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Cuba national football team facts for kids

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Cuba
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Los Leones del Caribe (The Lions of the Caribbean)
Los Diablos Rojos (The Red Devils)
Association Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba (AFC)
Confederation CONCACAF (North America)
Sub-confederation CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach Yunielys Castillo
Captain Karel Espino
Most caps Yénier Márquez (126)
Top scorer Lester Moré (30)
Home stadium Estadio Pedro Marrero
FIFA code CUB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 174 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 46 (November – December 2006)
Lowest 182 (August 2017, March–May 2018)
Elo ranking
Current 121 Increase 6 (3 March 2019)
Highest 52 (February 2005)
Lowest 147 (September 2019)
First international
 Cuba 3–1 Jamaica 
(Havana, Cuba; 16 March 1930)
Biggest win
 Cuba 11–0 Turks and Caicos Islands 
(Havana, Cuba; 8 September 2018)
Biggest defeat
 Sweden 8–0 Cuba 
(Antibes, France; 12 June 1938)
 Soviet Union 8–0 Cuba 
(Moscow, Soviet Union; 24 July 1980)
 Russia 8–0 Cuba 
(Volgograd, Russia; 20 November 2023)
World Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 1938)
Best result Quarter-finals (1938)
CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup
Appearances 12 (first in 1971)
Best result Fourth place (1971)
Medal record
NAFC Championship
Silver 1947 Cuba Team
Bronze 1949 Mexico Team
Caribbean Cup
Gold 2012 Antigua and Barbuda Team
Silver 1996 Trinidad and Tobago Team
Silver 1999 Trinidad and Tobago Team
Silver 2005 Barbados Team
Bronze 1995 Cayman Islands and Jamaica Team
Bronze 2007 Trinidad and Tobago Team
Bronze 2010 Martinique Team

The Cuba national football team represents Cuba in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Asociación de Fútbol de Cuba (Football Association of Cuba). This association joined FIFA in 1932. It was also a founding member of CONCACAF in 1961.

The team is nicknamed Los Leones del Caribe, which means "The Lions of the Caribbean".

Cuba was the first team from the Caribbean to reach the Quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. This happened in the 1938 World Cup. They beat Romania 2–1 in a replay match. However, they were then knocked out by Sweden with an 8–0 loss. Cuba has not played in the World Cup since then.

Cuba has also done well in other tournaments. They finished second in the North American Nations Cup in 1947. They were also second in the Caribbean Cup in 1996, 1999, and 2005. In 2012, they won the Caribbean Cup for the first time.

History of Cuban Football

Early Matches

Cuba played its very first international football match on March 16, 1930. This was during the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games. They won against Jamaica 3–1 in Havana. Just four days later, they beat Honduras 7–0. José Tapia was their manager during this time.

Cuba tried to qualify for the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy. They played against Haiti and won all three matches. Then, they faced Mexico in three more games. Mexico won all of these matches. So, Cuba did not qualify for the 1934 World Cup.

World Cup Journey in 1938

The 1938 FIFA World Cup was held in France. Many teams from the Americas did not want to play there. Because of this, Cuba and Brazil were the only teams from the Americas that qualified.

The tournament was a knockout competition. Cuba's first match was against Romania on June 5, 1938. The game was a thrilling 3–3 draw, with goals from Hector Socorro and Tomás Fernández for Cuba.

They played a replay match on June 9. Cuba won this game 2–1, with goals from Socorro and Carlos Oliviera. This win meant Cuba moved on to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final, Cuba played against Sweden on June 12. Sweden won the match 8–0, ending Cuba's World Cup journey.

Football from 1949 to 2000

Cuba tried to qualify for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. They played against the United States and Mexico. Cuba finished third in their group and did not qualify.

After that, Cuba did not play in World Cup qualifiers again until 1966. They returned to qualification for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. For the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Cuba almost made it to the finals. They were only two points away from qualifying.

Recent Football History

Kubanische Fußballnationalmannschaft 02
The national football team of Cuba in 2009

In the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Cuba reached the quarter-finals. They beat Canada 2–0 in the group stage. In the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Cuba played Costa Rica. They drew 2–2 at home and 1–1 away, but Costa Rica advanced because of the "away goals" rule.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Cuba drew 3–3 with Antigua and Barbuda. Then, they won the next match 4–1 to move to the next round. In that round, they played against the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guatemala. Cuba finished fourth in the group, with one win against Guatemala.

