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Belize national football team facts for kids

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Belize
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Jaguars
The Unbelizeables
Association Football Federation of Belize (FFB)
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation UNCAF (Central America)
Head coach Carlos Slusher
Captain Charles Tillett
Most caps Deon McCaulay (63)
Top scorer Deon McCaulay (28)
Home stadium FFB Stadium
FIFA code BLZ
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 160 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 114 (April–June 2016)
Lowest 201 (November 2007 – January 2008)
Elo ranking
Current 169 Increase 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest 166 (September 2018)
Lowest 189 (January 2008)
First international
 British Honduras 1–0 Honduras 
(British Honduras; 19 February 1928)
as Belize
 El Salvador 3–0 Belize 
(San Salvador, El Salvador; 29 November 1995)
Biggest win
 Belize 7–1 Nicaragua 
(Belize City, Belize; 17 April 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Costa Rica 7–0 Belize 
(San José, Costa Rica; 17 March 1999)
 Mexico 7–0 Belize 
(Monterrey, Mexico; 21 June 2008)
Gold Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2013)
Best result Group stage (2013)

The Belize national football team plays for Belize in international football games. The team is controlled by the Football Federation of Belize (FFB). This group is part of CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America.

Belize has never played in a FIFA World Cup tournament. But they did qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup once in 2013. They were knocked out in the first round. The team also played in the Central American Cup. Their best finish there was fourth place in 2013. The players on the national team are often called "The Jaguars."

History of Belize Football

Early Games

Belize was once called British Honduras when it was a British colony. Their first international game was on February 19, 1928. They won 1–0 against Honduras.

After Belize became an independent country in 1981, their first game was on December 8, 1983. They lost 2–0 to Canada in Belize. Even though Belize became independent in 1981, they didn't start playing international football regularly until 1995.

First Big Tournament

Belize played in the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup for the first time. They were eliminated in the first round. They lost to El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Belize has never made it to the World Cup. However, they finished fourth in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana. This fourth-place finish allowed Belize to play in a major international competition for the first time: the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

FIFA Suspension in 2011

On June 15, 2011, Belize started their journey to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They played against Montserrat and won 5–2. This game was played in Trinidad.

However, the next game was supposed to be on June 19. FIFA, the world football organization, stopped it. They suspended the Football Federation of Belize (FFB). This happened because the government was getting too involved in how the football federation was run.

Team Look and Rivals

In February 2023, the Football Federation of Belize showed off a new logo. This logo would be used for all of Belize's national teams. A designer named Rolando Ramirez created it. The new logo clearly shows a Jaguar. This is the team's nickname. The FFB hoped this new look would bring unity and pride to Belize's football community.

Who are the Rivals?

Belizean football players often say that their main rivals are the Guatemalan national team.

Home Stadium

The FFB Stadium in Belmopan is the main home stadium for the Belize national football team. Before this stadium was built, Belize did not have any football fields that met FIFA's rules. Belize has many other fields to play on, but they don't have good facilities for the players.

Recent Games and Upcoming Matches

This section shows how the team has played recently and what games are coming up.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

Upcoming Matches in 2025

Coaching Team

Here are the people who help coach and manage the Belize national football team.

Name Nat Position
Carlos Slusher Belize Head coach
Horace Arboleda Belize Technical director
Jack Striders Belize Technical director
Peter Jones Belize Assistant Head coach
Kent Gabourel Sr. Belize Goalkeeping coach
Shaun Woodmac Belize Physical Trainer
Thomas Rivars Belize Physiotherapist

Who Has Coached the Team?

Since the national team started in 1995, many different coaches have led Belize. Winston Michael was the very first manager from 1995 to 1996. As of 2012, the team has had 11 different managers.

