (1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 (age 31) 5 0 Barbados UWI Blackbirds v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
FW Tajio James (2003-12-17) 17 December 2003 (age 21) 13 5 United States Feather River Golden Eagles v.  Haiti; 9 June 2024
FW Armando Lashley (1991-11-08) 8 November 1991 (age 33) 43 4 Barbados Paradise v.  Montserrat; 20 November 2023
FW Thierry Gale (2002-05-01) 1 May 2002 (age 23) 13 6 Austria Rapid Wien v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
FW Shaquan Clarke (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 25) 7 0 Barbados Ellerton v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
FW Ryan Trotman (1999-06-27) 27 June 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Gibraltar Manchester 62 v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023
FW Shaquan Collymore (1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 25) 5 0 Barbados Ellerton v.  Dominican Republic; 16 October 2023

Player Records

Here are some records for players who have played for Barbados. Players in bold are still playing for the team.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Norman Forde 74 18 1998–2011
2 John Parris 64 4 2000–2011
3 Gregory Goodridge 61 16 1995–2008
4 Hadan Holligan 57 5 2015–present
5 Mario Harte 55 15 2008–2019
6 Mario Williams 53 0 2015–present
7 Raheim Sargeant 47 3 2010–2019
8 Ricardio Morris 46 1 2012–present
9 Jomo Harris 45 2 2015–present
Jonathan Straker 45 2 1998–2011

Top Goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Llewellyn Riley 23 43 0.53 1995–2005
2 Norman Forde 18 74 0.24 1998–2011
3 Gregory Goodridge 16 61 0.26 1995–2008
4 Mario Harte 15 55 0.27 2008–2019
5 Jeff Williams 11 37 0.3 2005–2014
6 Jerry Alexander 9 11 0.82 1995–2000
7 Riviere Williams 8 27 0.3 2003–2011
Rashad Jules 8 39 0.21 2015–present
9 Paul Ifill 6 10 0.6 2004–2008
Thierry Gale 6 13 0.46 2018–present

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup

Barbados has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Here's how they've done in the qualification rounds.

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Games Played Won Drawn* Lost Goals For Goals Against Games Played Won Drawn* Lost Goals For Goals Against
1930 to 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1970 and 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 3 1 0 2 3 5
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Withdrew Withdrew
Italy 1990 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1994 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
France 1998 4 2 0 2 2 3
South Korea Japan 2002 12 4 3 5 17 27
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 2 5
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 2 10
Brazil 2014 6 0 0 6 2 14
Russia 2018 Disqualified after qualifying for third round 4 2 0 2 6 4
Qatar 2022 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 3 3
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 0 0 2 2 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total - 0/14 - - - - - - 43 11 6 26 40 83

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Barbados has not yet qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Did not enter
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977 Did not qualify
Honduras 1981 Withdrew
1985 Did not enter
1989
United States 1991
MexicoUnited States 1993 Did not qualify
United States 1996
United States 1998
United States 2000
United States 2002
MexicoUnited States 2003
United States 2005
United States 2007
United States 2009
United States 2011
United States 2013
CanadaUnited States 2015
United States 2017
Costa RicaJamaicaUnited States 2019
United States 2021
CanadaUnited States 2023
Total - - - - - - - -

CONCACAF Nations League

This table shows Barbados's performance in the CONCACAF Nations League.

CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Games Played Won Drawn* Lost Goals For Goals Against Promotion/Relegation Finals Results Games Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Squad
2019–20 C A 6 4 0 2 14 4 Rise United States 2021 Not eligible
2022–23 B A 6 1 0 5 3 9 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B B 6 0 0 6 7 26 Fall United States 2024
2024–25 C A 4 4 0 0 17 4 Rise United States 2025
2026–27 B To be determined United States 2027
Total — — 22 9 0 13 41 43 — Total 0 Titles — — — — — — —

CFU Caribbean Cup

This table shows Barbados's results in the CFU Caribbean Cup.

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
Trinidad and Tobago 1978 First round - 2 0 1 1 0 1 -
Suriname 1979 Did not enter Did not enter
Puerto Rico 1981 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
French Guiana 1983 4 1 2 1 2 3
Barbados 1985 Runners-up 2nd 3 0 3 0 2 2 Qualified as host
Martinique 1988 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 9
Barbados 1989 Group stage 5th 2 1 0 1 1 3 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 1990 Abandoned - 2 1 1 0 5 4 3 2 1 0 3 1
Jamaica 1991 Did not enter Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Did not qualify 3 1 1 1 4 4
Jamaica 1993 3 2 0 1 9 2
Trinidad and Tobago 1994 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 3 5 2 1 0 1 4 3
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 2 1 0 1 2 2
Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 2 1 1 0 3 1
Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago 1998 3 1 0 2 6 9
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 5 3 1 1 9 4
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 10 3 2 1 0 9 5
Barbados 2005 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Qualified as host
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Group stage 8th 3 0 1 2 3 6 6 4 2 0 17 5
Jamaica 2008 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 4 8 5 4 1 0 11 6
Martinique 2010 Did not qualify 3 1 2 0 6 1
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 3 2 0 1 3 2
Jamaica 2014 6 2 1 3 12 13
Martinique 2017 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 1 2
Total Runners-up 9/25 24 2 8 14 22 46 63 31 16 16 113 77

Honours

Regional Awards

  • CFU Championship
    • Second Place (1): 1985

Head-to-Head Records

These records are for official international matches.

Key

      Winning record       Equal record       Losing record

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA
 Anguilla 2 2 0 0 8 1
 Antigua and Barbuda 7 5 1 1 14 8
 Aruba 6 5 0 1 16 7
 Bahamas 3 3 0 0 9 6
 Belize 2 0 1 1 0 1
 Bermuda 13 4 4 5 16 19
 Canada 3 0 0 3 2 9
 Cayman Islands 3 2 0 1 11 4
 Costa Rica 2 1 0 1 2 4
 Cuba 8 0 4 4 3 11
 Curaçao 2 1 0 1 2 4
 Dominica 12 7 2 3 18 11
 Dominican Republic 2 0 0 2 0 3
 El Salvador 1 0 0 1 0 3
 Finland 1 0 1 0 0 0
 Grenada 18 9 7 2 32 18
 Guadeloupe 4 1 1 2 3 4
 Guatemala 3 0 1 2 1 5
 Guyana 19 5 5 9 30 33
 Haiti 3 0 0 3 3 9
 Jamaica 12 2 2 10 9 24
 Martinique 8 1 2 5 12 19
 Montserrat 2 1 0 1 6 4
 Netherlands Antilles 3 2 1 0 3 1
 Nicaragua 3 1 0 2 1 5
 Northern Ireland 1 0 1 0 1 1
 Panama 1 0 0 1 0 1
 Puerto Rico 3 1 0 2 2 2
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10 3 2 5 13 18
 Saint Lucia 8 3 2 3 16 11
 Saint Martin 2 1 0 1 4 1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16 6 5 5 25 21
 Suriname 4 1 3 0 6 5
 Sweden 1 0 0 1 0 4
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 1 0 0 2 0
 U.S. Virgin Islands 6 5 0 1 15 1
 United States 4 0 0 4 0 20
Total 200 73 45 89 274 188

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Barbados para niños

  • Barbados men's national under-17 football team
  • Football in Barbados
  • Barbados 4–2 Grenada (1994 Caribbean Cup qualification)
  • Sport in Barbados
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