In 2010, Cuba finished third in the 2010 Caribbean Cup. This earned them a spot in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In 2012, Cuba made history by winning the 2012 Caribbean Cup for the first time.

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Cuba was in a tough group with Honduras, Panama, and Canada. They had some close games but ended with one draw and five losses. Their only goal in the qualifiers was scored by Alberto Gomes against Panama.

Players Moving to Other Countries

Over the years, some Cuban football players have moved to other countries to play. For example, during the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Los Angeles, two players, Rey Ángel Martínez and Alberto Delgado, decided to stay in the United States.

Other players, like Maykel Galindo in 2005, and Osvaldo Alonso and Lester More in 2007, also moved during Gold Cup tournaments. In 2008, seven players from the U-23 team, including Yeniel Bermúdez, Yordany Álvarez, and Yendry Díaz, moved while in Tampa, Florida. Later that year, Reynier Alcántara and Pedro Faife also moved.

More recently, in 2019, five players (Yordan Santa Cruz, Andy Baquero, David Urgelles, Orlendis Benítez, and Alejandro Portal) moved to Canada during a tournament. In 2023, four players (Roberney Caballero, Denilson Milanés, Neisser Sandó, and Jassael Herrera) moved while the team was in the United States for the Gold Cup. Another player, Sandy Sánchez, also moved after a game. These players often seek new opportunities to play football professionally.

Team Gear and Sponsors

Kit Sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
Germany Adidas 1981–1983
None 1984–1987
Germany Adidas 1988–2012
Foward 2013
Spain Joma 2015–present

Recent Matches and Schedule

Here are some of the recent match results for the Cuban national team, as of July 2025.

      Win       Draw       Loss

2024 Matches

  • March 26: Cuba won 1–0 against Nicaragua in a friendly match.
  • June 6: Cuba lost 3–1 to Honduras in a World Cup qualifier.
  • June 11: Cuba won 3–0 against Cayman Islands in a World Cup qualifier (awarded).
  • September 6: Cuba drew 0–0 with Jamaica in the Nations League.
  • September 10: Cuba drew 1–1 with Nicaragua in the Nations League.
  • October 10: Cuba drew 2–2 with Trinidad and Tobago in the Nations League.
  • October 14: Cuba lost 3–1 to Trinidad and Tobago in the Nations League.
  • November 14: Cuba lost 2–1 to Saint Kitts and Nevis in a Gold Cup qualifier.
  • November 18: Cuba won 4–0 against Saint Kitts and Nevis in a Gold Cup qualifier, winning 5–2 overall to advance.

2025 Matches

  • March 21: Cuba lost 2–1 to Trinidad and Tobago in a Gold Cup qualifier.
  • March 25: Cuba lost 4–0 to Trinidad and Tobago in a Gold Cup qualifier, losing 6–1 overall and not qualifying for the Gold Cup finals.
  • June 6: Cuba won 1–0 against Antigua and Barbuda in a World Cup qualifier.
  • June 10: Cuba lost 2–1 to Bermuda in a World Cup qualifier.

Coaching History

  • Cuba José Tapia (1930–1934)
  • United States Gavin Newton (1934–1935)
  • Cuba José Tapia (1935–1938)
  • Cuba Marcelino Minsal (1947–1949)
  • Czechoslovakia František Churda (1963–1964)
  • Hungary Karoly Kósa (1966)
  • Hungary László Mohácsi (1967)
  • North Korea Kim Yong-ha (1970–1971)
  • Cuba Sergio Padrón (1976)
  • Hungary Tibor Ivanics (1980–1981)
  • Cuba Roberto Hernández (1985–1988)
  • Italy Giovanni Campari (1990–1996)
  • Cuba William Bennett (1996–2000)
  • Peru Miguel Company (2000–2004)
  • Cuba Luis Armelio Garcia (2004–2005)
  • Cuba Raúl González (2006–2007)
  • Germany Reinhold Fanz (2008)
  • Cuba Raúl González (2008–2012)
  • Cuba Chandler González (2012)
  • Cuba Walter Benítez (2012–2015)
  • Cuba Raúl González (2015–2016)
  • Cuba Julio Valero (2016)
  • Cuba Raúl Mederos (2016–2019)
  • Cuba Pablo Elier Sánchez (2019–2023)
  • Cuba Yunielys Castillo (2023–present)

Current Players

Team Members

The following 23 players were chosen for the World Cup qualification matches in June 2025.