Manager Period in charge Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
Belize Michael, WinstonWinston Michael 1995–1996 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Argentina Bilches, ManuelManuel Bilches 1999–2000 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Costa Rica Sherrier Lewis, LeroyLeroy Sherrier Lewis 2001 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060.0
Brazil Santana, EduardoEduardo Santana 2003 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 !
Belize Adderly, AnthonyAnthony Adderly 2003–2006 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Brazil Antonio Carlos Vieira 2006–2007 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Guatemala Salas, PalmiroPalmiro Salas 2008 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.0
United States Mork, IanIan Mork 2008 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Mexico Couoh, RenanRenan Couoh 2008–2009 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Honduras José de la Paz Herrera 2010–2012 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&028.60000028.6
Costa Rica Leroy Sherrier Lewis 2012–2013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020.0
Belize Charlie Slusher 2013 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
United States Mork, IanIan Mork 2013–2014 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Costa Rica Leroy Sherrier Lewis 2014–2015 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Brazil Jorge Nunez 2015–2016 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.0
Poland United States Richard Orlowski 2016–2018 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.0
Guatemala Salas, PalmiroPalmiro Salas 2018–2019 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.0
Italy Annese, Vincenzo AlbertoVincenzo Alberto Annese 2019–2020 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.30000033.3
Belize Dale Pelayo Sr. 2020–2021 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&033.30000033.3
Spain David Perez Asensio 2022–2024 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 &&&&&&&&&&&&&017.60000017.6
Belize Charlie Slusher 2024-Present &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00 &&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.00

Players on the Team

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League C games. These matches were against Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands in October 2024.

The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of October 15, 2024, after the game against  Turks and Caicos Islands.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Charles Tillett (2001-07-29) 29 July 2001 (age 23) 20 0 Belize Progresso
1GK Orlando Galdámez (1992-02-24) 24 February 1992 (age 33) 0 0 Belize Atletico Belize

2DF Jaylen Lennan (2002-06-17) 17 June 2002 (age 23) 6 0 Belize Verdes FC
2DF Brandon Jones (1993-07-03) 3 July 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Belize Verdes FC
2DF Harlan Casanova 2 0 Belize Progresso
2DF Jordan Casanova (2004-04-30) 30 April 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Unattached
2DF Brandon Rogers 0 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates

3MF Jordy Polanco (1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 (age 29) 30 6 Belize Verdes
3MF Darrel Myvette (1993-12-15) 15 December 1993 (age 31) 22 0 Belize Verdes
3MF Nahjib Guerra (1994-08-18) 18 August 1994 (age 30) 20 0 Belize Verdes
3MF Andir Chi (2000-11-17) 17 November 2000 (age 24) 10 0 Belize Progresso
3MF Gabriel Ramos (2000-01-19) 19 January 2000 (age 25) 6 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates
3MF Moisés Hernández (1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 27) 3 1 Belize San Pedro Pirates
3MF Ramon Ramos (1994-11-23) 23 November 1994 (age 30) 3 0 Belize Progresso
3MF Naim Wilson (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Belize Port Layola
3MF Freybin Pagoada (2002-03-22) 22 March 2002 (age 23) 2 0 Belize CA Belize

4FW Krisean Lopez (1998-11-02) 2 November 1998 (age 26) 30 4 Belize Verdes
4FW Michael Palacio (2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 23) 9 1 Belize Port Layola
4FW Orlando Velásquez (1998-12-18) 18 December 1998 (age 26) 4 2 Belize Port Layola
4FW Jardehl Muschamp (2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Honduras Deportes Savio
4FW Rene Leslie (1999-12-12) 12 December 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Belize Port Layola
4FW Brian Chavez (2005-05-17) 17 May 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates

Players Called Up Recently

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


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Woodrow West (1985-09-19) 19 September 1985 (age 39) 46 0 Belize Verdes v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
GK Earl Dyck (2003-10-21) 21 October 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Belize Rising Stars v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024