Player information is correct as of June 10, 2025, after the match against Bermuda.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ismel Morgado (2003-05-31) 31 May 2003 (age 22) 5 0 Nicaragua Junior de Managua
12 1GK Raiko Arozarena (1997-03-27) 27 March 1997 (age 28) 17 0 United States Las Vegas Lights
21 1GK Yurdy Hodelin (2005-09-23) 23 September 2005 (age 19) 1 0 Costa Rica Consultants

2 2DF Ricardo Polo (2005-05-14) 14 May 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Honduras Santa Rosa
3 2DF Camilo Pinillo (2005-02-21) 21 February 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Belgium Lierse
4 2DF Cavafe (1999-04-25) 25 April 1999 (age 26) 27 2 Spain Unión Adarve
5 2DF Karel Pérez (2005-08-25) 25 August 2005 (age 19) 12 0 Portugal Gil Vicente
6 2DF Pedro Bravo (2001-12-05) 5 December 2001 (age 23) 6 1 Costa Rica Limón Black Star
8 2DF Leandro Mena (2005-02-03) 3 February 2005 (age 20) 4 0 Costa Rica PFA Antioquia
22 2DF Orlando Calvo (1999-04-09) 9 April 1999 (age 26) 12 0 Costa Rica Inter San Carlos
23 2DF Josué Valdez (2003-04-14) 14 April 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Nicaragua Masachapa

10 3MF Dairon Reyes (2003-09-18) 18 September 2003 (age 21) 20 1 United States Inter Miami II
13 3MF Diego Catasus (2005-04-03) 3 April 2005 (age 20) 7 0 Italy Latina Calcio
14 3MF Karel Espino (2001-10-27) 27 October 2001 (age 23) 33 2 Guatemala Comunicaciones
15 3MF Marcos Campos (2005-11-15) 15 November 2005 (age 19) 2 0 Costa Rica PFA Antioquia
16 3MF Rey Rodríguez (2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 22) 10 0 Nicaragua Masachapa
18 3MF Yasniel Matos (2002-03-29) 29 March 2002 (age 23) 34 3 Guatemala Municipal

7 4FW Willian Pozo-Venta (1997-08-27) 27 August 1997 (age 27) 27 4 Norway Grorud
9 4FW Maikel Reyes (1993-03-04) 4 March 1993 (age 32) 53 13 Nicaragua Managua
11 4FW Onel Hernández (1993-02-01) 1 February 1993 (age 32) 15 4 England Norwich City
17 4FW Martín Rodríguez (2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 19) 2 0 Switzerland Yverdon Sport
19 4FW Jorge Aguirre (2000-01-05) 5 January 2000 (age 25) 2 1 Greece Panetolikos
20 4FW Alessio Raballo (2006-09-09) 9 September 2006 (age 18) 3 0 Italy Parma

Other Players Called Up Recently

These players have also been part of the Cuba squad in the last year.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DF Yosel Piedra (1994-03-27) 27 March 1994 (age 31) 46 2 Costa Rica AD San Carlos v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
DF Dariel Morejón (1998-12-21) 21 December 1998 (age 26) 45 0 Costa Rica Santa Ana v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
DF Alejandro Delgado (2003-02-14) 14 February 2003 (age 22) 13 0 Nicaragua ART Municipal Jalapa v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
DF Elvis Casanova (2005-09-17) 17 September 2005 (age 19) 6 0 Costa Rica Consultants v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
DF Mario Peñalver (2003-01-06) 6 January 2003 (age 22) 8 0 Nicaragua ART Municipal Jalapa v.  Nicaragua, 14 October 2024

MF Yunior Pérez (2001-03-12) 12 March 2001 (age 24) 30 0 Guatemala Malacateco v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
MF Romario Torres (2005-02-09) 9 February 2005 (age 20) 12 0 Costa Rica Jicaral v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
MF Michael Camejo (2005-03-17) 17 March 2005 (age 20) 4 0 Costa Rica PFA Antioquia v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 18 November 2024

FW Daniel Díaz (1994-03-27) 27 March 1994 (age 31) 17 0 Costa Rica Inter San Carlos v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
FW Christian Flores (1999-04-06) 6 April 1999 (age 26) 3 1 Costa Rica Inter San Carlos v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
FW Aniel Casanova (2005-09-17) 17 September 2005 (age 19) 3 1 Costa Rica Consultants v.  Trinidad and Tobago, 26 March 2025
FW Luis Paradela (1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 28) 39 11 Romania Universitatea Craiova v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 18 November 2024
FW Reydel Sánchez (2004-01-01) 1 January 2004 (age 21) 5 0 Spain Los Llanos v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 18 November 2024 INJ
FW David Pérez (2005-04-24) 24 April 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Cuba La Habana v.  Nicaragua, 10 September 2024

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.