DF Donell Arzú (1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 25) 9 0 Belize Progresso v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
DF Ashley Torres (1985-09-15) 15 September 1985 (age 39) 6 0 Belize Altitude v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
DF Aldin Forman (1999-03-16) 16 March 1999 (age 26) 1 0 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
DF Devin Garbutt (2007-05-05) 5 May 2007 (age 18) 1 0 Unattached v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
DF Richard Gillett 0 0 Belize Progresso v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
DF Everal Trapp (1987-01-22) 22 January 1987 (age 38) 55 0 Belize Verdes v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
DF Eugene Martínez (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 27) 15 2 United States LA 10 FC v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
DF Jahron Myvette (1995-05-09) 9 May 1995 (age 30) 7 0 Belize Verdes v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
DF Deshawon Nembhard (1994-10-08) 8 October 1994 (age 30) 12 1 United States Central Valley Fuego v.  Nicaragua; 9 June, 2024

MF Delone Torres (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994 (age 31) 6 0 Belize Altitude v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
MF Warren Moss (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 25) 13 1 United States Indiana Tech Warriors v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
MF Nana Mensah (1989-01-19) 19 January 1989 (age 36) 30 1 United States South Carolina United Heat v.  Nicaragua; 9 June, 2024

FW Jaheim Mena (2006-02-23) 23 February 2006 (age 19) 2 0 United States Legends FC v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
FW Latrell Middleton (1999-11-03) 3 November 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Belize Port Layola v.  Anguilla; 10 September, 2024
FW Carlos Bernárdez (1992-12-28) 28 December 1992 (age 32) 16 4 Honduras Real Sociedad v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
FW Horace Ávila (1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 (age 25) 11 1 Belize San Pedro Pirates v.  Guyana; 12 June, 2024
FW Michael Salazar (1992-11-15) 15 November 1992 (age 32) 23 3 United States Los Angeles Force v.  Nicaragua; 9 June, 2024
FW Félix Martínez (2005-07-09) 9 July 2005 (age 19) 1 1 Belize Verdes v.  Puerto Rico; 25 March, 2024

Team Records

Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Belize.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Deon McCaulay 63 28 2007–2022
2 Elroy Smith 61 6 2004–2019
3 Ian Gaynair 57 2 2007–2022
4 Evral Trapp 55 0 2010–present
5 Woodrow West 46 0 2008–present
6 Dalton Eiley 41 0 2005–2019
Daniel Jiménez 41 2 2008–2019
8 Harrison Róchez 40 5 2004–2019
9 Trevor Lennan 37 1 2005–2019
10 Elroy Kuylen 33 6 2009–2019

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Deon McCaulay 28 63 0.44 2007–2022
2 Carlos Bernárdez 6 18 0.33 2019–present
Jordy Polanco 6 32 0.19 2015–present
Elroy Kuylen 6 33 0.18 2009–2019
Elroy Smith 6 61 0.1 2004–2019
6 Dion Frazer 5 8 0.63 2000–2008
Krisean Lopez 5 32 0.16 2018–present
Harrison Róchez 5 40 0.13 2004–2019
9 Norman Nuñez 3 11 0.27 1995–2005
Vallan Symms 3 20 0.15 2000–2011
Michael Salazar 3 23 0.13 2013–present

Tournament History

This section shows how Belize has performed in major football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

Belize has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1978 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
1982 and 1986 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1990 and 1994 Did not enter Declined participation
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 6
South Korea Japan 2002 4 0 1 3 2 10
Germany 2006 2 0 0 2 0 8
South Africa 2010 4 1 1 2 4 11
Brazil 2014 8 4 1 3 17 13
Russia 2018 6 2 3 1 7 6
Qatar 2022 3 1 0 2 5 5
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 0 0 2 1 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/9 31 8 6 17 38 66

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Belize has qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup once, in 2013.

CONCACAF Championship & CONCACAF Gold Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Guatemala 1965
Honduras 1967
Costa Rica 1969
Trinidad and Tobago 1971
Haiti 1973
Mexico 1977
Honduras 1981
1985 Not a CONCACAF member Not a CONCACAF member
1989 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1991
Mexico United States 1993
United States 1996 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 5
United States 1998 2 0 1 1 1 2
United States 2000 2 0 0 2 1 12
United States 2002 2 0 1 1 3 7
Mexico United States 2003 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 2005 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 0 7
United States 2007 3 0 0 3 3 7
United States 2009 3 0 1 2 3 7
United States 2011 3 0 1 2 3 8
United States 2013 Group stage 12th 3 0 0 3 1 11 Squad 5 1 1 3 2 4
Canada United States 2015 Did not qualify 3 0 0 3 1 6
United States 2017 5 0 1 4 2 10
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019 4 2 0 2 6 3
United States 2021 6 2 0 4 6 12
Canada United States 2023 6 0 1 5 2 10
Total Group stage 1/18 3 0 0 3 1 11 49 5 5 39 34 100

CONCACAF Nations League

This tournament helps teams qualify for the Gold Cup and other competitions.

CONCACAF Nations League record
League Finals
Season Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Finals Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
2019−20 B A 6 2 0 4 6 12 Same position United States 2020 Ineligible
2022–23 B D 6 0 1 5 2 10 Same position United States 2023
2023–24 B C 6 2 1 3 5 7 Fall United States 2024
2024–25 C B 4 4 0 0 9 0 Rise United States 2025
2026–27 B To be determined United States 2027
Total 22 8 2 12 22 29 Total 0 Titles

Copa Centroamericana

This was a football tournament for teams in Central America.

Copa Centroamericana record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Costa Rica 1991 Did not enter
Honduras 1993
El Salvador 1995 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 5
Guatemala 1997 Preliminary round 7th 2 0 1 1 1 2
Costa Rica 1999 Group stage 6th 2 0 0 2 1 12
Honduras 2001 6th 2 0 1 1 3 7
Panama 2003 Did not enter
Guatemala 2005 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 0 7
El Salvador 2007 7th 3 0 0 3 3 7
Honduras 2009 7th 3 0 1 2 3 7
Panama 2011 7th 3 0 1 2 3 8
Costa Rica 2013 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 2 4
United States 2014 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 1 6
Panama 2017 6th 5 0 1 4 2 10
Total Fourth place 10/13 30 1 6 23 19 69

Belize first played internationally in the 1995 tournament in El Salvador. Their very first international game was on November 29 against the host team. El Salvador won 3–0. On December 1, Belize scored their first international goal ever. They lost 2–1 to Costa Rica and were out of the tournament.

Belize's Head-to-Head Records

This table shows how Belize has played against other national teams. Updated on November 19, 2024, after the game against  French Guiana

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Opponent P W D L GF GA GF
 Anguilla 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2
 Bahamas 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Barbados 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1
 Bermuda 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1
 Canada 5 0 1 4 1 14 −13
 Cayman Islands 2 0 2 0 1 1 0
 Costa Rica 6 0 0 6 1 18 −17
 Cuba 3 1 0 2 3 9 −6
 Dominican Republic 4 2 0 2 5 5 0
 El Salvador 10 0 0 10 6 29 −23
 French Guiana 8 4 2 2 10 7 +3
 Grenada 5 2 0 3 11 11 0
 Guatemala 13 0 4 9 10 23 −13
 Guyana 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1
 Haiti 1 0 0 1 0 2 –2
 Honduras 10 1 0 9 4 24 −20
 Jamaica 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
 Mexico 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9
 Montserrat 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4
 Nicaragua 13 4 3 6 19 25 –6
 Panama 6 0 2 4 3 10 −7
 Puerto Rico 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4 2 1 1 5 6 −1
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 2 2 2 6 7 –1
 Turks and Caicos Islands 3 3 0 0 12 0 +12
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
 United States 1 0 0 1 1 6 −5
Total 118 31 22 65 124 216 −92

See also

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