Player Records

Players in bold are still active with Cuba

Most Games Played

SeleccionCuba YenierMarquez
Yénier Márquez has played the most games for Cuba, with 126 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Yénier Márquez 126 16 2000–2015
2 Odelín Molina 123 0 1996–2013
3 Jaime Colomé 82 12 2002–2013
4 Alexánder Cruzata 74 2 1996–2005
5 Lázaro Darcourt 73 21 1995–2003
6 Alain Cervantes 68 8 2003–2016
7 Silvio Pedro Miñoso 66 0 2002–2008
8 Reysander Fernández 65 3 2003–2012
9 Lester Moré 62 30 1995–2007
10 Manuel Bobadilla 57 11 1995–2001

Top Goal Scorers

SeleccionCuba LesterMore
Lester Moré has scored the most goals for Cuba, with 30 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Lester Moré 30 62 0.48 1995–2007
2 Lázaro Darcourt 21 73 0.29 1995–2003
3 Roberto Linares 16 42 0.38 2008–2012
Yénier Márquez 16 126 0.12 2000–2015
5 Eduardo Sebrango 13 23 0.57 1996–1998
6 Serguei Prado 12 30 0.4 1999–2005
Maykel Galindo 12 33 0.36 2002–2005
Osmín Hernández 12 46 0.26 1995–2004
Maikel Reyes 12 51 0.24 2012–present
Jaime Colomé 12 82 0.15 2002–2013

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup Record

Cuba has played in one FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
France 1938 Quarter-finals 7th 3 1 1 1 5 12 Squad
Total Quarter-finals 1/22 3 1 1 1 5 12

CONCACAF Gold Cup Record

Cuba has played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup many times.

CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 1971 Fourth place 4th 5 1 2 2 5 7 Squad
United States 1998 Group stage 10th 2 0 0 2 2 10 Squad
United States 2002 Group stage 11th 2 0 1 1 0 1 Squad
Mexico United States 2003 Quarter-finals 8th 3 1 0 2 2 8 Squad
United States 2005 Group stage 12th 3 0 0 3 3 9 Squad
United States 2007 Group stage 12th 3 0 1 2 3 9 Squad
United States 2011 Group stage 12th 3 0 0 3 1 16 Squad
United States 2013 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 0 3 6 13 Squad
Canada United States 2015 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 0 3 1 14 Squad
Costa Rica Jamaica United States 2019 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 0 17 Squad
Canada United States 2023 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 3 9 Squad
Total Fourth place 12/28 40 5 6 29 30 121

Caribbean Cup Record

Cuba has had good success in the Caribbean Cup.

CFU Championship & Caribbean Cup Record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 1992 Fourth place 5 2 2 1 4 2 Squad
Cayman Islands Jamaica 1995 Third place 5 3 0 2 9 6 Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 1996 Runners-up 5 3 1 1 7 2 Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 8 3 Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 2001 Fourth place 5 1 2 2 5 7 Squad
Barbados 2005 Runners-up 3 2 0 1 5 2 Squad
Trinidad and Tobago 2007 Third place 5 2 1 2 7 6 Squad
Jamaica 2008 Fourth place 5 2 2 1 7 4 Squad
Martinique 2010 Third place 5 3 1 1 5 4 Squad
Antigua and Barbuda 2012 Champions 5 4 0 1 5 2 Squad
Jamaica 2014 Fourth place 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
Total 1 Title 51 26 11 14 67 43

Achievements

Regional Titles

  • NAFC Championship
    • 2 Runners-up (1): 1947
    • 3 Third place (1): 1949
  • Caribbean Cup
    • 1 Champions (1): 2012
    • 2 Runners-up (3): 1996, 1999, 2005
    • 3 Third place (3): 1995, 2007, 2010
  • Central American and Caribbean Games
    • 1 Gold medal (1): 1930

Summary of Medals

Senior Competition 1 2 3 Total
NAFC Championship 0 1 1 2
Total 0 1 1 2

See also

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

  • Cuba national under-20 football team
  • Cuba national under-17 football team
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